Shore AC Results for the 2024 USATF Masters National 5K Race in Atlanta, GA
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February 24, 2024, Atlanta, GA: Members of Shore Athletic Clubs women's 50+ and 60+ teams await the start of the women's heat in the USATF Masters National 5K race. Left to right: Maureen Massell (bib #12060), Alysia Puma (bib #12075), Kitty Musante (bib #12065) and Suzanne La Burt (bib #12052) and Hidi Gaff (bib #`12026) of Three River Racing. Not in the picture but at the starting line for Shore Athletic Club: Deborah Capko and Donna Grocki. Photograph by Denise Dollard.
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February 24, 2024, Atlanta, GA: Ten minutes after the ladies commenced their race, the men stand ready to begin their match. Shore Athletic Club's Eddie Ross (white jersey in the foreground) glances at his watch before launching a stupendous race. He placed 8th overall and 3rd in his 45-49 age group with a scorching time of 16:31 on a hilly course. Photograph by Denise Dollard.
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Race date: February 24, 2024 Full Results here.
Race photos courtesy De Dollard. Requires a Google login to access.
Race web site here.
SHORE AC TEAM RESULTS:
50+ Women:
3. Shore Athletic Club -A 1:07:48
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Place Name Age Time Bib
1 34 Alysia Puma 52 22:12 12075
2 35 Maureen Massell 55 22:27 12060
3 44 Kitty Musante 67 23:04 12065
60+ Women:
2. Shore Athletic Club -A 1:06:10
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Place Name Age Time Bib
1 13 Suzanne La Burt 60 19:53 12052
2 41 Deborah Capko 60 22:48 12009
3 47 Donna Grocki 64 23:29 12032
40+ Men:
6. Shore Athletic Club -A 1:02:01
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Place Name Age Time Bib
1 8 Edward Ross 49 16:31 12296
2 86 Jim Musante 66 21:11 12283
3 112 Scott Linnell 67 24:19 12274
50+ Men:
6. Shore Athletic Club -A 1:00:26
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Place Name Age Time Bib
1 43 Jeffrey Conston 56 18:27 12211
2 80 Kevin Dollard 68 20:36 12221
3 89 Harold Leddy 69 21:23 12270
Race photos courtesy De Dollard. Requires a Google login to access.
Race web site here.
SHORE AC TEAM RESULTS:
50+ Women:
3. Shore Athletic Club -A 1:07:48
=============================================
Place Name Age Time Bib
1 34 Alysia Puma 52 22:12 12075
2 35 Maureen Massell 55 22:27 12060
3 44 Kitty Musante 67 23:04 12065
60+ Women:
2. Shore Athletic Club -A 1:06:10
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Place Name Age Time Bib
1 13 Suzanne La Burt 60 19:53 12052
2 41 Deborah Capko 60 22:48 12009
3 47 Donna Grocki 64 23:29 12032
40+ Men:
6. Shore Athletic Club -A 1:02:01
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Place Name Age Time Bib
1 8 Edward Ross 49 16:31 12296
2 86 Jim Musante 66 21:11 12283
3 112 Scott Linnell 67 24:19 12274
50+ Men:
6. Shore Athletic Club -A 1:00:26
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Place Name Age Time Bib
1 43 Jeffrey Conston 56 18:27 12211
2 80 Kevin Dollard 68 20:36 12221
3 89 Harold Leddy 69 21:23 12270
All For One & One For All! Shore AC Trios Take on National 5K in Atlanta
Duty called! By fleet jets and fast cars, we Shore Athletic Club harriers converged on Atlanta like musketeers to the battle. The mission? To duel with other gallant running clubs in the USATF Masters National 5K clash. We numbered a swashbuckling dozen, split evenly between women and men. The six per gender we further divided in half to form two squads of 3 -- the minimum for a team per USATF requirements.
Like clever courtiers, we dressed up older runners as relative youngsters and assigned them to younger age group teams. This was especially true for the men. Furnished with four fast retirees over the age of 65, we could have entered a podium-bound men's 60+ team. But that would have stranded our lone 50+ harrier and sole 40+ runner on their own team-less islands. Nay, we are Shore AC, where no man stands alone! So, instead, we merged the graybeards with the younger lads to form 50+ and 40+ teams. Though they proved slower than their competition, these crews attacked the race with spirit!
Like clever courtiers, we dressed up older runners as relative youngsters and assigned them to younger age group teams. This was especially true for the men. Furnished with four fast retirees over the age of 65, we could have entered a podium-bound men's 60+ team. But that would have stranded our lone 50+ harrier and sole 40+ runner on their own team-less islands. Nay, we are Shore AC, where no man stands alone! So, instead, we merged the graybeards with the younger lads to form 50+ and 40+ teams. Though they proved slower than their competition, these crews attacked the race with spirit!
Shore AC Women's Teams
The Shore AC's female 60+ team beams with anticipation of a great race. Left to right: Donna Grocki, Suzanne La Burt and Deborah Capko.
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Having completed team check-in, the members of the Shore AC women's 50+ team shine brightly in the early morning twilight. Left to right: Maureen Massell, Alysia Puma and Kitty Musante.
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That esprit de corps pervaded our women's teams as well. Thankfully, because our female teams consisted mostly of ladies of the proper age, they were highly competitive! Take for example our women's 60+ troupe. Led by 2023 National 60-64 Grand Prix champion Suzanne La Burt, they stormed onto the podium in second place. Suzanne extended her perfect, undefeated record of national race wins as a 60-year-old to a remarkable five by scorching the hilly course in 19:53. In doing so, she not only speared first place among women in age grading but thumped age 60-64 rival Mary Cass by 48 seconds. Shortly thereafter, teammate and surgeon Deborah Capko sliced through the early morning chill to stitch a superb 22:48 as second team scorer. Before the Shore AC partisans in the crowd could catch their breath, Philly fanatic Donna Grocki slid into home with a marvelous 23:29 clocking for the final score. Against most women's 60+ club teams in the nation, their combined time of 1:06:10 would have stood victorious. But the Liberty Athletic Club teammates who accompanied Mary Cass put on a spectacular show of their own, allowing their team to capture the 60+ crown this day. You can bet that our Shore AC 60+ gals look forward to their next meeting with Liberty at the 10K in Dedham on April 28!
The Shore AC women's 60+ team celebrates a sweet second place finish. Left to right: Deborah Capko, Suzanne La Burt and Donna Grocki.
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It's a podium finish for the Shore AC women's 50+ team! Left to right: Alysia Puma and Kitty Musante. Not Pictured: Maureen Massell.
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As for the Shore AC women's 50+ team, we had one "masquerader": 67-year-old Kitty Musante. Kitty belied her age, running a tremendous 23:04 that not only kept her within a minute of her much younger teammates but also put her on the podium in third place for the individual 65-69 age group. The team was led by Alysia Puma, whose strong 22:12 placed her fourth in a competitive 50-54 age group. Immediately behind Alysia came Maureen Massell, flying through the finish line in 22:27 after completing the tough, hilly course. With their third-place finish, the Shore AC women's 50+ team maintained its lead in the 2024 USATF Masters National LDR Grand Prix. Go, ladies, GO!
Shore AC Men's Teams
Race day has arrived! Having completed team check-in, the Shore AC men's 40+ team fires up for what lies ahead. Left to right: Jim Musante, Eddie Ross and Scott Linnell.
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Ready to leave it all out on the course and see where the chips lie, the Shore AC men's 50+ team flashes confidence before the race. Left to right: Jeff Conston, Hal Leddy and Kevin Dollard.
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As mentioned above, we assigned age 65+ "pretenders", if you will, to our men's 40+ and 50+ teams. This way, all of our guys would belong to a team. Moreover, it would boost the standings of our M40+ and M50+ teams in the 2024 USATF Masters National LDR Grand Prix.
Our 40+ team was led by rookie sensation Eddie Ross. He seared the streets of Atlanta with a broiling hot 16:31. That scintillating performance not only ranked him 8th overall but earned Eddie a podium spot (3rd) in his 45-49 age group! Our first super-senior, 66-year-old Jim Musante, turned in a terrific time of 21:11. Alas, the next old man on the team roster, 67-year-old Scott Linnell, was hobbled by a semi-healed torn meniscus in the left knee. Trying mightily not to undo 2 months of physical therapy, he limited his pace to what was (mostly) pain-free: 8 minutes per mile, or 24:11 for 5K. Had Scott been able to run a normal pace, the team might have climbed above its 6th place finish. But, hey, we'll take the 55 Grand Prix points for 6th! They move our men's 40+ team up to 3rd place in the Grand Prix. Tune in this spring to see if we're able to maintain the momentum!
Lady fortune smiled a bit more on our men's 50+ team. Though it too was fleshed out with ancients, this rollicking crew managed to beat the Atlanta C and D teams! The team was led by 2023 National 55-59 Individual Grand Prix runner-up Jeff Conston. Spinning a superb 18:27, Jeff reported later that he had a shot at an age 55-59 podium finish until the hill just beyond Mile 2 sucked the vim out of him. You'll get 'em next time, Jeff!!! Next up for the 50+ Fantastics was 68-year-old clubber Kevin Dollard. Only 3 weeks removed from being floored by a wrenched back, Kev flew over the blacktop like he was driving his beloved Porsche and roared over the finish line in 20:36. Riding Kevin's wave, 69-year-old Hal Leddy put a brutal Year 2023 -- during which he spent 6+ months sidelined by injuries -- in the rearview mirror and crushed the 5K course in 21:23. The team's 6th place finish earned 55 Grand Prix points. That moved our Shore AC men's 50+ team into third place in the 2024 Grand Prix, just like our M40+ team. Well done gents!!!
Our 40+ team was led by rookie sensation Eddie Ross. He seared the streets of Atlanta with a broiling hot 16:31. That scintillating performance not only ranked him 8th overall but earned Eddie a podium spot (3rd) in his 45-49 age group! Our first super-senior, 66-year-old Jim Musante, turned in a terrific time of 21:11. Alas, the next old man on the team roster, 67-year-old Scott Linnell, was hobbled by a semi-healed torn meniscus in the left knee. Trying mightily not to undo 2 months of physical therapy, he limited his pace to what was (mostly) pain-free: 8 minutes per mile, or 24:11 for 5K. Had Scott been able to run a normal pace, the team might have climbed above its 6th place finish. But, hey, we'll take the 55 Grand Prix points for 6th! They move our men's 40+ team up to 3rd place in the Grand Prix. Tune in this spring to see if we're able to maintain the momentum!
Lady fortune smiled a bit more on our men's 50+ team. Though it too was fleshed out with ancients, this rollicking crew managed to beat the Atlanta C and D teams! The team was led by 2023 National 55-59 Individual Grand Prix runner-up Jeff Conston. Spinning a superb 18:27, Jeff reported later that he had a shot at an age 55-59 podium finish until the hill just beyond Mile 2 sucked the vim out of him. You'll get 'em next time, Jeff!!! Next up for the 50+ Fantastics was 68-year-old clubber Kevin Dollard. Only 3 weeks removed from being floored by a wrenched back, Kev flew over the blacktop like he was driving his beloved Porsche and roared over the finish line in 20:36. Riding Kevin's wave, 69-year-old Hal Leddy put a brutal Year 2023 -- during which he spent 6+ months sidelined by injuries -- in the rearview mirror and crushed the 5K course in 21:23. The team's 6th place finish earned 55 Grand Prix points. That moved our Shore AC men's 50+ team into third place in the 2024 Grand Prix, just like our M40+ team. Well done gents!!!
Suzanne La Burt (at left) displays her medal for #1 age grading among women. Hooray!!! Stella Gibbs of Impala Racing Team also stands tall on the (imaginary) podium.
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Your top 3 women for ages 60-64 (left to right): Suzanne La Burt, Mary Cass (Liberty Athletic Club) and Amanda King (Liberty).
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Three cheers for the top 3 finishers in the women's 65-69 category (left to right): Stella Gibbs (Impala Racing Team), Patrice Combs (Atlanta Track Club) and our very own Kitty Musante!
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Individual Accomplishments
Though our numbers were small at Atlanta, we made plenty of noise on the podium. These Shore AC SAC lionhearts earned distinction as top-3 scorers in their 5-year age groups. Note that age gradings will be added once they are published by USATF.
In addition, these Shore AC paladins burnished their reputatiuons by finishing among the top ten in their 5-year age groups.
Though our numbers were small at Atlanta, we made plenty of noise on the podium. These Shore AC SAC lionhearts earned distinction as top-3 scorers in their 5-year age groups. Note that age gradings will be added once they are published by USATF.
- Edward Ross 3rd M45-49 16:31 87.79%
- Suzanne La Burt 1st F60-64 19:52 93.12% -- #1 AG among female athletes
- Kitty Musante 3rd F65-69 23:03 87.71%
In addition, these Shore AC paladins burnished their reputatiuons by finishing among the top ten in their 5-year age groups.
- Alysia Puma 4th F50-54 22:11 75.96%
- Jeffrey Conston 8th M55-59 18:27 83.11%
- Maureen Massell 7th F55-59 22:26 77.71%
- Deborah Capko 8th F60-64 22:46 81.26%
- Donna Grocki 10th F60-64 23:27 82.94%
- Kevin Dollard 7th M65-69 20:36 xx.x%
- Jim Musante 8th M65-69 21:11 78.99%
- Harold Leddy 9th M65-69 21:23 80.59%
February 23, 2024, Atlanta, GA: The gang from New Jersey carbo-loads the night before the race at Meehan's Public House downtown. Left to right around the table: Donna Grocki, Denise Dollard, Hal Leddy, Jim Linn (New Jersey Pacers Run Club), Jim Musante, Kitty Musante, Kevin Dollard, Scott Linnell, Jeff Conston and Mike Slinskey (unaffiliated with any club).
