Isn’t November supposed to be fall and cool weather? Southern California has been enduring a record four-year drought with extreme heat and unprecedented monsoon weather (What’s that? Sudden torrential rain). Adjusting to the weather-of-the-day in sunny California has become unexpected extremes. The forecast called for cool overnight temperatures in the low 50s and a rising heat into the high 80s or even 90s with average humidity (30% to 50%).
Due to parking control along the event-posted city street where this certified course is located, the tow trucks took longer than expected. Prospects for 50-km participants finishing before noon virtually evaporated as the sun beat down and temperatures rapidly rose into the 70s and well beyond as noon approached.
Under current IAAF competition rules regarding race walking, 50 km is a distance wherein records can be set. It is only recently that women were allowed to do 50 km and there is no world record yet on the books. It would be one for the taking.
What kind of field is being drawn to compete in Santee? While most are citizens of the USA, there are other countries represented (in alphabetical order): Brazil, Canada, Hungary, and Mexico. For the featured 50 km the ages span almost five decades! There is even one entrant who hopes to qualify an unprecedented eight times to compete in the Olympic Trials. Another is a past Olympian, still in the low end of the age range, who just recently came out of retirement, perhaps as a pacer for the top USA race walker hoping to compete again on the Olympic team. If the Olympic standard of 2:03:00 (h:mm:ss) is met or beaten in the 50 km nationals, that would secure a berth on the Olympic team with the contingency of finishing the Olympics Trials in February.
While the individual stories make for an interesting event, nature may overrule any attempted outstanding performance by baking all living creatures with the sun in sunny southern California.
The course features a 1.25 km essentially flat loop that must be navigated 40 times for the 50 km distance. Electronic timing will be accomplished with a D-tag worn on the laces on one shoe for each athlete. A row of tables permits each athlete to have a designated individual aid station, besides the always-provided electrolyte and water station on the flip side of the venue.
" PB221781.JPG Side of finish chute at dawn in Santee. Cool now in 50s. PB221782.JPG "Start line is in place, but only one mat for entire race, so double duty to move for finish." PB221783.JPG "Looking east from finish line. Lap scorers can sit under tent, but most will be on feet tracking and calling off “laps to go” to assigned athlete(s)." PB221784.JPG Who is this tall dude? He’ll be wearing bib 45. PB221791.JPG Warming up and wearing warm layers. PB221798.JPG Race officials get ready. PB221801.JPG Multi-athlete aid station is loaded with replenishment items. PB221807.JPG "Pre-race women’s favorite, Erin Taylor-Talcott, is the one." PB221808.JPG Race walk coach Carmen Jackinsky (nice logo on hat!) is bundled before trying her 2nd 50K. PB221823.JPG "Could be a fun day with the same brand/model racing flats, different colors." PB221824.JPG "If Darlene Backlund and Dave McGovern had switched, they would have been color coordinated. J" PB221835.JPG All entrants at start delayed 25 minutes because tow trucks took a while to clear side areas. PB221842.JPG "Sandor Racz (38, Hungary) blasts out of start for his 10K" NEWPAGE "After the mass start there is a lot of self-sorting to find the speed and company one wants to informally team up with for the initial part of the race. Each participant will find a comfort level and pair up or form a pack based on the convenience of other surrounding athletes, or a strategic plan for winning or placing in the money. There will be alliances and packs formed for convenience and opportunity. It’s predicted to be a very hot day, particularly for the non-elite athletes who will be in the 50K and racing well into the afternoon when temperatures will reach their highest. All shorter races will finish in the morning. The elite men will finish around noon. The rest will fend for themselves. It’s going to be an interesting day for athletes, support crews, spectators, lap scorers and other race personnel.
" PB221853.JPG "Top foreign athletes Caio Bonfim (11, Brazil), Samir Cesar Sabadin (25, Brazil), Jose-Luis Ayala-Altamirano (42, Mexico) and Samir Cesar Sabadin (25, Brazil)." PB221858.JPG Just behind Bonfim are USA Olympians John Nunn (1) and Trevor Barron (45). PB221863.JPG "Close to Barron are Olympian Rachel Seaman (37, Canada) and Katie Burnett (31, USA)" PB221891.JPG Anthony Peters (29) leads Luis Felipe Dos Santos (27) and pack of 20K women with Nick Christie (12) PB221917.JPG "Lead pack of men going into 2nd lap – Eder Sanchez (16), Bonfim, Nunn and Barron" PB221939.JPG "Lead pack of women – Seaman, Miranda Melville (35), Mariela Sanchez (24, Mexico), Burnett, Robyn Stevens (46) along with Christie" PB221952.JPG "Second pack of men – Dave Talcott (18), Raymond Sharp (6), Steven Washburn (19), Matthew Forgues (13), Dave McGovern (4), veteran Jonathan Matthews (15) and Pablo Gomez (2)" PB221956.JPG Matthews is paired with McGovern PB221960.JPG "Gomez is determined to finish, even though he is wearing black on a day that is heating up. He had to drop out of the December 50K Nationals on this course. Is he cool enough to finish?" PB221967.JPG 50K women’s champion is a steady performer; she looks mighty fit. Adrian Zamudio (3) is doing the 20K PB221976.JPG "Pre-teen Sebasian Garcia-Kornhauser (107, Mexico) is doing the 5K and Steve Harper (8) is doing the 50K" PB221985.JPG "Co-race leaders Mario-Andres De Los Rios-Banda (44, Mexico) and Racz, 10K and 20K respectively, are averaging 7 minute miles or faster thus far." PB221991.JPG "This pack of four (from left, Barron, Bonfim, Nunn and Sanchez) is staying together and sharing the work, somewhat by USA and foreigner pairs" NEWPAGEThe warm up is over and competitive packs of 4-6 have formed. Others are content to stream along single file. Most find it more comfortable to settle into a pace and hope there are others who share that same pace.
PB221993.JPG Teenager Anthony Peters (29) is doing the 20K PB221997.JPG "Melville, Seaman, Burnett and Christie along with Sanchez and Felipe Dos Santos are inbound with a pack of six." PB222009.JPG Six pack is now outbound PB222011.JPG Talcott continues on the 50K and Elizabeth Flores-Iriarte (105) is half way in 5K PB222012.JPG Two laps (2.50K) completed PB222021.JPG Eight others stream along seconds behind. PB222044.JPG "McGovern, doing 50K, sets pace and Jennifer Lopez (34) is half way in 5K" PB222055.JPG "Peters, doing 20K, stays in touch with lead 50K pack." PB222060.JPG It’s three laps into the race and 37 to go. That’s a long way. PB222066.JPG "Lead pack is working together on outbound section. Lead two have camera detectable loss of contact, though not to human eye." PB222070.JPG "Returning the favor, loss of contact in two rear athletes, but not visible to the human eye either." PB222071.JPG All four are making contact. PB222078.JPG Jackinsky finishing two laps at her own pace. NEWPAGE "Most have settled into a comfortable pace. Because there are shorter distances combined with the 50K, there will be some finishers for the 5K soon. For some in the 20K this will merely be training below race pace with the intent of targeting the Olympic Trials next year. Making the US Olympic team is a huge accomplishment for some of the race walkers today.
" PB222084.JPG Six pack is moving through. Only Christie is doing 50K so he is pacing with the five or leading them. PB222092.JPG With a windless day there is no disadvantage to leading. PB222102.JPG Taylor-Talcott laps Backlund. PB222119.JPG "De Los Rios-Banda, leader of 10K competitors at this point, looks askance at yellow paddle for bent knee. Who me?" PB222131.JPG Switching the lead again so Americans set pace. PB222141.JPG Seaman is already an Olympian and has qualified for the 2016 Canadian team. Note there is no action thus far on the Red Flag board. PB222144.JPG "It’s great to have good things at your personal aid station, but what makes this the best is Mrs. Whatley who travels the nation to support Ian in his race walking ventures." PB222151.JPG About and hour and a half into race and McGovern is looking fresh. PB222234.JPG "Under tutelage of bearded Coach Tim Seaman, Jose-Luis Ayala-Altamirano powers toward finish of 10K for 2nd place time of 53:57, pace 8:42 per mile." PB222249.JPG Claudia Vazquez-Montoya is 1st female finisher in 10K with a time of 54:00 or 8:42 per mile. PB222260.JPG Emmanuel “Natos” Corvera is following some solid coaching advice and focusing on the 20K for now. PB222269.JPG "Part of Natos’ training is to be sure to replenish fluids, energy and electrolytes to avoid any nutritional issues for the longer races that he’ll likely move up to a few years." PB222283.JPG "Americans Nunn and Barron resupply at the halfway point in hopes of bettering the 4:03:00 Olympic qualifying standard. Pace so far, if sustained, would be under 4:00:00." NEWPAGEThe bulk of the races are finishing now. There will be some good times for the 10K and 20K. The fastest elites will be toying with finishing under 4:03:00. How many will there be?
PB222455.JPG Both Miranda and Katie show Olympic potential and could very well make the team in 2016. Their 20K is “just” a training jaunt at a sub 7:55 per mile pace. PB222473.JPG Sandor Racz blitzed the course to win the 10K in 1:28:33 or 7:08 per mile. PB222504.JPG Rachel Seaman finishes 1st female in 20K with a modest 1:37:03 or 7:49 per mile for training. PB222517.JPG "Anthony Peters collapsed at the finish, but had a 20K time of 1:37:44 or 7:52 per mile." PB222524.JPG Peters did later recover. Miranda and Katie finished right afterwards. PB222536.JPG Finish line personnel quickly came to assistance of Peters. No EMT required. PB222540.JPG Coach Tim listens to Miranda’s post-race animated discussion. PB222541.JPG If only the camera had a microphone there… PB222545.JPG "Yes, all the elites seem have a loss of contact not visible to the human eye." PB222550.JPG John Nunn reaches half way point in well under 2:00:00. What are prospects for a sub 4:03:00 to qualify for the 2016 Olympics? This might be last hurrah. It’s 10:54 am PB222554.JPG "Likewise Erin Taylor-Talcott is approaching two hours, but has a way to go to reach the half way point. She has 23 laps to go." PB222565.JPG "Samir Cesar Sabadin (25, Brazil) receives a yellow paddle with 19 laps to go." PB223110.JPG "Caio Bonfim (11, Brazil) finishes 1st in 50K with time of 4:02:20 at a pace of 7:48 per mile even though the race clock shows 4:01:44." NEWPAGE "The answer for meeting the Olympic standard of 4:03:00 comes now. A confounding factor in hindsight is the accuracy and legitimacy of the finish line clock compared to the results compiled and distributed by the host San Diego Track Club. In reviewing the posted finishing times against the display time shown on the finish line clock. there is inconsistent variance of race clock being either showing a time faster or slower than what the D-tag system generated. In the last photo on the previous page of winner Caio Bonfim, the display time (4:01:44) was 36 seconds faster than the D-tag time reported (4:02:40) on the unofficial results. Inconsistently for the next finisher John Nunn, his display time (4:03:43) is different from unofficial results (4:03:40), by 3 seconds slower. For Nick Christie, he realized that he could not finish in 4:03:00, so he eased off and finished in a reported 4:12:33. He took off well over 10 minutes from his very first 50K last December. He will be pointing to the February 21 Olympic Trials (OT) and might make the Olympic team with John Nunn. How exciting!
" PB223125.JPG Caio Bonfim’s time meets the Olympic qualifying standard by a mere 40 seconds. He is thankful for his time… PB223130.JPG even if he shows exhaustion from the stifling heat of the noon hour PB223142.JPG John Nunn finishes 2nd in 4:03:40 at a pace of 7:51 per mile PB223162.JPG "Nick Christie is entering the bell lap. He had been aiming for the 4:03:00 magic number but realized at some point that he would fall short. Wait till the OT on February 21, 2016." NEWPAGE "The top four men finished within about ten minutes of each other. The 11 others are going to be finishing over the next three hours. The heat is starting to take its toll once the athletes cross the finish line. Sudden stopping can lead to instant leg cramps and horizontal positioning of the body on the ground, or better yet on the massage table.
" PB223190.JPG Erin still has 6 laps to go. Her time will be the de facto world record according to IAAF rules. PB223195.JPG John Nunn’s daughter Ella is no longer that kid who made cookies. PB223198.JPG "Eder Sanchez is in massage therapy. He paced the group of four for quite a while, but fell off the pace and finished 3rd overall in 4:08:24 at a pace of 8:00 per mile." PB223252.JPG Katie Grimes bravely moves ahead and has 9 laps to go. PB223255.JPG Nick Christie finished 4th overall and 2nd American in 4:12:33 at a pace of 8:08 per mile. Time to dial in to social media. No distracted race walking for him. PB223264.JPG Cooler heads prevail as Pedro Gomez is determined to finish despite the extreme heat. PB223267.JPG "Samir Cesar Sabadin (25, Brazil) heads to finish line." PB223279.JPG Here is Samir crossing the timing mat and hitting the waist-high banner. He finished 5th overall in 4:38:41 at a pace of 8:59 per mile. PB223280.JPG Samir too put forth all he had and collapsed after finishing. PB223282.JPG "The finish line marked “cramp city” territory. Must be an infectious disease of long, hot events." PB223283.JPG Ice-cold towels and gentle stretching were the first responders methods of choice. PB222384.JPG Samir knew enough to turn his head away from the sun. PB223285.JPG Samir is prone and silently letting race officials tend to him. PB223287.JPG More gentle stretching. PB223289.JPG Samir’s hand gesture was interpreted as “shade please.” PB223290.JPG The portable shadow maker did his thing. NEWPAGE "The last non-monetary prize is who can finish in under 4:45:00 and qualify for the Olympic Trials. Will there be any quitters, or will persistence and perseverance prevail?
" PB223292.JPG Ian Whatley enters the bell lap. PB223294.JPG "Michael Monnazzi walked a smart race to finish in 4:44:03, pace 9:20 per mile. OT qualifier!" PB223301.JPG Dave McGovern has a determined look. PB223302.JPG Matthew Forgues has 2 laps to go. PB223307.JPG "Ian Whatley crosses finish in 4:49:40, pace 9:20 per mile." PB223315.JPG "Michael Mannozzi, 6th overall, feels like #1 after that superb effort in all that heat; 3rd American." PB223316.JPG "Cindy Robles, lap scorer for Ian Whatley, helps him celebrate finish." PB223319.JPG Pablo Gomez is keeping cool under the circumstances. PB223321.JPG Erin is entering bell lap. How cool is that? PB223325.JPG One lap to go! Erin is in 1st place for women. PB223327.JPG Pablo keeps form while Erin checks her time. PB223329.JPG Dave Talcott is also on bell lap. PB223330.JPG Dave maintains form even in this extreme heat. PB223331.JPG Dave is outbound on the last lap. PB223332.JPG Coach Carmen is wearing her personally branded Reshod shoes. NEWPAGE "Thus far there have been seven finishers in the 4-hour range. Now the over-5-hour finishers take center stage. How many will finish in under 6:00:00? Will double-towel, on-course therapy yield finishing results?
" PB223333.JPG Erin’s ponytail is getting some action as the finish line approaches. PB223349.JPG Erin hits the finish line banner with a world-record-to-be time of 5:02:34. PB223353.JPG Matthew Forgues approaches finish line. PB223359.JPG "Matthew finishes in 5:05:08, pace 9:50 per mile, 8th man overall, 5th American." PB223360.JPG Matthew hits the banner just behind Erin. PB223361.JPG Erin collects some shade sitting down. Whew. PB223362.JPG Nick Christie behind timer’s table is catching up with social media. PB223363.JPG Dave Talcott is approaching finish line only a minute or so after Matthew in 5:06:14. PB223370.JPG Dave McGovern is using double towel therapy on head and neck. Pretty cool. PB223399.JPG Carmen too has resorted to double towel therapy. PB223401.JPG Pablo approaches the finish line and looking handsome without the towel. PB223406.JPG "Pablo Gomez finishes in 5:22:56, pace 10:24 per mile, 10th man overall, 7th American" PB223436.JPG Dave McGovern gets some encouragement. PB223441.JPG "It’s been a long, hot day for Dave." NEWPAGEThe sub-5-hour finishers get their moment of shared glory. Photo-ops.
PB223455.JPG "Winners Caio Bonfim, 1st overall, and John Nunn, USATF 50K race walk champion." PB223478.JPG "Medal winners all: Talcott (6th) Forgues, Whatley, Monnazzi, Christie and Nunn (1st)" PB223483.JPG "Top three overall: Nunn (2nd and 1st USA), Bonfin (1st, Brazil), Sanchez (3rd, Mexico)" PB223487.JPG "Brazilian crew had two finishers in top five, Caio with flag and Samir on left" NEWPAGEThere have been a dozen finishers thus far and three women remain on course. It’s no longer a race for place. That is already predetermined by their position of the course. None of the three is in the same lap. It will take about an hour for those to come in. There will be joy all around.
PB223510.JPG "Dave McGovern determinedly approaches finish line, sans towels, in 5:58:22, pace 11:33 per mile." PB223532.JPG "Katie Grimes finishes in 6:03:21, 2nd woman." PB223559.JPG "Carmen Jackinsky is so happy in 6:26:05, 3rd woman." PB223610.JPG "And, yes, Darlene Backlund in 7:01:21, 4th woman. Yah! World age group record! 70 years old!" PB223629.JPG Darlene got some help for cramping from hubby John and winner Erin. PB223641.JPG "USATF champions: 4th Darlene, 2nd Katie, 1st Erin and Carmen 3rd. WOW!" PB223659.JPG Darlene sings the praises. PB223663.JPG They all deserve our applause! Thank you.