You don’t have a track?

Like most jobs, there are many little, seemingly insignificant, tasks to attend to as preseason XC, and the 2022-2023 academic year, starts in a few weeks. This afternoon, I stopped by the Vanderbilt National Historic Site in Hyde Park (fun fact = where Heidi and I got engaged way back in May of 1994) to submit a NPS permit application so we can use the FDR Farm Lane Trail, the FDR Library grounds … and, yes, on occasion, the grounds of the Vanderbilt Mansion. When I dropped off the permit application, a very friendly park ranger accepted it and said, “oh, you must be looking for Mike A,” to which I replied, “yes, he emailed me this application.” “Oh,” he said, “I’ll make sure he gets this but he’s at a meeting at headquarters today.” Wow! Headquarters! Must be pretty important, I said. Sensing the nerdiness of this tube-socks-wearing idiot coach in front of him, he changed the subject. “So, your runners come here for practice?” I explained that we do and that we also use FDR and Farm Lane from late August through mid-November. He started at the park in December so he had never seen them. Then, he said: “That must be a nice change of pace for them, coming here instead of running circles around your track.” The “your” in his sentence seemed to have extra emphasis, but that’s probably because I assigned extra emphasis to it. There is no your track! When I told them that we, in fact, do not have a track, he launched in this incredulous commentary. “No track? And a track team? That just doesn’t make SENSE! Why would you not have a track!?” At this point, I excused myself to use the portopotty outside, shaking my head internally and thinking – dang, him too? -- and said, “see you in a few weeks!”

JT visits

It doesn’t take much to remind me that I’ve been doing this a looooong time. For those keeping score at home, the upcoming preseason (a little more than three weeks hence) will kick off my 32^nd year as cross country/track coach at Marist College. That’s a long time to be doing the same thing in the same place. This week’s reminder came in the form of the smiling face of John Lasker, Class of 1997, who was in town on Monday to tour around campus with his two daughters – one of whom is a rising senior in high school and considering Marist for her continued studies (no, she’s not a track/xc athlete … don’t worry, it was the FIRST question I asked!). Like all Forever Foxes, it was so great to see JT, who has forged an amazing career at ESPN. He has been at the Worldwide Leader of Sports for the past 23 years (also a long time!), where he now the Vice President for Programming & Acquisitions, Digital Media. JT is on the forefront of digital streaming platforms, which is the present and most certainly the future of the sports watching industry. We showed JT and his daughters around McCann and he marveled at the awesomeness of the new McCann. So much has changed. John remembers our “weight room” being a few racks in the racquetball court. The “new” weight room and gray gym was dedicated in 1997, the year he graduated from Marist. That “new” fitness area has been shuttered in favor of the current, beautiful new varsity weight room, upstairs fitness center and of course our famous “square track” and track lobby that we now call home. We’re proud of JT’s career and it was great to see him back on campus once again. 

Forever Foxes wedding

It happened five years ago this summer, and it happened again last Friday night. An alumni wedding, a Marist banner unfurled, and many, many Forever Foxes from multiple eras gathering for a joyous group photo. The blessed nuptials of Annie Gould and Kenny Walshak was the occasion, and what incredible fun it was. Both sides of the wedding party were filled with Forever Foxes from a fun and memorable and successful era of Marist Running. Back in 2017, it was Kelley Gould and Billy Posch’s wedding in Poughkeepsie. Friday night’s wedding was in Middletown, and after the better part of a few years in varying states of lockdown, the hugs and kisses and raucous celebration was extra sweet and extra special. The toasts brought a tear to more than one set of eyes. Comments about my relentless aging were plentiful and met with smiles and laughter. So good, so fun.

Track fan

The recently completed World Athletics Championship at Hayward Field was a big boon for USA track and field. By being on mainstream TV at reasonable hours, even casual sports fans (like one of my running buddies) watched the meet with interest on several nights of the 10-day meet. A photographer in the middle of the track in the middle of a race (steeplechase)? Now, THAT’S interesting to a non-track fan! (While I didn’t see that, my buddy Schneider mentioned that he saw that in the coverage!) There were many other must-see-TV moments during the meet, which was a rousing success in terms of medals won for Team USA. Alert track fans don’t need me to rehash the entire meet; besides, loyal readers of this blog know that I’m probably far more versed in advanced baseball statistics than I am in the inner workings and the minutia of track and field.
 
Last night, as we were watching the men’s 5km final in our den (“we” being me + our youngest son James, who was alternating between feigning interest, looking at YouTube on his phone, and asking me politely to put the Mets’ game back on), I found myself mumbling, then talking to the TV and finally exhorting in my best “sports fan voice” as the race unfolded. I didn’t have any particular rooting interest, other than maybe Grant Fisher from Team USA. As almost always happens in the finals of championship track meets, tactics were a huge part of the race. In particular, the three Kenyan runners seemed intent on working together, goading each other to make and cover moves. In my “mumbling” phase, I commented to a mostly disinterested James that I felt the Kenyans were wasting too much mental and physical energy. Also at or near the front of the pack was the eventual winner, Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, who a few days earlier won silver in the 1,500, an event he was actually favored to win. I had never really watched Ingebrigtsen racing. A few oddities: 1. He was wearing a speed suit, uncommon and downright out of place in distance races; 2. He has surprisingly lumbering form that looks neither relaxed nor efficient; of course, Emil Zatopek was accused of such form transgressions, and he was only perhaps the greatest distance runner in Olympic history; 3. Twice during the race, he swung wide to get a few gulps of water. I guess the first time, he whiffed, and then went back a second time to get some precious fluids in a race lasting all of 13 minutes. Very, very odd. What was this, some neighborhood 5km road race where the “winner” was happy to break 20 minutes? Anyway, give JI his due. He took control of the race with 800 meters to go and never looked back. Well, actually, he did look back, but mostly in an in-your-face way as he styled across the finish line with a startlingly easy victory (fun fact, he closed the last 800 meters in 1:52.78!).
 
OK, wait. I said before that I was sort of screaming at the TV and I went off on tangents. Gee, THAT doesn’t happen too often on this blog now, DOES it. OK. So yeah, I was kind of rooting for Grant Fisher; not Game 7 of the World Series with the Yankees holding onto a 1-run lead rooting, but pulling for him nonetheless. I was also playing coach, and I was frustrated with Fisher. Not necessarily at his racing tactics but rather his racing placement in the field. He nestled himself at or near the lead pack. That’s good. He positioned himself near the rail, boxed in on all sides. That’s not good. I went from mumbling to saying, “get outta there, get OUTTA there.” And then, with a few expletives thrown in, I exhorted, “Get. Outta. That. BOXXXX.” Alert Forever Foxes (mostly middle distance Forever Foxes) perhaps will remember my losing my voice (not to mention my mind) saying those exact words (with a few expletives thrown in) at BU or the Armory or any other indoor track middle-distance race where our guys seemed to jam themselves up thusly. Fisher was boxed in. JI made his move. The other top runners jockeyed for top positions, including former NAU star Luis Grijalva, who had a monster closing kick and almost medaled, placing fourth (side note: thanks to PVA for sending me a really interesting piece on Grijalva, who is a ‘dreamer’ and represented his native Guatemala in the meet). And, then it happened. With about 120 meters to go, Fisher, trying desperately to clear some room to make a final push to the finish, caught his foot on the rail. A panicked look flashed across his face. He momentarily lost his balance. He didn’t fall, but that little hitch separated Fisher from a possible podium spot. He hung on for sixth place in 13:11.65. And hopefully, a lesson learned on giving yourself room in the pack. Could he have medaled, had that self-inflicted mishap not happened? Most definitely, I believe so! He's an awesome runner, perhaps one of the best in US history when all is said and done (for reference on his awesomeness, read this excellent profile of him) Hey, look, it’s easy for us coaches to talk about this stuff. When you are in the heat of battle, the final of a world championship, with everyone vying for the same prize … it ain’t easy!
 
Well now. Aren’t you glad I didn’t do a wordy report like THIS on every final at the World Championships? Anyway, it was a great meet, a memorable meet at Oregon. And hopefully, it will lead to a bit more acknowledgement of track among casual sports fans in our country.

Postcard from TrackTown World

 

Thanks to Denise Grohn, who along with Fellow Forever Fox Emily Burns is out in Oregon for the world track meet, for sharing this photo of the two of them with some superstars of the sport. From left: USA marathoner Emma Bates (who placed 7th at Worlds), 1,500-meter Olympian Cory McGee; Aisha Praught-Leer, Jamaican Olympian; Kate Grace, 800-meter Olympian). Denise and Emily have become experts at the "friendly stalking" of famous people in our sport. Highly neat!

XC schedule (is announced)

Last week, the Marist athletic department released schedules for all fall sports – men’s and women’s cross country included. Even though summer is not yet a month old, our “summer” is nearing its conclusion – a month from today is the first official practice of the cross country season! We look forward to our first full and normal preseason training camp since 2019. Based on the excellent barbecue we had two weekends ago, the team vibe is quite strong and the men and women are eager to get together and start training and forming the nucleus and the personality of cross country 2022 and cross country/track 2022-2023. Alert alums have noted a subtle but important shift in our 2022 schedule. The IC4A/ECAC Championships, a staple at the end of each fall season, will now be moved into October as a mid-season championship. This alters the dynamic and the flow of the season significantly. Most recent alums don’t understand the move but it is not unprecedented. Back in the late 1990s, this is where the meet resided on our schedule. The current, end-of-season model was falling apart. The majority of ECAC-member institutions were either not attending or not taking it very seriously. The meet was still a championship in our mind but it had been greatly diminished. We’ve had great history at this meet and we are committed to following it wherever it lands on our schedule. Anyway, that’s the story with that. Here’s our schedule from start to finish, for fall 2022.
 
Saturday, September 3: Marist Season Opener, Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve, Poughkeepsie, NY (men’s 6km/women’s 5km)
Saturday, September 10: Siena Invitational (preview of MAAC Championship venue), Crossings of Colonie, Colonie, NY
Saturday, September 24: Ted Owen Invitational/Central Connecticut State University, Stanley Quarter Park, New Britain, CT
Friday, September 30: Paul Short Run, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
Friday, October 14: IC4A/ECAC Championship, Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, NYC
Friday, October 21: CCSU Mini Meet, Stanley Quarter Park, New Britain, CT (men’s 5km/women’s 3km)
Saturday, October 29: MAAC Championship, Crossings of Colonie, Colonie, NY
Friday, November 11: NCAA Northeast Regionals, Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, NYC

Worlds come to US

Last month, when we were in Eugene (aka TrackTown USA) for the USATF U20 Championships, there were signs all over town touting the World Athletics Championships (track and field’s world championship), which is happening right now at Hayward Field in Oregon. The signs said: Hello World. Meet Oregon. It was a clever design with “World” and “Meet” next to each other. It is really exciting that the world championships are on United States soil for the first time. Both marathon races featured record performances, thanks in large part to the typical early-morning Eugene/Springfield weather = low humidity and comfortable temperatures in the low-50s. We were fortunate to be in Eugene the past two years – 2021 for the Olympic Trials and this year for the U20 meet. Last year, Oregon and the Northwest were baking in unprecedented heat. That area of the country rarely sees extremely hot conditions. Fortunately, the weather has reverted to the norm for our there, to the great boon of track athletes and fans alike. So far, the meet has featured some great performances along with some surprises and even some controversies. Team USA is defending home turf quite well so far. No matter how the next six days of competition play out, it’s already neat that the meet is here in the USA – make it TrackTown World for this week!

Not in Lake George!

Whoa. It’s been a long time between posts. Back in the heyday of my blog postings, I would average more than a post a day for an entire year. No such quantity these days, not even close. Not sure why. We’ve posted about this, guiltily, several times. I appreciate those of you who remain loyal to the blog, checking regularly for posts; at the same time, I apologize for the trickling volume of posts – especially during these down times. In the past, the assumption (and, I’ve heard it from a lot of people!) is that we were in Lake George on or around the July 4 holiday. Not the case! For years, our annual family vacation at the lake centered around the holiday. But alas, nothing lasts forever. The place we went to all those years was sold and converted from the dilapidated old cabins we loved into very modern (and privately owned) log homes – still with the great lake view, but now no longer accessible to folks like us. We moved down the road to another place. But seasonal rentals being what they are, the July 4 week is perpetually booked so we slid a few weeks later in July. Now, THAT place has sold, and we have found another place, and now we are slid into August, crowding dangerously close to the start of our preseason cross country camp.
 
The lack of posts lately – and in many recent summers – probably stems from a disjointed flow to the days. Summer schedule lacks the structure of the school year. This is neither good nor bad; it just is. I find myself far less hunkered down in my upstairs closet office on my laptop and far more downstairs without the keyboard and/or out and about doing … whatever is next to do. This weekend provides a little more structure and sociability. We have our summer team BBQ on Saturday afternoon, and on Sunday I have a Palace Diner reunion with many of my former colleagues from the sports department of the Poughkeepsie Journal. That’s a great tradition and an old-school way of staying connected to a great group of rapidly aging men from a memorable period of my life. Our driveway has gotten crowded with more vehicles because we have more drivers in the household now; keeping them in order and running properly has been the focus of the past several weeks as well. And there have been numerous short trips down to New Jersey for family issues and activities. OK, now I’m just rambling. Again, thanks for those who hang in there and keep checking the blog.