By Rick Platt
The resurrected Governor's Land 5K Run lived up to its reputation as the "Fastest 5K Course on the Peninsula!" last Saturday as two all-time Colonial Road Runners age-group records were broken (by Suzanne Gibson and Nancy Patron), two more runners (Bob Spencer and Sharon White) missed all-time age-group marks by just one second, race winners Nathan Johnson (15:44) and Nadia Baadj (17:53) ran impressive times, eleven Governor's Land course records were broken, and numerous personal records were smashed.
The Governor's Land race was initially held from 1993-97 as the Heritage Humane
Society 5K Run, but the Humane Society moved their race to First Colony in 1998,
then Stonehouse from 1999-2002. Governor's Land resident Sherry Volk wanted
a return of her flat and fast neighborhood course, and helped obtain approval
from the Governor's Land homeowners association for 2002.
Joining forces with co-race director Marney Brickhouse and the Pilot Club of
Williamsburg, the race was re-christened the Governor's Land 5K Run for the
Brain, and was scheduled for the traditional Saturday-before-Thanksgiving date
as the original race. The Pilot Club works to benefit people affected by brain-related
disorders and injuries, promoting awareness of brain disorders, and helping
those affected through volunteer activities, education, and financial support.
The scenic Governor's Land course is entirely flat, and has been certified (VA-96041-RT)
by the USATF as an exact 5K distance. The only other Peninsula course that can
rival Governor's Land as a fast site is the Oyster Point 5K in Newport News.
Both courses have zero hills and just six 90-degree turns, but the Oyster Point
course has few trees, and is more exposed to the wind. For Governor's Land Saturday,
there was a modest headwind the first mile (when runners were still largely
in groups that could help in drafting), but all benefited the final mile with
an aiding tailwind. The weather was cool (40s) with sunny skies.
William and Mary sophomores won both the men's and women's divisions. Nathan
Johnson, 19, keyed off Hampton's Michael Mann, 34, the entire race, then outsprinted
Mann to the finish, winning by three seconds in 15:44. Two 46-year-olds battled
for third, with Pete Gibson of Murfreesboro, N.C. prevailing (16:38) over Jim
Bates of Hampton (16:42).
For the women Nadia Baadj, 19, won by almost a minute, 17:53 to 18:46, over
Velda Kannewurf, 40, of Mechanicsville. Williamsburg's Jennifer Quarles, 30,
was third with a PR 19:11.
Both Johnson and Baadj had times that were better than the CRR all-time marks
for the 15-19 age group going into 2002 (16:13 and 18:33), but Williamsburg's
Bryce Ruiz (15:28) and Lindsay Van Alstine of Midland Park, N.J. (17:43) were
faster at the Vineyards 5K in August.
The CRR compiles age-group marks for all their races going back to 1993 when
the current Grand Prix series was started, including 14 different courses. The
two all-time marks that were broken Saturday were by Suzanne Gibson of Murfreesboro,
N.C. and Nancy Patron of Williamsburg. Gibson, 56, is the first runner ever
to break any of Joan Coven's race age-group records (Coven still has 21 race
records, more than any other runner). Gibson not only broke Coven's Governor's
Land mark of 24:00 (from 1996, the first and slowest of Coven's records), but
she also broke Coven's all-time women's 55-59 record of 22:22 (from the 1999
Queens Lake 5K) with her 22:13.
Patron, 66, broke her own all-time mark in the women's 65-69 category, her 26:36
at Governor's Land bettering by two seconds the 26:38 she ran at the 2001 Hospice
5K Run.
The two runners that came agonizingly close to all-time CRR age-group marks
were Williamsburg's Bob Spencer and Sharon White of Langley AFB. Spencer, 60,
can't complain, though, since his 19:26 at Governor's Land was only one second
off his own all-time men's 60-64 mark of 19:25 (from October's William and Mary
Homecoming 5K). White, 46, however, had to be disappointed, as her 20:00 was
just one second slower than the 19:59 all-time women's 45-49 record turned in
at the 1997 Governor's Land race by Linda Gulick of Richmond.
Governor's Land course records broken Saturday were by Nathan Johnson (men 15-19,
15:44), Michael Mann (30-34, 15:47), Rick Platt (50-54, 17:54), Robert Wilson
(55-59, 20:04), Bob Spencer (60-64, 19:26), Andrew Polansky (70-74, 27:41),
Nadia Baadj (women 15-19, 17:53), Velda Kannewurf (40-44, 18:46), Suzanne Gibson
(55-59, 22:13), Joan Coven (60-64, 22:48) and Nancy Patron (65-69, 26:36).
The Governor's Land 5K was the final race of the 2002 Grand Prix series for
the CRR, and the Grand Prix award winners have been confirmed. The top three
overall were Michael Mann, Jim Bates and Keith Schumann for the men, and Sherry
Volk, Jennifer Quarles and Valerie Plyler for the women. The Masters (ages 40-and-over)
champions were Ned Berg and Carol Talley.
The men's age-group award winners are Anthony Mann and John Hopke (19-and-under),
Andre Smith and Peter Harris (20-29), Daniel Shaye and Rob Vance (30-39), Steve
Chantry and Jim Goggin (40-49), Robert Wilson and Dale Abrahamson (50-59), Tom
Ray and John Essery (60-and-over) and George Fenigsohn and Harry Watson (walk).
Women's winners are Lindsay Kent and Sarah Chapman (19-and-under), Jojo McCandlish
and Wendy Vogan (20-29), Carol Weise and Phyllis Maston (30-39), Sharon White
and Thea Ganoe (40-49), Brenda Mitchell and Barbara Ivey (50-59), Joan Coven
and Nancy Patron (60-and-over), and Karen Schenck and Linda Walker (walk).
Vance Runs PR Two Years after Shoulder Replacement Surgery
By Rick Platt
As the end-of-the-year race for the Colonial Road Runners on a lightning-fast course, the Nov. 23 Governor's Land 5K Run for the Brain was the focus and peak race for many area runners.
Whether it was for a race win (by William and Mary sophomores Nathan Johnson
in 15:44 and Nadia Baadj in 17:53), a CRR Grand Prix overall title (by Michael
Mann and Sherry Volk), Governor's Land age-group course records (11 runners),
an all-time CRR age-group best in any 5K race (by Suzanne Gibson and Nancy Patron),
lifetime personal records or yearly best times, the Governor's Land race enabled
many runners to end their racing season on a high note.
A prime example of this was Grafton's Rob Vance, 37, who won the men's 35-39
age group in a personal record 18:11, and clinched second place in the CRR's
Grand Prix for the men's 30-39 division.
This week was a double anniversary for Vance, as December 5th was the fifth
anniversary of his start as art director for the Nancy Thomas Galleries of Yorktown
and Williamsburg. The same day marked the second anniversary of his major half-shoulder-replacement
surgery at Williamsburg Community Hospital. Vance has come a long way since
that day, when he looked and felt much older than 35, and wasn't sure if his
running, triathlon and mountain biking career was over.
It all started the weekend before Halloween in October, 2000, when Vance was
mountain bike training at Waller Mill Park, three days before a planned race
near York River State Park. Going over a three-foot log jump Vance did a nose-dive,
flipped over his handle bars, bounced off his arm, and hit his head into a tree.
The damage was severe, an AC (acromio-clavicular) separation of the left shoulder,
with a crushed humerus, shattered humeral head and rotator-cuff tear. "It
basically destroyed my shoulder and blew out the ligaments," said Vance.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Douglas Ayers two years ago, inserting a seven-inch
magnesium alloy prosthesis, replacing the humerus bone and shoulder-socket joint.
"It looks like a bicycle seat post," said Vance, who now goes by the
e-mail nickname "Bionic Rob."
With numerous sessions at Williamsburg Physical Therapy, Vance has gradually
recovered, this year finally bettering his previous running PRs. While a freshman
at Old Dominion University, Vance ran a 19:16 in 1983 for the 5K, finally bettering
that 17 years later in 2000 at the Mulberry Island 5K (18:57), just two weeks
before his bike accident.
Ten months after the shoulder surgery, he was back to a 19:18 at the 2001 Hospice
5K Run at Ford's Colony. Vance does triathlon and cross-country the first half
of the year, so after an August triathlon, he turned his attention back to running,
and his 5K times started to drop dramatically. An 18:51 at September's Mulberry
Island 5K was a PR and his first ever 5K below 19 minutes. An 18:57 at the William
and Mary Homecoming 5K followed a month later, then an 18:37 at the hilly Stonehouse
5K. Shortly after returning to the 19-minute level, Vance threatened 18 minutes
at Governor's Land with his impressive 18:11.
"I'm much more motivated to run a fast pace throughout the race,"
said Vance. His next goal is to get into the 17s. "I can taste it. I have
to at least try." Considering where he's come from in the past two years,
Vance has already succeeded.
There were also three Peninsula Track Club races during the month of November--the
Fellowship of Christian Athletes 5K Nov. 9 at Newport News Park, the Yorktown
Battlefield 10 Miler and 5K Nov. 16 from York High School, and the Toys for
Tots 5K and 10K Holiday Fun Run at Mariner's Museum on Thanksgiving morning.
The second annual FCA race had 78 finishers on a recently certified course (VA-02043-RT),
with Yorktown's Philip Boykin (17:36) winning over Gregory West of Ruther Glen
(17:43) and James Neufer of Bowling Green (18:01). Cindy Brakman of Newport
News (19:45) won by over 2 1/2 minutes for the women over Crystal Pruitt, 17,
of Poquoson (22:18) and Sharon Barnes of Yorktown (22:19).
There were 336 entrants in the ninth annual Yorktown Battlefield Runs, with
211 finishing the 10 mile and 99 finishing the 5K over the scenic Yorktown Battlefield
tour roads, having started at Surrender Field. The 10 miler, a PTC Grand Prix
race, had Craig Hymes, 40, of Yorktown (59:33) winning over W&M junior Nate
Ward (1:02:00) and Yorktown's James Estes (1:02:37). The women's division was
won by Norfolk's Christine Allgeier (1:11:59) over Yorktown's Kim Harwig (1:13:38)
and Williamsburg's Elizabeth Ransom (1:14:13).
The accompanying 5K was dominated by youth, as two Salem High School freshman,
Nicholas Oltman (17:26) and Kory Moody (17:47), both 14 from Virginia Beach
were first and third, sandwiching runnerup Sammy Hutchison, 18, of Seaford (17:36).
The women's top three were Yumi Iwasaki, 24, of Norfolk (20:12), Lindsey Nicolai,
12, of Hampton (22:39) and Laura Turner, 26, of Arlington (24:13).
There were 632 entrants in the fourth annual Toys for Tots races, sponsored
by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve on Nov. 28, with 435 finishing the 5K and 135
finishing the 10K. Brian Derr, 17, of Newport News (17:29) won the 5K over Daniel
Swale, 16 (18:04) and David Logan (18:08), while Cindy Brakman, 40, took the
women's title in 20:40 over Sarah Keithley, 16 (21:34) and Samantha Bradley,
14 (21:42), both of Yorktown.
The 10K, one hour later, had Jim Bates, 46, of Hampton (35:05) winning over
Christopher Newport University cross-country runner Jim Highsmith (35:35) and
Warwick High's Tony Amatu (35:45). Williamsburg oncologist Christy Prillaman,
36, of Newport News (41:47) won for the women over Denice Putnam (43:19) and
former W&M student Erin Drifmeyer (43:32), both of Hampton.