Monday, June 11, 2012

Racing Recap till Now!

I know, I know, we have been terrible at updating the blog. We sincerely apologize! SO here is a quick recap of everything that has happened in the last few months. We promise to try and keep this up to date leading up to the Olympics. So here it goes! In March, one of our promising junior's, Molly Joseph, had the biggest race of her high school career at the New York State High School Indoor Track and Field Championships. There are a lot of upcoming girls in New York State and so Molly had some tough competition but she pulled through and won the race by a lean in a time of 7:04.08. It was such a great start to the big season ahead. Next up on April 1st was the USA World Racewalk Cup Trials in Eugene, Oregon. The whole TEAM was looking forward to this race as a good opportunity to walk some fast times. It has been known as a fast course but unfortunately in April, Eugene comes with some fall like weather. The cool temperatures didnt seem to bother the men as all of our men walked great times. Trevor had some good company with some top Colombian and Ecuadorian's in the race. They pushed him to first first A standard with a time of 1:22:13, a PR by over a minute. Coach Tim was next in a best time in 5 years of 1:25:58 making yet another USA team. Next for the TEAM was rookie Nick Christie walking a superb time of 1:31:33, a new PR by around 3 minutes. Our lone junior boy was Michael Nemeth walking to make his first National team in a time of 46:35. On the women's side, Maria came back after her indoor win to win again in a time of 1:35:57 over a fast closing Erin Gray who finished only 11 seconds behind. Next was Lauren Forgues in her first 20k of the season in a time of 1:39:13. Having a tough day was Miranda finishing in 6th, just missing the World Cup team. She finished in a disappointing 1:42:10. Lone junior girl was Molly who finished 3rd in a new PR of 54:56 but missed out on the team for Russia by not hitting the time standard. The TEAM had 9 representatives going to Russia to compete at the IAAF World Racewalk Cup including the two Canadians in Rachel and Bruno. Three weeks later after a few TEAM members headed to Europe to get some training and racing in before the World Cup. Rachel, Miranda and Lauren headed to Naumburg, Germany to race at the German National Championships to try and set of PRs. In great racing conditions, Rachel headed out with the goal of walking the Olympic A standard and she did just that finishing in a time of 1:33:05 to set another Canadian Record and the Olympic A standard by 25 seconds. She is the first TEAM member to solidify her spot for the Olympics. Next up was Lauren finishing in a season's best time of 1:38:04. Even though she was hoping for more, it was a strong effort with much more to come this season. Miranda had a tough day and decided to stop at 15km's and save it for another race. Three weeks later, it was finally the first major competition of the season, the IAAF World Racewalk Cup. The weather made it tough for another to set any PRs but the TEAM was looking to push for as high of a finish as they could. First up was Michael Nemeth at his first international event. He raced smart and finished in 49th place with a time of 46:48. Next were the men and even though it was a 6pm race, weather was still pretty warm. Trevor headed off the TEAM with a 40th place finish in a time of 1:24:54 for his first race as a senior at the World Cup. The other men were not so fortunate. Coach Tim was unfortunately DQ'd after 12km's into the race. Nick and Bruno really struggled at their first major international event finishing in 101st and 102nd respectively. It was a big struggle but they finished the race honorably. For the women, Rachel was the top finisher for the TEAM finishing in 46th place with a time of 1:38:44 for her best finish ever at an international competition. Not too far behind was Miranda (she took Maria's place on the USA team after Maria had to stay home to nurse an injury), who finished in 49th place with a time of 1:39:14. Struggling in the hottest temperatures of the weekend was Lauren who finished in 72nd place with a time of 1:44:31. It was a great experience for everyone and everyone had a lot of fun! We look forward to the next IAAF World Racewalk Cup in China in 2014. After returning from Russia, some of the TEAM members headed to Riverside to support the USA 15km RW National Championship. Everyone was very tired from the trip still so it was a struggle to say the least. The most positive result from the race was that Coach Tim won his 44th National Championship, his first in 2 years. Miranda also won her first ever National Championship and Rachel was first overall. Nick was also in the race coming 2nd to Tim in the National Championship, his first National medal. Rookie racewalker Mike Gorney competed in his first racewalk race ever racing 5km's. He finished in a time of 26:XX. On Saturday, the San Diego TEAM members competed in their last race before the USA Olympic Trials in 3 weeks which was held at the USA Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. Coach Tim, Nick and Tyler all competed in the 10km's looking for some fast times. Coach Tim walked the fastest time in the USA since 2004 winning the race in 41:18. Nick and Tyler started off together but Nick pushed off the second half to finish in a 2 minute PR of 43:37 with Tyler coming in not too far off of him in a time of 44:11. Tyler achieved the World Junior qualifying time after being plagued with some injuries this season. The women competed over 5km's looking for some big PRs. Miranda and Lauren pushed eachother to try and break 23 minutes for the first time. They smashed that barrier walking 22:42 and 22:49 respectively. After a heavy week of training, Katie Burnett walked a bit off of her PR but she fought to walk 24:23. Nicolette was back to racing after a little break and she finished the 5k in 27:47. The lone male in the 5k was Mike Gorney, walking away with almost a 2 minute PR of 24:54! SO now that we are all up to date, here is what is coming up next! This coming weekend, June 17th, we have Tyler, Michael, Molly and Nicolette all competing at the USA Junior Track and Field Championships in Indiana. They will all be trying to qualify for a USA team for either the World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain or the USA vs. Canada Dual Meet in Toronto, Canada. For the seniors, they all have the Olympic trials coming up in 3 weeks. For the American's they will be racing in Eugene, Oregon on the track and will be looking to earn a spot on the Olympic team. In the men's race we have Coach Tim, Trevor, Nick and Tyler and on the women's side we have Maria, Lauren, Miranda, Katie and Little Rachel. In Calgary, Canada on the same weekend we have Rachel and Bruno competing at the Canadian Olympic Trials. Rachel will be looking to win her 6th title in a row to confirm her spot on the Olympic team. Ok, thanks for reading! Stay tuned! TEAM

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Miranda Excels in Huntington Beach

On Sunday, March 11th, several TEAM members took to Central Park in Huntington Beach, California to start the outdoor season. The athletes were shooting for USA Olympic Trials standards, World Racewalk Cup standards and Olympic Standards. They couldnt have asked for better weather as it was a cool morning with no wind.
For the men we had Coach Tim, Nick and Bruno all shooting for different goals. Coach Tim was looking to get a good season opener before heading to the USA World Racewalk Cup Trials in a few weeks. He had no one to walk with so it ended up being a good tempo effort for him. He looked good and finished in 1:29:25 to easily win the race. Next was Nick who's plan was to try and help Rachel walk under the Olympic A standard which would then achieve him the Olympic Trials standard which is 1:36:00. In only his second 20km race ever, Nick showed that he had been working hard. Walking together through 10k, Rachel slowed down a bit and decided to drop out at 15km's. Nick was then on his own and cruised to finish 2nd in a time of 1:34:50, an Olympic Trials qualifier and a PR by 5 minutes. Bruno's plan was the same as Nick's but unfortunately he started to have hamstring problems and was forced to drop out at 17km's.
All of the girls came into the race with high hopes. This was Rachel's first chance to go for the Olympic A standard and with training going so well, she was excited for the opportunity. She went out on pace and felt good through 10km's but around 12k's she started feeling really tight and fell off the pace and decided to stop after 15km's. Maria's goal was to walk the first 10km's with Rachel and the boys but shortly after 5km's she succumbed to the pace and went through 10km's around 47:29. This however was a great time for her after coming off an injury throughout the winter and now makes her comeback. The big goal for Miranda was to walk under the Olympic B standard without giving too much of an effort since World Racewalk Cup Trials were 3 weeks away. She got into a great group with Erin Gray, Joanne Dow and Lauren and they all helped eachother get under the 1:38:00 mark. Looking smooth, Miranda finished in a time of 1:37:08, a PR by almost a minute and a super season opener. This bodes very well for her for the rest of the season! Lauren had planned on just walking 10km's to help Miranda and she managed to walk a 10km PR in the process, walking 48:35.
In the next pack of girls we had Little Rachel and Janelle. Both girls had the goal of getting under the Olympic Trials standard of 1:48:00. They had planned on walking together and they were off to a great start when Janelle couldnt hold the pace and Rachel had to kept plugging away on her own. Little Rachel managed to walk a huge PR and get under the elusive Olympic Trials standard walking a time of 1:47:45, a PR by around 7 minutes! Even though Janelle was off the standard, she managed to finish her first 20km race ever and walked a 1:53:37. Next up for the TEAM is the USA World Racewalk Cup trials on April 1st in Eugene, Oregon. Top 5 Senior men and women and top 3 Junior boys and girls will get the chance to represent the USA in Russia. The TEAM already has Rachel and Bruno selected to represent Canada and have high hopes that many more of their TEAMmates will join them. Stay tuned! TEAM (Thank you to Steve Shoemaker for all of the great photos!)

Trevor and Maria Take USA Indoor Titles

On the weekend of February 25-26th in Albuquerque, NM the TEAM took to the track at the USA Indoor T&F Championships. Representing the TEAM were Coach Tim, Trevor, Nick, Maria, Lauren, Miranda and Janelle. First up were the men and there was to be a new champion crowned since returning champion, Patrick Stroupe, did not participate this year. We knew that Trevor would be the top contender since he has been training at altitude in Colorado Springs since September and he would be much more prepared than the others who were coming from sea-level to the 4000 feet town. Right from the gun Trevor took the lead and pushed on from there, leaving everyone in his dust. He won the race in a strong 12:36, almost besting the previous meet record by a minute. Behind Trevor was the race for second and third between Coach Tim and John Nunn. It was almost another re-match after the USA 50km RW Olympic trials a month earlier. After fighting for a good half of the race, Coach Tim prevailed over John this time and was able to snag second place a good 10 seconds clear of John. His final time was 12:01. In his first appearance at a USA National Championship was Nick. Nick raced really smart and went out with some of the other men that had season's best close to his. He stayed with them for the first half and then took off pushing right till the end. He came very close to a new PR which he would have crushed had the race been at sea level. Nick finished in 4th place in a time of 12:35. Here is a video of the whole race: "> "> "> "> For the women, Maria was hoping to come back and win her third Indoor title in Albuquerque. Maria took the lead from the gun hoping to make the other women work if they wanted to try and beat her. She had Erin Gray and Lauren on her heals the whole way. They were off to a fast start going through their first kilometer in under 13 minute pace. The pace slowed a bit in the middle and then in the last kilometer Maria started to push again in hopes of losing the other girls. With one lap to go all three women were still together and it became a sprint to the finish. Maria and Erin broke away from Lauren and then it came down to the final stretch where Maria only slightly edged out Erin for the win. This was the closest and one of the most excited races of the Championship. Maria won in a time of 13:15.31 over Erin's 13:15.35. This was a new PR for Maria by 20 seconds! Coming in a very strong 3rd place was Lauren who fought the whole way. She finished in 13:21, a new PR by 18 seconds. Having an off day was Miranda but despite that she finished 4th in a time of 13:46. In 7th place to round out the TEAM was Janelle who finished in a time of 14:48 to finish up her indoor season. Here is the video of the whole race:"> "> This weekend finished up the Indoor season for the TEAM. Now we look forward to Outdoors starting with the race in Huntington Beach, California on March 11th. Stay tuned! TEAM

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Lauren Wins Millrose Games Title!!!!

Yesterday at the historic Millrose Games, TEAM representative Lauren Forgues represented her new club, New York Athletic Club very well. It was her first time wearing their jersey and she dominated the race.

Lauren took the lead right from the beginning she went out in a good 51 second first lap with Katie Burnett right behind her. She kept her pace consistent and after a few laps, Katie couldnt keep up and she fell off the pace. Lauren kept the same pace every lap, staying extremely consistent. She went through the 1km in 4:15 and she kept increasing her gap and there was no question, she had the title in the bag. The only question was in how fast? Lauren kept up her 50-51 second laps and finished in a super strong 6:48.57, a 22 second PR!!!! Fastest time by an American in years.

Here is the video of the race:


This race bodes super well for Lauren as she has only 2 weeks until the USA Indoor T&F Championships.

As a side note, Trevor Barron walked 11:50 for 3,000m's at the Air Force Academy just outside of Colorado Springs at 7300 feet. Very strong performance for him leading up to USA Indoor T&F Championships where he will be looking to win his first indoor title.

Stay tuned!

TEAM

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Indoor Season Underway

Many of the TEAM members on the east coast have been participating in indoor races either trying to qualify for USA Indoor Nationals or simply try and improve on their PRs. So far many have achieved their goals and we will have great representation at the Indoor Championships in two weeks.

Our TEAM members who have qualified for USA Indoor Nationals are:

Maria Michta (2-Time returning Champion)
Lauren Forgues
Miranda Melville
Janelle Brown
Trevor Barron
Tim Seaman (12-Time Champion)
Nick Christie

This weekend we have Lauren Forgues as the sole representative of the TEAM competing at the 105th Millrose Games which is taking place at the Armory this year for the first time. You can watch the race live at 4:37pm EST/1:37pm PST on YouTube Sports.

As a side note, Molly Josephs raced lastnight on Long Island and became a 5-time Nassau County Champion in a personal best time of 7:04. This time also ranks her #1 in the USA. We are excited to see Molly keep improving as she still has a few more indoor races left this season.

Stay tuned!

TEAM

Tim Fights till the End

On Sunday, January 22nd, 13 people toed the line in hopes of making the USA team to compete at the 2012 London Olympic Games. No one had an Olympic standard going into the event and so whoever crossed the finish line first, with a standard would automatically earn an Olympic birth.

Jeff Salvage chronicles the race perfectly on his website Racewalk.com. You can read his moment by moment description here and it also has amazing pictures. Thanks Jeff!

To sum it up, the race started with 5 men in the lead pack and they stayed together for most of 30km's before the pace became too much for 3 of the men and then there was only 2 to fight the rest of the race, John Nunn and our very own Tim Seaman. This is where the real race began. First John put in a big surge and put in a good 45 second gap on Tim. Once Tim noticed that John wasnt putting anymore distance on him, he decided to try and close the gap and he did very quickly. Before we knew it, they were back together and the fight was on. Tim then put in a big of a surge but it ended up being too early. John caught back up with Tim and with a lap and a half to go, John took off and Tim couldnt respond. John went on to cross the finish line first in a very impressive 4:04:38, an Olympic B standard. Tim came in not long behind him in a very strong 4:05:50, only 15 seconds off of his PR from 14 years ago. What a comeback race for Tim! This was one of his strongest races ever.

Tim was such a huge inspiration for his Cuyamaca College student athletes and his fellow Champions International TEAMates that came out to support him. They cheered him all the way through the race, pushing him as hard as they could. They wanted it so badly for him that at the end of the race, young men in the group were crying with him. It was very emotional. They were all so proud of him! It was a great lesson for everyone to witness to never give up on your dreams as Tim truly fought till the very end.


Here are some other stories from after the race:

Imperial Beach Patch

Union Tribune

Competitor Group- Highlight Video




We are all so proud of Tim and look forward to watching the rest of his races this season. Next up for Tim is the USA Indoor T&F Championships in Albuquerque, NM on February 26th.

Stay tuned!

TEAM

Friday, January 20, 2012

Tim is Ready to make the Olympic Team on Sunday!

The TEAM is so excited to cheer on Coach Tim on Sunday in Santee, CA, just outside of San Diego. Tim is ready to give it his best at his last chance to make an Olympic team before he retires. He is in great shape and ready to take on the rest of the men who are vying for a spot on the 2012 Olympic team in London, England.

Here are some articles on Tim and some fellow competitors as we get closer to the race on Sunday:

USA Track and Field: America's Best to Compete at U.S Olympic Team Trials- 50km Race Walk

San Diego Union Tribune: San Diegans Walking for Olympic Glory

Tomorrow other TEAMmates will be racing at 3km at Cuyamaca College to go for the USA Indoor Championships or to simply go after some personal bests. Competing will be Nick Christie, Bruno Carriere, Tyler Soresen, Nicolette Sorensen, Rachel Seaman, Lauren Forgues and Miranda Melville. Good luck to all!

Please join us in Santee on Sunday to cheer on Tim. You can find the information here for details on the race. Good luck to Tim and the other men competing!

Stay tuned!

TEAM