Tucson 5000 race report

The 2010 edition of the Tucson 5000, part of The Running Shop Grand Prix produced by SAR, took place under almost ideal conditions on Sunday, May 16. A pleasant 65° F at the start, with hardly any wind, made for fast conditions on this predominantly flat course. Unfortunately, nobody was able to take advantage of the prize money on offer for course records in the open and master’s categories, however six athletes did set new single-age Arizona state records. Congratulations to Tia Accetta, Janet Holland, Judie Shyman, Tim LaMartina, Gary Plank and Norris ‘Butch’ Taylor for their accomplishments, in this respect.

The race was won overall by defending 2009 champion, Craig Curley (15:05), ahead of a resurgent Ian Johnson (15:17) and 2008 champion, Jason Colavito (15:27). The ladies’ race was dominated by Tia Accetta in a fast 17:49, ahead of Stephanie Wenneborg (18:37) and Irene Lagat (18:47). In the master’s division, Gary Plank made his long drive from Flagstaff worthwhile, and showed that there is life in the over-fifties, by narrowly taking the title from Todd Hansberry, with another 50-year old, Marvin Makus in third place. This trend was mirrored in the ladies’ master’s race, as Janet Holland took first place ahead of Tejal Parikh and Merry Dearmon. All of these winners received generous awards courtesy of Sharon Bart of The Running Shop and I would like to sincerely thank Sharon for her continued support of this race in particular and of SAR in general.

This year, I have also instigated a special award for the best age-graded performance in the male and female divisions. Unfortunately, there was insufficient time on the day to do the necessary calculations, so the awards will be mailed out shortly to deserved recipients Gary Plank (who scored 86.2%, to narrowly beat Craig Curley’s 85.9%) and Janet Holland (who just edged out Merry Dearmon, 82.7% to 82.5%).

Part of the post-race entertainment included the free Kid’s Race sponsored by Craig Dabler, Jewelers and it was a joy to see the enthusiasm and fun generated by the next generation of budding runners. I hope that this becomes a tradition at the Tucson 5000.

Further thanks are due to Judy Lewis of Merrill Lynch, for her generous sponsorship and to our raffle prize donors: Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza, home to the new SAR social run/walk “Meet Me At Boston’s” held every Wednesday evening; Plexus Pilates, who had a range of stretching stations on offer to racers; Irene Swanson of Matsuno Martial Arts; and Pima Community College cross-country team, several of whom manned the finish line and helped coach Greg Wenneborg to produce race results in super-quick time.

Finally, and I always leave this until last but really it should take pride of place in any race report: a HUGE thank you to all of the volunteers who make these events possible. Unless you have organized a SAR event, or volunteered on a regular basis, you really have no idea of how much work is involved, or how our races could not be successfully managed without a whole battalion of people who freely and generously give of their time, so that others can enjoy a smooth and trouble-free race experience. Please, please, consider offering to help at future SAR races. In the meantime, my heart felt thanks are extended to the following: Sandi Baird, Maureen Cunningham, Joan D’Alonzo, Maria Diaz, Chris Fall, Sheryl Felde, Steve Felde, Maryn Graskey, Robyn Graskey, Todd Hansberry, Diane Harper, Sandra Heater, Shirley Hester, Michele Hill, Shawn Jackson, Marc Janis, Karl Krueger, Paul Krueger, Chia-Chi Kuo-Speck, Tim LaMartina, Mary Lasser, Judy Lewis, Connie Lopez, Amelie Messingham, Steve Moore, Paula Morrison, Steve Outridge, Paul Robillia, Joel Stamp, Tyler Stamp, Steve Taggart, Norris Taylor and Steve Wheeler. Whew! I hope I didn’t miss anyone, but please give me a hard time if I did!

Proceeds from this event will benefit two local programs: the Pima Community College cross-country team and The Women’s Symphony Association music education program (which provides free music lessons to children from needy or under-served communities). Thank you to all who participated and contributed to these worthy causes.

Dave Hill