At Runner’s Bathroom at Mission Bay on a beautiful Saturday August 17 the Prado Racing Team (PRT) fall kickoff got the team in gear for about the upcoming Dirt Dog XC season.
Prado Racing Team takes a team photo down by the bay.
But cross country isn’t all we’ll be up to this fall. Spot us at road races around San Diego and beyond all fall season. A great website we recommend for San Diego racing info is sandiegoruns.com.
See you out there!
2022 USATF San Diego Road Series Recap
Men’s Open Division
Post finish line bliss for Chris!
PRT welcomed Chris Moreland to the Men’s squad earlier this spring! Here’s Chris finishing the Carlsbad 5000 in May. It was the team’s 11th year running the iconic SoCal road race with PRT jerseys scattered across the leaderboards. As for the overall road series this past spring, PRT veteran Hunter Daniel led the PRT open men with strong finishes at the Navy Bay Bridge Run (6th), the Carlsbad 5000 (13th), and the Old Pros 10k (9th). Christopher Wernke tied Hunter in points with his highest finish coming at the Old Pros 10k (6th). But the highest finish isn’t always a measure of how well you feel about a race. Chris explains, “My best race of the road series would have to be the Carlsbad 5000. The course is competitive and has a fast finish. It was also nice to get a little redemption (and PR) after a not so great Boston.”
Hunter Daniel had a nice PR day at the Bay Bridge Run this past spring. He took 6th overall. Awesome race Hunter! Photo by IG: @chaserunssd
Team captain Kevin Sorrell bringing it home at the Navy Bay Bridge Run!
Chris Wernke with a big PR at SoCal’s iconic road race: the Carlsbad 5000!
Not far behind Chris in the standings was team captain Kevin Sorrell who raced the last 3 races of the series well. His top race was Navy Bay Bridge 4 mile run, where he finished 8th in his division. Overall, the men finished 3rd in this competitive category.
Men’s Masters Division
In the Men’s Masters Division, Kevin Johnson led the way for Prado Racing Team with 2 wins (Navy Bridge Run, Carlsbad 5000) and a 4th place finish at the San Diego Half Marathon. Edgar Diaz and Yari Fontebasso finished in 3rd and 5th places in the division as well. This earned the PRT Masters men the overall team title for the series.
Masters runner Kevin Johnson 1:19:08 at the San Diego Half Marathon! Nice work!
Yari Fontebasso hammering down 6th Avenue. Yari was 4th overall masters runner with a 1:19:02 working alongside Kevin! Well done!
In the Men’s 50+ division, Jens Lykke-Andersen finished in 4th place in the overall standings. He finished 3rd place at both the Kook 10K Run and the San Diego Half Marathon. Other division highlights were Andrew Block’s 3rd place at the Old Pros 10k, and Michael Stange’s 4th place finish there as well.
In the Men’s 60+ division, Peter Gerstoft led the way with a 2nd place finish at the San Diego Half Marathon. Combined with his 3rd place at the Kook Run and 4th place finish at the Navy Bay Bridge Run, Peter finished 4th place overall in the Men’s 60+ division.
Individually, Dick Robinson won the Carlsbad 5000 race in his only race of the series, running one of the fastest times in the nation for his age division.
Dick Robinson (right) smashed the Carlsbad 5000. He’s joined in this photo by his teammates post-race: Kevin Johnson, Edgar Diaz, Paul Wellman, and Jonathan Fenton.
Women’s Open Division:
Prado Racing Team won the Women’s Open Division team competition led by Anna Pappas and Erin Menefee who earned the top two spots in the series. Anna was the series champion and scored a perfect 300 points with convincing wins at the Cardiff Kook Run, the Carlsbad 5000, and the Old Pros 10k. Erin finished 2nd in the series with a win at the Navy Bay Bridge Run, 2nd place at the Old Pros 10k, and two 3rd placings at the Cardiff Kook Run and the Carlsbad 5000. Rounding out the top 10 individual places were Bridget Nolan and Karla Khalifa, finishing 8th and 10th respectively.
Bridget Nolan shared with us her thoughts on the spring road racing season. “My favorite race in the road series was the Cardiff Kook! I actually ended up running a PR! The course has a lovely downhill which I enjoyed on the way out. Even though I had to suffer on the uphill on the way back!
Women’s Masters Division:
Hilary Corno won the overall series with wins at the Kook Run and the Navy Bay Bridge Run, while adding a 2nd place finish at the San Diego Half Marathon to cement her series individual title. Amy Halseth won the 50-59 age division with a perfect score of 300. Although only your top 3 races count towards your series points, Amy won all 4 races she competed in (Kook Run, Navy Bay Bridge Run, Carlsbad 5000, and the Old Pros 10k).
PRT women, plus team veteran Hunter Daniel, team frosh Chris Moreland, and team captain Kevin Sorrell! “We were on the bridge, and now we are here.” Prado Racing Team at the 2022 Navy Bay Bridge Run. Photo by women’s team captain Amy Halseth via Instagram @amyhalseth
Hilary Corno won the overall series starting with this win at the Kook Run in February!
16th Annual Wild Duck “Martha Walker” 5km
“It was fine day of racing to kick of this season” –Scott McEntee
In the first race of the Dirt Dog series, the Open Women, the Masters Men (40+), Masters Men (50+), and Masters Men (60+) all walked away with team wins at this race.
As Scott McEntee put it, “The 40+ and 50+ team had looked like sure winners. The surprise was the 60+ team win. It was fine day of racing to kick of this season.”
Charles McKeown, in his first race as a master’s runner, led the way for PRT with a 2nd place finish. Kevin Johnson, Jason Batterson, Alex Phipps, Jonathan Fenton, Yari Fontebasso, and Edgar Diaz finished in quick succession, where we had 7 PRT runners place in the top 10.
Jason Batterson says, “Wild Duck is always a favorite of mine. Dirt Dog season is the best, and everyone comes out for the start at Wild Duck. I get to see friends I haven't seen in months. This year it was especially fun to see the mass of PRT 40+ masters come through at 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13. I also really enjoy that I get to watch my son race XC in the same park. Guajome is a long way to go, but well worth it.”
On the Open Men’s side, Brett Olson led the way with Chris Wernke. Hunter Daniel, Kevin Sorrell, and Evan Reed making up the open squad to take 2nd place in the team competition.
The Open Women took the team competition here with a strong showing. Anna Pappas won for the 2nd year in a row, while Erin Menefee took 3rd. Madison Tanner finished in 4th, and Carrie Hinners rounded out the team score with a 10th place finish.
57th Balboa Park “Tom Bache” 4-miler
Unlike the Wild Duck 5k which had perfect weather, the Balboa 4 mile race was contested under extremely warm & humid conditions.
In the Masters 40+ division, Chuck McKeown, Alex Phipps, Jeff Tomaszewski and Kevin Johnson went 3-4-6-7 which was just enough to get the team win.
The Boom-Milestone team brought out the big guns for the 50+ race with Stephen Johnson and Robert Verhees going 1-2 and John Healy in 5th for the win. Marc Sosnowski, Andrew Block and Jens Lykke-Andersen went 4-7-8 which was good for 2nd place, which was just what the team needed from this race.
Dick Robinson, Scott McEntee and Rick Wade went 1-3-4 in the 60+ division, which locked down their 2nd win in that division.
Additionally, this was the first race of new teammates Jeff Tomaszewski and Rick Wade who both were able to make an immediate impact for the team.
On the women’s side, the open women were once again led by Anna Pappas, who defended her title from 2021 as Balboa 4 mile champion. Madison Tanner, Bridget Nolan, Lindsay Benster, and Carrie Hinners made up the squad for this race where they were able to finish 2nd place behind a strong showing from the San Diego Track Club.
The Open Men did not field a team for this race, but Hunter Daniel ran well as an individual representing PRT.
7th Annual Crazy 8's 5km
In the 7th Annual Crazy 8’s 5km race held in Rancho Bernardo, the men’s 60+ team walked away with the team win going 1-4-5 (Dick Robinson, Rick Wade and Scott McEntee), beating SDTC and the Jamul Toads.
In the 40’s team division, PRT placed second behind Boom Running. Boom went 1-2-4-9 (Glenn Racz, Okwaro Raura, Dan Lesser and Michael Clinch). PRT went 3-5-6-15 (Chuck McKeown, Jason Batterson, Alex Phipps and Paul Wellman. It was a similar story in the 50+ division. Boom went 1-2-6 (Stephen Johnson, John Healy and Brian Skiles). PRT went 5-7-9 (Andrew Block, Jens Lykke-Andersen and Jeff Creighton).
In the Open Race division, the PRT women once again won in convincing fashion, though the San Diego Track Club continues to close the gap. Anna Pappas won individually in 17:14. Erin Menefee was 2nd in 17:30. Madison Tanner was the 3rd scorer in 18:03, and Aundrea Koger rounded out the team scoring in 18:09. One other notable result was team captain Fiana Kumm made her return to racing with a very strong debut in the series at 18:54, which was 1st in her age group.
On the men’s side, Chris Wernke led the way as he continued his strong 2022 season with a 16:01, just missing the “16-minute barrier”. He was followed by teammates Andrew Wood (16:39), Hunter Daniel (17:03), Kevin Sorrell (17:29).
56th Balboa Boogie “Ursula Rains” 5km
Charles McKeown had been knocking on the door of a series win all season, and on October 1, he won the Balboa Boogie, his first individual title in the masters division. He led a master’s men sweep of the first 5 places (Kevin Johnson, Jason Batterson, Alex Phipps, and Andrew Corman) for the team win.
Dick Robinson won the 60+ age group decisively again, paving the way for a narrow one point 60+ team (Scott McEntee 6th & Rick Wade 7th) over the Jamul Toads.
The masters Women did not field a team this year, but Amy Halseth (20:38) won her division individually, with Celest Arambulo (21:22) coming in 3rd in her division.
In the open race, the PRT women took 2nd place as a team led by Aundrea Koger (18:53), Jessica Clar (19:29), Lindsay Benster (19:52), Erica Schoeller (20:02).
Carrera De Los Muertos 4-Mile
Next up in the series was the inaugural Carrera De Los Muertos 4 miler held at Chollas Lake. Charles McKeown defended his individual title at this race running 22:38 over the reigning series champion Okwaro Raura. ), PRT won in the masters division with Jason Batterson finishing 3rd (23:50), Yari Fontebasso 6th (24:25), and former team captain Dan Seidel finishing 9th (25:13). Another former team captain Derek Bradley 10th (25:14) made his solid return back to racing here as well. Lots of fantastic leadership in this race. It was like a TED talk.
The PRT Open Women once again reigned supreme in this race with a near full squad. Anna Pappas took home her 4th individual title of the season (23:57). She was followed by Erin Menefee (24:49), Aundrea Koger (25:30), Fiana Kumm (25:40), Kelsie Pearson (25:56), Madison Tanner (26:46), Lily Seynaeve (26:55), Nicole Jaffke (27:04), Carrie Hinners (27:11), Lindsay Benster (28:07).
The PRT open men took a nice 2nd place win in the team competition. The team was led by Derrick Lloyd (22:18). He was joined by Anthony Malatesta (22:51), Brett Olson (23:39), Hunter Daniel (23:39), Evan Reed (24:20), and Nick Scarpello (26:05).
1st Annual JK 8K
In another first, the JK 8K was introduced to the dirt dog series (replacing the Cuayamaca 6K). Kevin Johnson led the way for the master’s men with an individual 2nd place finish (28:35). Andrew Corman (29:47) & Chris Moreland (30:08) joined him, but we were one runner shy of a team to score.
Amy Halseth (34:02) won her age division and she was followed by her teammate Celest Arambulo (34:45) who was 2nd individually in her division.
Chris Wernke returned to racing and leading PRT in the open men’s division with his 10th place (26:07). Evan Reed (29:03) and Kevin Sorrell (30:23) rounded out the representation for PRT in this race.
USATF San Diego Cross Country Championship
As these things usually go, it all comes down to the championship. This year’s San Diego – Imperial USATF Association 2022 Open and Masters Cross Country Championship was held at Tecolote Shores in East Mission Bay Park. The course is nearly all run on grass, with a few minor sidewalk crossings. This year, the course was not muddy and was in fairly decent shape. Several runners were able to run faster than in year’s past. One of those who took advantage of the conditions was Chris Wernke who led the open men’s squad in 12th (27:21). The squad of Hunter Daniel (29:40), Evan Reed (29:41), Nicholas Scarpello (29:59), Brett Olson (31:50), Kevin Sorrell (32:02) finished 4th in the series.
In the men’s master’s race, PRT would come up on the short end of a very tightly contested race between PRT (19 points) and Boom Running (17 points) in this “lowest points wins” affair.
Charles McKeown once again led the way for PRT finishing in 2nd (28:03). The team of Jason Batterson (29:01), Alex Phipps (29:28), Kevin Johnson (29:33), Edgar Diaz (30:31), Yari Fontebasso (30:39), and Andrew Corman (30:51) finished in 2nd
The 50+ division was very competitive this year. Representing PRT in the division were Jens Lykke-Andersen (32:35), Jeff Creighton (32:41), Marc Sosnowski (32:48), Andrew Block (32:48) who were able to take 2nd place as a team.
Dick Robinson remained undefeated all year in his age division (60+) and put the stamp on a great season with a win here (32:29). His 500 series points was perfect. He joined with Scott McEntee (36:30) and Peter Gerstoft (39:27) to a second place team showing in the 60+ division.
In another competitive team competition, the open women’s division was up for grabs as both PRT and SDTC Elite both had claims to the title of Dirt Dog Champion. But, there could only be one. The score had to be settled on the course in a battle for the ages. Whereas the master’s men lost a close battle with the Boom Running team, the open women won a very close race against SDTC Elite.
As had happened all year, Anna Pappas once again led the team with a win and overall series title (22:18). She finished with a perfect 500 score in terms of points, a feat worthy of mention. Coming in 3rd and 4th was Erin Menefee (23:22) & Aundrea Koger (23:51). Kelsie Pearson would finish 8th (24:12) and Madison Tanner (24:14) represented the 4th scorer in the team competition which would prove pivotal as it came down to just 3 points in the end. Teammates Lily Seynaeve (24:20), Carrie Hinners (25:07), Erica Schoeller (25:21), Lindsay Benster (25:48) all came through with brilliant race performances on this championship day.
In the masters division, Amy Halseth won her age division having gone undefeated in that category also finishing with a perfect 500 points. It’s lonely at the top so Celest Arambulo joined her on the podium finishing in 2nd place in the series with 451 series points.
Another fantastic season in the books… chapter 2023 is coming up next! Stay tuned…
Anna Pappas cruising to victory
The PRT Open Women’s team ran with incredible depth throughout the Dirt Dog XC 2022 season and showcased why the team has remained at the top of the San Diego racing scene. For the second year in a row, the PRT Open Women was led by the speedy and talented Anna Pappas. She dominated the cross country season and remained undefeated in every single Dirt Dog race she toed the line in. The highlight of the season was the PRT Open Women’s team victory at the USATF San Diego Dirt Dog Championship race at Tecolote Shores on November 20, 2022.
Wild Duck 5K
The Wild Duck 5k at Guajome Park was the first race of the Dirt Dog season and proved to be a great rust buster after a solid summer of base-building for the team. Anna Pappas took the win by almost a minute in 17:17, followed by a 3rd place effort by Erin Menefee (18:24), Madison Tanner in 4th (18:35), Carrie Hinners in 10th (19:36), Bridget Nolan (19:56), and Erica Schoeller (21:31). The Wild Duck 5k was a resounding success as the women took the overall title over the San Diego Track Club Elite.
57th Balboa Park Tom Bache 4-Mile XC Race
On an unseasonably warm San Diego morning, PRT runners took to the hills of the challenging Balboa 4-mile course. Anna Pappas continued her winning ways as she won in a convincing fashion with a finishing time of 24:45. She was followed by Madison Tanner in 7th (27:07), Bridget Nolan in 10th (28:48), Lindsay Benster in 11th (29:01), and Carrie Hinners in 12th (29:11). The women scored 2nd overall as a team.
Crazy 8’s = Crazy Fun
The PRT Open ladies showed their depth at Rancho Bernardo Park on September 17th. The ladies were led by another individual win by Anna Pappas in 17:14, followed closely behind by Erin Menefee in 2nd (17:30), Madison Tanner in 4th (18:03), Aundrea Koger in 6th (18:09), Fiana Kumm in 8th (18:54), Lily Seynaere in 9th (19:11), Lindsay Benster in 11th (19:22), Jessica Clar in 12th (19:25), and Nicole Jaffke in 13th (19:30).
Left to right: Erin Menefee, Anna Pappas, Fiana Kumm, Madison Tanner, Lily Seynaere, Nicole Jaffke, Aundrea Koger, Carrie Hinners, Lindsay Benster, and Jessica Clar.
Carrera De Los Muertos 4-Mile XC
The PRT Open Women took to the hills of a new course this year at Chollas Lake on October 22nd. Anna Pappas once again zoomed to a first place finish in 23:45, followed by Erin Menefee in 3rd (24:49), Aundrea Koger in 6th (25:30), and Fiana Kumm in 7th (25:40). Kelsie Pearson had a strong race to finish in 8th (25:56), Madison Tanner in 12th (26:46), Lily Seynaere secured 13th (26:55), Nicole Jaffke in 14th (27:04), Carrie Hinners in 15th (27:11), and Lindsay Benster finished in 16th (27:35).
PRT Open Ladies Takes Home the Dirt Dogs Team Title (Again)!
Anna Pappas cruising to victory. Right: The PRT Open Women’s team celebrates after a successful USATF San Diego Dirt Dogs Championship at Tecolote Shores on November 20, 2022. From left to right: Madison Tanner, Lily Seynaere, Anna Pappas, Erin Menefee, Willie Banks (former triple jump world record-holder), Aundrea Koger, Carrie Hinners, Lindsay Benster, and Kelsie Pearson.
The USATF San Diego Dirt Dogs Cross Country Championship race was all about the team, as the score truly came down to the wire. The PRT Open women’s team was a thrilling one to watch and led by Anna Pappas, who cruised to the finish in 22:18. Erin Menefee turned in a solid performance with a 3rd place finish in 23:22, and Aundrea Koger made up significant ground in the second half of the race to close hard and finish 4th in 23:47. Kelsie Pearson had a great kick to finish in 8th place in 24:12, followed closely behind by Madison Tanner in 11th (241:14) and Lily Seynaere in 12th (24:20), Carrie Hinners in 14th (25:07), Erica Schoeller in 15th (25:21), and Lindsay Benster in 20th (25:48).
The Fall 2022 Road Recap:
In addition to the trails, the PRT Open women took to the roads in the Fall 2022 racing season. Some of the highlights from the year was Erin Menefee’s 1st place finish at the Thrive Half Marathon in the open division on November 12th in 1:18:48 along with Carrie Hinners (1:29:44). The PRT Open women represented well at the Chicago Marathon on October 9, 2022, which was led by Bridget Nolan. Nolan ran an impressive time in her fast attempt at 26.2 miles, turning in a 2:58:5 and Erica Schoeller finished in 3:03:16. Schoeller also raced the TCS New York City Marathon a few weeks later, and finished in 3:18:55. On December 4th, the PRT Open ladies took to the streets of Sacramento to cap off a fantastic racing season at the California International Marathon (CIM). Erin Menefee showed true grit after going out in OTQ pace and finished in 2:48:54, followed by a PR’s for Madison Tanner (2:49:31), Kelsie Pearson (2:50:51), and Nicole Jaffke (2:56:43). Carrie Hinners also raced her fastest marathon in 7 years and turned in a great time of 3:09:41.
Looking Ahead
The PRT ladies had a fast fall and will be back in action in 2023! To stay in the know with day-to-day team happenings and performances, follow PRT on Instagram @pradoracingteam or at facebook.com/pradoracingteam.
As PRT rookie Anna Pasternak captured gold this morning during the legendary Wild Duck 5K at Guajome Park, she was leading these ladies in PRT’s first XC race since 2019! An epic event hosted this morning by Joe Crosswhite and USA Track and Field San Diego. Both PRT Masters’ squads + Open Women’s squads each unequivocally ran away with the team W’s.
Photo courtesy IG @annarpast
Pictured from left: Nicole Jaffke, Anna Pasternak, Karla Khalifa, and Erica Schoeller
Take a moment to admire the Master’s Men: placing 3 through 9 and dominating this first race of the morning: scoring 25 points, and looking good doing it in the fresh new kits. The Men of Prado unveiled new uniforms this morning that made even these old guys look handsome.
Masters Men of PRT moments before the gun
Until next time (Tom Bache Memorial Balboa 4-Miler on September 4th), it’s back to work!
Wrapping up the 2019 season on November 10th at Tecolote Shores, the PRT Masters Women’s team added yet another cross country team title to their trophy case! Plagued by injuries and thinner roster in 2018, the women were determined to re-claim their title this November and showed up in strong fashion, fending off a formidable challenge from the 2018 defending champion San Diego Track Club.
The 2019 season started off well with a team win at the Wild Duck race at Guajome Park, where Hilary Corno took the individual win, and Celest Arambulo and Amy Halseth finished up high enough that the team won as well. The PRT women also got the team win at the Balboa 4-Mile race, where Hilary, Angela Moll, and Amy led the way. But the SD Track Club fought back hard, with team victories at Crazy 8s 5K, the Balboa Boogie 5K, and the Cuyamaca College 6K.
PRT Women’s Masters – Amy Halseth, Charisa Clarkson, Hilary Corno, and Angela Moll after the Balboa 4-Mile
PRT Women’s Masters – Angela Moll, Amy Halseth, Hilary Corno, and Celest Arambulo after the Balboa Boogie 5K
With the women’s team having two team victories leading into Champs (compared to three victories for SD Track Club), Champs became a “winner take all” for the series win. While SD Track Club had won the last few matchups, their #1 runner was not planning on racing. Yet still, looking at previous race results, it was clear it was going to come down to whichever team had the better race on the day. The race was being held at the Tecolote Shores grass course, the same site as the Balboa Boogie 5K earlier in the season, where SD Track Club had demonstrated their strength on a tough course. But at Champs, the race was on!
Hilary took the overall masters win for the women in 23:21 over the 6K course, finishing in 3rd place for all the women racing, with Track Club’s #1 finishing just a couple places back in the overall standings. Celest was the next masters runner to finish, with Amy not too far behind—and ahead of SD Track Club’s 2nd and 3rd runners—to clinch the team race.
Hilary’s victory also meant that she won the individual title for 2019 to go along with her victories in 2015, 2016, and 2017. (In 2018 Hilary had a different focus, which was qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the marathon, which she did in Chicago.) Talk about a super star!
The PRT Women’s Masters Team loved racing cross country this year, especially having such great competition from our friends on SD Track Club. Dirt Dog XC is a great San Diego racing tradition and we are happy to have been a part of it!
The women post-Champs race, including team member Tracy Wright who we are hoping to have back racing with us next year!
The PRT Men’s Masters team added some new faces this year. Justin Turner and Randy Ray joined existing 40+ team members Jamaal Ryan, Jason Batterson, Kevin Zimmer, Mike Stange and Paul Wellman. For the 50+ team, Dick Robinson proved to be a valuable mid-season addition to the existing team of Andrew Block, Jeff Creighton, Jens Lykke-Andersen, Marc Sosnowski and Patrick Lanoiselee. The 60+ team saw the return of Greg Wagner, Scott McEntee and Thom Hunt.
PRT Men’s’ Masters – Jens Lykke-Andersen, Scott McEntee, Dick Robinson, Marc Sosnowski, Patrick Lanoiselee, Jeff Creighton, Randy Ray, Paul Wellman, Jamaal Ryan and Kevin Zimmer. Missing from photo are Andrew Block, Greg Wagner, Jason Batterson, Justin Turner, Mick Stange and Thom Hunt
The season started off well with both the 40+ and 50+ teams winning at the Wild Duck, the first race of the series. Individually, Kevin Zimmer took 1st place in the 50+ division, while Jason Batterson, Jeff Creighton and Scott McEntee took 2nd place in their respective divisions.
The 40+ team followed up with wins at the Bake at the Lake, the Crazy 8’s and the Cuyamaca College races. Jason Batterson led the team winning the Masters’ division at the latter three races.
The 50+ team swept all six of the races leading up to the Dirt Dog championship race. Along the way, Jeff Creighton took 1st place in the 50+ division at both the Bake at the Lake and the Crazy 8’s race.
The USATF Masters 5K XC National Championship race was run in conjunction with the Balboa Boogie 5K which was moved to Tecolote Shores this year. For the PRT Masters’ runners, this was a race within a race. The race was an official Dirt Dog race with normal team and individual scoring considerations for San Diego-Imperial association runners. It was also a National Championship race which drew runners from across the country to the race.
PRT mustered enough runners to field 40+ and 60+ teams to qualify for scoring in both races. The 50+ team mustered enough team members to score for the Dirt Dog race, but was one short to score for the National race.
Jason Batterson, Jamaal Ryan, Justin Turner, Mike Stange and Randy Ray ran strong races earning a 4th place finish for the 40+ team in the National competition and a 2nd place for the Dirt Dog scoring.
Jeff Creighton, Marc Sosnowski and Patrick Lanoiselee led the 50+ team to a win in the 50+ Dirt Dog race. Kevin Zimmer, who ran down with the 40+ team for the Dirt Dog race, took 1st place in the National race for the 55+ division. The 50+ team would have taken 1st in the National race if any one of our injured runners had been able to toe the line.
PRT entered a 60+ team for the first time all season. The team of Thom Hunt, Scott McEntee and Greg Wagner took second place in both the National race and the Dirt Dog race.
Both the 40+ and 50+ teams entered the Championship race with a chance to claim division titles. Additionally, Jason Batterson was in good position to win the 40+ series title. A number of other team members were in contention for winning prize checks based on their overall performance.
Jason led all PRT Masters’ runners with a time of 27:56, finishing in second place which was all he needed to claim the Dirt Dog series championship. Jamaal Ryan was next to cross the line, finishing in 29:24 and claiming 4th place in the series. Justin Turner and Kevin Zimmer finished neck and neck, both with a time of 30:06 to complete the scoring for the 40+ team. Kevin, who was running down with the 40+ team, claimed 1st place in the race for the 50+ division.
Jason Batterson accepting the Dirt Dog trophy for his Dirt Dog season win
At this point, PRT had finished with 20 points. Boom Running was standing at 8 points with one runner still needing to finish. Boom’s fourth scorer crossed the line 34 seconds later, finishing 8th and giving boom a score of 16 and claiming the title. PRT’s 40+ team claimed second place for the series.
Due to a rash of injuries, the 50+ team was barely able to field the minimum of three required to score for the race. Marc Sosnowski was the first team member to cross the line with a time of 31:48. Jeff Creighton overcame a tumble to finish close behind in 31:58. Dick Robinson, a mid-season recruit, finished in 33:08, earning the 50+ team a win for the race and sealing the overall Dirt Dog series win for the fifth consecutive year. Individually, Jeff, Marc and Kevin all earned series checks for their 2nd, 4th and 5th place finishes in the overall series.
PRT Men’s 50+ Team, from left to right, Dick Robinson, Jens Lykke-Anderson, Patrick Lanoiselee, Marc Sosnowski, and Jeff Creighton; along with Race Director Paul Greer
PRT was unable to muster a 60+ team for the race, but Scott McEntee finished 4th in the 60+ division with a time of 34:53, which was good enough to take 3rd place for the overall series.
Jason Batterson and Scott McEntee showed off some old man strength and resilience by securing the coveted Iron Dog honors for competing in each and every single Dirt Dog Cross Country Series race throughout the 2019 season! Congratulations to these guys, and to the entire Masters Men’s squad on a fine season.
The PRT Open Women’s team turned the tide this cross country season by reclaiming the USATF San Diego-Imperial Dirt Dog XC team title at the November 10th Championship race. The team victory was icing on the cake of a stellar season, establishing the PRT ladies as the premier competitive racing team in the San Diego area.
All smiles after the Cuyamaca 6k: A few of the PRT Open Women’s team (including a few of our stellar master’s women—Charisa and Amy). From left to right: Bridget Nolan, Liz Ryan, Nicole Jaffke, Kristin Schleicher, Erin Menefee, Charisa Clarkson, Fiana Kumm, Amy Halseth, and Kelsey Nielsen.
One of the largest team turnouts of the regular racing season was at the Wild Duck 5k race on August 17th in Guajome Park. The PRT Open Women went 1-2-3 led by Mary Schneider in 17:31, followed by Fiana Kumm in 18:04 and Erin Menefee in 18:16.
The rain couldn’t stop the PRT Open ladies from dominating the competition at the Crazy 8’s 5k at Rancho Bernardo Park on September 28th. The ladies were led by Mary Schneider with another individual win as she dipped under 17 for the first time in 16:56, followed by a strong performance by Sofie Schunk placing 2nd in a fine time of 17:37. Erin Menefee placed 5th in 18:00, Kelsey Nielsen in 18:37, Liz Ryan in 18:53, Bridget Nolan in 18:57, Karla Khalifa in 18:57 taking 8th-11th places, and Kristin Schleicher in 13th place in 19:32.
The PRT Open Women’s Team after a rainy Crazy 8’s 5k. From left to right: Karla Khalifa, Mary Schneider, Kelsey Nielsen, Bridget Nolan, Sofie Schunk, Kristin Schleicher, Erin Menefee, and Liz Ryan.
The open ladies crushed the competition at Tecolote Shores on Sunday, November 10th and reclaimed their team title in the final race of the Dirt Dog season: the USATF San Diego-Imperial Association Team Championship 6k race. The ladies went 1-4 and were led by Mary Schneider, who blazed through the course in 22:42, followed by Erin Menefee in 23:11, Sofie Schunk in 23:26, and Liz Ryan in 23:40. Mary, Erin, and Sofie claimed the top three places in the 2019 Dirt Dogs XC series overall standings as well. Mary had a tremendous season racing undefeated in her first Dirt Dogs XC racing experience in San Diego.
Mary Schneider and Sofie Schunk in action at the San Diego- Imperial USATF Association Cross Country Championships.
The team showed incredible depth throughout the 2019 Dirt Dogs XC season, and looks to have a large impact in the upcoming road series and on the track in 2020. During the 2019 season PRT also welcomed several fresh faces to the roster that made an immediate impact: Mary Schneider, Kelsey Nielsen, and Nicole Jaffke. Mary led the PRT women and finished the season undefeated, securing the overall open title while setting personal bests along the way. Kelsey raced in several meets and turned in a strong performance at the Crazy 8’s 5k with a time of 18:53. Nicole, a former Marquette University pole-vaulter turned distance runner, set personal bests in several distances this season.
Returning runners Erin Menefee, Sofie Schunk, Fiana Kumm, and Liz Ryan had fine seasons with notable performances throughout the season, with Erin taking home the open “W” in the Cuyamaca College 6k with a 21:51, Fiana raced to a new PR and a runner-up performance in the Cuyamaca College 6k in 22:05, and Sofie turned in a speedy time at the Crazy 8’s 5k in Rancho Bernardo Park with a 2nd place finish in 17:37. Liz made a comeback from an injury and gained steam throughout the season with a 4th place finish at the championship race. In February, Liz will be representing PRT along with Marie Zanderson and master Hilary Corno at the US Olympic Trials in Atlanta, Georgia.
For more information on final teams + individual standings, click the following link to learn more about the notorious USATF San Diego-Imperial Dirt Dog Cross Country series.
To stay in the know with day-to-day team happenings and performances, follow PRT on Instagram @pradoracingteam or at facebook.com/pradoracingteam.
This November the men’s squad wrapped up the USATF San Diego-Imperial Dirt Dog Cross Country season with plenty of accomplishments worth celebrating and recounting…
The Open men of PRT stood out among the San Diego competitive clubs in typical fashion—fielding a formidable scoring-five squad at every single race during the series.
Most Open Men of Prado (plus Justin!) posing for a team pic after Crazy 8’s in Rancho Bernardo: October 2019. Pictured from left to right (back row):
“Not That” Jon “The Rookie” Pierce; “The Pack” Hunter Daniel; “Danger” Dan Seidel, Alex “Fear My Kick” Phipps, Justin “Time” Turner, Thomas “Wicked Fast, Wimpy Stash” Whitcomb, “Clutch” Chris Wernke, Anthony “Make the Ladies go Idyll-Wild” Malatesta, Oliver “Twist” Langford, Andrew “Work Horse” Wood, (kneeling, left to right) Brett “Barn Burner” Olson, Nick “No Big Deal” Scarpello, Jonathan “Fast and Furious” Fenton, Yari “You Gotta Try My Gnocchi” Fontebasso.
The open men captured the team win at Bake at the Lake with authority, by a score of 20 – 81, over second-place Milestone Running, in the historic race’s inaugural entry into the series.
A few good Men of Prado, from left to right: Thomas Whitcomb (hidden behind Jon Pierce), followed by Anthony Malatesta, Nick Scarpello, Andrew Wood, Tyler “Thunderwood” Underwood (fun hat), and Dan Seidel. The men draw a line in the sand with their feet to mark the start line moments before the starting gun for the Bake at the Lake 2019 at Lake Hodges. The men won 20–81 over crosstown rival Milestone Running.
Tyler Underwood bested the entire field twice for two individual race victories, at the Bake at the Lake and Cuyamaca 6K. This upcoming February, Tyler will represent PRT at the Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta, GA.
This fall the open men welcomed four new tenacious team members with all-star running resumes: Jon Pierce, Anthony Malatesta, Chris Wernke, and Andrew Wood. All four made immediate impacts to the team, not only because they pushed their teammates in training bouts, but also because every single one of these new guys scored points for the Open Men this season, cracking into the top five in one or more races. As a matter of fact, Anthony was the top dog at the Balboa Boogie. Meanwhile Chris was counted among our championship five-man scoring squad in his first season as a cross-country runner, ever! Jon showed tenacity as a consistent, key lowstick among the top guys, while Andrew was a role model and a workhorse: winning the Iron Dog honors for competing week in and week out all season long.
Iron Dog Andrew Wood wills teammate Jamaal Ryan forward to the finish line in the closing meters of the Dirt Dog XC Championships, November 10 at Mission Bay. Photo courtesy of Christopher Friend. View Christopher’s Online Photography Gallery here.
The Open Men took second by a slim margin behind San Diego Track Club, as our clubs traded friendly jabs all season long: teeter-tottering back and forth between team wins, individual wins, and hard-fought mid-pack battles on both sides.
Thomas and Andrew: Way to be out there every weekend. You are members of an elite class of 2019 Iron Dogs, competing selflessly all season long and scrapping for every point.
For more information on final teams + individual standings, click the following link to learn more about the notorious USATF San Diego-Imperial Dirt Dog Cross Country series.
To stay in the know with day-to-day team happenings and performances, follow PRT on Instagram @pradoracingteam or at facebook.com/pradoracingteam.
Without much change in the weather, the surest way to know it’s fall in San Diego is by the arrival of the Dirt Dog cross country season. PRT started the season with a bang at the Wild Duck 5K, with a clean sweep of wins by Tyler Underwood, Paul Wellman, new member Natalie Hopkins, and Amy Halseth. Jamaal Ryan and Jason Batterson turned in strong performances at the hilly Balboa 4 Miler, finishing one second apart in 2nd and 3rd in the Masters Men’s race. Coming off a tough fall at that race, Celest Arambulo turned around to nab the Masters Women’s win at the newly-extended-to-10K Perros Bravos race in Bonita, while Jason Batterson took the Masters Men’s title.
The series returned to shorter races with the Crazy 8’s 5K, where Jamaal Ryan notched a win and Fiana Kumm took second place in the open race. Jamaal’s winning streak continued at the Balboa Boogie 5K, while in the open races Oliver Langford and Elizabeth Ryan were PRT’s top performers. Fiana won the Open Women’s race at the Cuyamaca 6K.
In the Championships race, the scoring team of Fiana, Erin Menefee, Sofie Schunk, and Bridget Nolan was narrowly defeated (by one point) by a strong boom running team. Fiana finished ranked 2nd in the championship race and the series for Open Women, while Celest finished 3rd both in Champs and the series for Masters Women. In the Open Men’s race, Tyler Underwood (2nd) and Oliver Langford (6th) finished in the top ten, while Derrick Lloyd, Derek Bradley, and new member Jonathan Fenton rounded out the scorers for PRT. Jason Batterson finished 3rd in the masters race and 2nd in the series standings. The men’s 50+ team, led by Kevin Zimmer, took the Dirt Dog title for their age division.
To close the cross country season, Jason, Paul, Scott McEntee, and Tracy Wright made a special trip to Spokane, WA to compete at the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships.
In addition, many PRT members took to the roads for half-marathon and marathon races. Highlights included three Olympic Trials qualifying marks amongst the women’s team - Marie Zanderson (Berlin Marathon), Hilary Corno (Chicago Marathon), and Elizabeth Ryan (2nd OTQ, California International Marathon). Members who notched marathon PRs in the fall included Angela Moll (twice - both at Berlin and CIM), Derrick Lloyd (New York City Marathon) and new member Mary Schneider, Kevin Sorrell, and Brian Coullahan (CIM). PRT athletes also competed in the Kaiser Thrive Half Marathon and Holiday Half Marathon locally in San Diego, with Bridget Nolan notching nearly a 6 minute PR on the favorable Holiday Half course. After a break for the holidays and a party to celebrate everyone’s accomplishments in January, the team is ready to take on 2019!
From February to July, members of Prado Racing Team tore up the San Diego road racing circuit, with squad appearances at the following races: the Cardiff Kook 10K (February), Coronado Valentine's Day 10K (February), Carlsbad 5000 (March), Cinco de Mile Run (May), Navy Bay Bridge Run 4M (May), San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon (June), and the Scripps Ranch Old Pros 10K (July).
For the women's team, the spring season featured multiple club record performances. Elizabeth Ryan lowered the 10K club record on 3 separate occasions, starting with 35:02 at the Kook 10K, then 34:52 at Coronado a week later, and finally smashing the mark with a 34:14 at the Scripps Ranch 10K on July 4. In addition, she clocked the squad's first sub-17 minute 5K with a 16:54 on the track at the Oxy Invitational. Hilary Corno notched another club record (both masters and overall) in the half marathon at Rock 'n' Roll SD with a 1:15:42 clocking and also set a new masters standard of 34:58 in the 10K at Scripps Ranch. Finally, in her first race in the PRT kit, Fiana Kumm recorded the first sub 5 mile for the PRT women, running 4:59.33 at the final USATF-SD Summer Nights track meet.
In addition, a number of club members turned in PR performances: Sofie Schunk ran a breakthrough 17:31 5K at Carlsbad, Angela Moll and Bridget Nolan set back-to-back PRs at RnR SD, and Kaitlin Hildebrand PR'd at the OC Half Marathon. Celestine Arambulo and Amy Halseth also turned in strong half marathons at RnR SD.
On the men's side, highlights included a wild Carlsbad 5000 performance in which Ryan Place finished 4th in 15:11 after the lead men were stopped by a train. Tyler Underwood and Oliver Langford dueled at the Cinco de Mile Run, finishing in 2nd and 3rd, but both would go on to even more impressive races - a sub-20 clocking at the Bay Bridge Run and comfortable win at the Old Pros 10K for Tyler, and a 15:17 track 5K PR for Oliver.
In the masters ranks, Brian Coullahan ran an impressive 2:47 Boston Marathon in historically difficult conditions. Jason Batterson took the masters win at the Cinco de Mile Run in 4:54. Finally, in his first season with the team, Jens Lykke-Anderson suited up for six of the team focus races as well as the Carlsbad and La Jolla Half Marathons.
The most popular race was the Carlsbad 5000 with 26 PRT athletes (men and women) competing. Overall, the team made over 110 San Diego appearances.
Several PRT members were recognized at the USATF San Diego annual awards banquet at Stone Brewing Company on February 25, 2018 for their excellence in running for the 2017 season. The PRT athletes receiving awards for the spring long distance running season were: Open Male Road Runner of the Year Carl Dargitz, Masters Male Road Runner of the Year Jason Batterson, and Masters Female Road Runner of the Year Amy Halseth. For the Dirt Dog Cross Country season, Hilary Corno was recognized as Masters Female Runner of the Year. Congrats to all!
Left to right: Carl Dargitz, Jason Batterson, Men's Long Distance Running chair Nick Scarpello, Hilary Corno, and Amy Halseth pose with their awards.
Courtesy of Scott McEntee
The PRT 50+ nationals squad of Marc Sosnowski, Robert Verhees, Jeff Creighton, Matt Sheremeta, and Kevin Zimmer (not pictured: Adam Weiner) mug for the camera in Lexington, KY along with Boom Running's Stephen Johnson.
Fresh off their dominant Dirt Dog XC season, the Men’s Masters 50+ team travelled to Lexington, Kentucky to compete in the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships.
Leaving 80 degree weather behind in San Diego, the team stepped off the plane into sub-freezing conditions at Lexington. Those braving the cold were Adam Weiner, Jeff Creighton, Kevin Zimmer, Marc Sosnowski, Matt Sheremeta, and Robert Verhees.
At the start of the men’s 10K race, the temperature was 22 degrees factoring in the wind chill. At the gun, Matt took off like a rocket with Kevin and Robert close on his heels. They kept in sight of each other all the way through the race with Kevin pulling ahead of Matt near the finish. Whether PRT would podium was going to be decided by Adam, Jeff and Marc. All three put in strong performances, so we thought we had a strong chance.
Everyone needed to warm up (i.e. off to the rental cars and turn the heaters on) while waiting for the official results. The good news arrived shortly thereafter that PRT took a solid third place in the Men’s Masters 50+ division.
In team scoring, Kevin placed 8th, Matt in 11th, Robert in 12th, Adam in 31st, Jeff in 49th and Marc in 57th. Impressively, in the 55-59 division age grouping, Adam finished 7th.
With their outstanding performance at Lexington, the PRT Men’s Masters 50+ team are now on the national radar!
Between August and December, PRT athletes competed in the 8 races of the San Diego-Imperial USATF Dirt Dog Cross Country Series. Fall 2017 marked PRT's seventh season participating in the series, and it proved to be as competitive and fun as always!
The season kicked off with the Wild Duck 5K in Oceanside, highlighted by individual wins for Hilary Corno (Women's 40+), Tyler Underwood (Men's Open), Jamaal Ryan (Men's 40+), and Matt Sheremeta (Men's 50+), along with an unofficial win for Elizabeth Ryan. In the next race, the challenging Balboa 4 Miler, Hilary (1st), Liz (3rd), Tyler (2nd), and Jamaal (2nd) repeated as PRT's top finishers in their respective divisions. Kevin Zimmer picked up the win in the Men's 50+ division, and Scott McEntee began his streak of PRT Men's 60+ finishes with a second place..
At the Bonita 8K, Nick Scarpello (Men's Open) and Matt Sheremeta (Men's 50+) were overall winners for PRT, with Elizabeth Ryan (3rd, Women's Open), Amy Halseth (4th, Women's 40+), and Jason Batterson (3rd) setting the paces in their categories.
Tyler, Nick, Kristin, Dan, Paul, and Kevin at the Bonita 8K
At the Crazy 8's 5K in Rancho Bernardo, Nick Scarpello, Hilary Corno, and Kevin Zimmer picked up additional wins, while Kaitlin Hildebrand (3rd, Women's Open) and Jamaal Ryan (2nd) also notched top team placements. At the Cougar Challenge at Cal State San Marcos, the PRT masters were victorious, with wins for Jamaal Ryan, Amy Halseth, and Kevin Zimmer. Dan Seidel (4th) led the way for the Open Men. Just a week later at the Ursula Rains Balboa Boogie 5K, the same quartet repeated as the team's top finishers.
PRT at the Ursula Rains Balboa Boogie 5K
The team finished out the regular season at the Cuyamaca 6K, with repeat wins for Nick Scarpello, Jamaal Ryan, Amy Halseth, and Matt Sheremeta, and second place finishes for Kaitlin Hildebrand and Scott McEntee. While the Women's Open team had been depleted due to injury early on, going into the championship race, the Men's Open, Women's 40+, Men's 40+, and the perfect-scoring Men's 50+ team were all in position to contend for wins.
PRT at the Cuyamaca 6K. Back row: Scott, Amy, Paul, Derrick, Tyler, Dan, Jamaal, Marc. Front row: Matt, Angela, Charisa, Kaitlin.
In the Women's championship race, Elizabeth Ryan gamely took it out hard on the first lap with Boom Running's Paula Lamont. While Lamont pulled away, Ryan held on for a second place finish (fourth in the series scoring). Kaitlin Hildebrand took sixth place and with a strong regular season finished third in the series. Kristin Schleicher competed during the regular season. Running concurrently in the Women's Masters category, the team of Hilary Corno, Amy Halseth, and Charisa Wernick were able to bring home the 40+ team win, with the help of Angela Moll scoring in the regular season. Corno and Halseth finished 1-2 in the series scoring with Wernick in 6th.
The men's championship race featured a battle between Daniel Gonia running unattached and Nick Scarpello and Tyler Underwood of PRT. Gonia prevailed, with Underwood moving up over the race into second and Scarpello third. In the series scoring, the order was reversed, with Scarpello 2nd, Underwood 3rd, and Dan Seidel taking 8th. The men finished second to the San Diego Track Club in the team division. Derek Bradley, Derrick Lloyd, Thomas Whitcomb, Chuck McKeown, Alex Phipps, Carl Dargitz, Ryan Place, Blake Wilson, Paul Wellman, Eduardo Mariscal, and Kevin Sorrell rounded out the Open Men's team during the 2017 Dirt Dog season.
The Men's Masters 40+ team was led by Jamaal Ryan in second place behind Boom Running's Okwaro Raura, with Jason Batterson in third, which would equal their final standings in the series. The team finished second to Boom Running, with Michael Stange, Andrew Block, Brian Coullahan, Justin Runac, Brian Culley, and Joel Bernard donning the PRT jersey this season.
To no one's surprise, the Men's Masters 50+ team won the team title with their eighth consecutive win of the season over the Bonita Road Runners. Kevin Zimmer was the race and series winner with Matt Sheremeta in second, Adam Weiner fourth, and Bruce Boettner 6th. Jeff Creighton and Marc Sosnowski also contributed team points. Scott McEntee was PRT's lone 60+ representative, but he made the most of it by finishing every race in fourth place or better, ending up 3rd in the championship and series scoring. The 50+ Men plan to compete at the USATF Club XC National Championship in Lexington, KY in December.
In total, four PRT runners earned the IronDog distinction for completing every race in the series: Charisa Clarkson, Amy Halseth, Scott McEntee, and Daniel Seidel.
According to form, PRT celebrated another fun and successful season with a team party, including a picnic at Liberty Station and a trip to Stone Brewing Company. The team is grateful for the opportunity to race in this competitive series every year!
Throughout the Dirt Dog Series, the PRT’s Open Men found themselves battling the Jamul Toads, while the Masters Men were in tight competition with the San Diego Track Club. Over the course of seven races, each team earned the maximum possible points—60—leading into the championship race at Mission Bay. Some top performances on the Open team included victories by Nick Scarpello at the Wild Duck 5K, the Balboa 4-Miler, the Cougar Challenge, and the Cuyamaca 6K; second-place showings by Tyler Underwood at the Balboa 4-Miler, the Cougar Challenge, and the Cuyamaca 6K; and a second-place for Dan Seidel at the Ursula Rains Balboa Boogie 5K. On the Masters side, Stephen Johnson ran 17:03 to get a close second at the Wild Duck 5K; Patrick Burke grabbed second place at the Balboa 4-Miler (23:42); PRT impressively swept places 1-4 at the Ursula Rains Balboa Boogie 5K (Rob Verhees, Stephen Johnson, Patrick Burke, and Brian Culley); Kevin Zimmer took second at the Cougar Challenge 8K; and Brian Culley won the Cuyamaca 6K Masters race, with Jeff Creighton winning the 50-59 division.
Heading into the Dirt Dog championships at Mission Bay, the Open Men were tied, 60-60, with the Jamul Toads, and the Masters held a 60-48 lead over the San Diego Track Club. In the Open race, Nick Scarpello took second place and led the men’s team, running 25:51, just ahead of new (though non-scoring) member Carl Dargitz. The remaining four scorers were Tyler Underwood (26:33), Alex Phipps (26:41), Dan Seidel (27:00), and Derek Bradley (27:10), who came up just short of the Jamul Toads and therefore took second place overall in the series.
In the Masters race, Rob Verhees took second in 28:09, followed closely by Patrick Burke (3rd, 28:26), and Brian Culley (4th, 28:37). They led the 40-49 team to victory in the race and the series. In the 50-59 group, Kevin Zimmer won the championship race in 28:41, and along with Jeff Creighton (30:16) and Scott McEntee (32:51) took the team title as well.
Individually, PRT had five Open men in the top ten overall for the Dirt Dog Series—Nick Scarpello (1st), Tyler Underwood (4th), Dan Seidel (6th), Iron Dog Alex Phipps (8th), and Derek Bradley (9th). In the Masters standings, five men also placed: Patrick Burke (2nd), Brian Culley (3rd), Rob Verhees (5th), Iron Dog Matt Sheremeta (7th), and Michael Hansen (8th).
In December, PRT sent 18 men to compete at XC Club Nationals in San Francisco in Golden Gate Park—seven in the Open race, and 11 in the Masters race. In the Open race, Nick Scarpello finished 50th in an incredibly deep field, setting a hard early pace and battling through to a PR in the 10K (including roads!) of 30:53. He was followed by Dan Seidel (32:44), Derek Bradley (33:06), Alex Phipps (33:18), Paul Wellman (34:36), Andy Corman (35:13), and Kevin Sorrell (37:14), and the PRT Open men were able to defeat the Jamul Toads squad who’d narrowly beaten them the previous month at the Dirt Dog XC Championships at Mission Bay. Overall, the Open team placed 32nd out of 59 teams, a significant improvement from their previous appearance at the 2013 XC Club Nationals in Bend, Oregon.
Photo courtesy of Kristin Schleicher
In the Masters race, Robert Verhees turned in the best individual performance, winning third place nationally in the 50-59 age group! (34:22). He led the 50-59 San Diego team, which also featured PRT members Kevin Zimmer (35:37), Jeff Creighton (37:21), Gerard Reski (40:10), and Scott McEntee (40:36), to a sixth-place finish out of 18 total teams. The 40-49 squad, led by Brian Culley (35:13) and also featuring Matt Sheremeta (36:18), Chris Hupfeld (37:38), Marc Sosnowksi (38:08), Joel Bernard (39:13), and Justin Renac (39:31), took 18th out of 28 teams.
Based largely on their excellent cross-country performances (as well as earlier performances in the 2015 spring road series), Nick Scarpello (Open) and Rob Verhees (Masters) were each recognized as the 2015 USATF San Diego-Imperial Association Distance Runner of the Year. Congrats, guys!
The women of Prado Racing Team had a successful Fall, highlighted by multiple victories in the cross country season and several PRs in the marathon.
The women kicked off the season with several cross country races in San Diego. The first race of the Dirt Dog USATF San Diego Cross Country Series was the Wild Duck 5K, where 11 women toed the line between the Masters and Open races. In the Masters race, Hilary Corno won for the women, leading Darcy Davidson and Maureen Friend to their first Masters Team win.
A strong pack highlighted the women’s Open race, led by Kristin Schleicher. Kristin, along with Cortney Berling, Sabina Piras, and Angela Moll, swept the top four places for a perfect score and the first cross country win of the season.
Photo courtesy Chris Friend
All four of the Masters women (Hilary, Darcy, Maureen, and Tracy Wright) showed up for the Crazy 8s 5K in Rancho Bernardo, and swept the field, finishing 1-4 in the Masters Division. This gave them their second team win of the season.
The women finished off the regular Dirt Dog cross country season at the Cuyamaca 6K, with full scoring squads on both the Open and Masters women’s teams, for a total of ten women competing. Darcy led the Masters team to their fourth victory of the regular season, whileCortney led a strong pack of Open PRT women to their third victory. Both teams would enter the final championship race undefeated when they had a scoring squad on the line.
The Championship race was held at Mission Bay on a bright, crisp morning in early November. Ten women would again toe the line with both individual and team standings to be defended. A strong pack of women came through the first loop, where PRT’s pack mentality worked to its advantage. The women of PRT pushed the pace through the next two loops, pulling away from the field to place first through fifth in the race. Cortney kicked it to the finish line to be the overall victor, followed by Erin Menefee (note: Erin did not score for PRT as she was not enrolled on the team at the beginning of the season, but we are excited to see her rock it next season!), Julie Sawyer, Noelle Rysselberghe, and Hilary Corno, the overall Masters Women’s champion. Sabina Piras rounded out the scoring team for the Open women, finishing in eighth. Overall, PRT women accounted for eight of the top ten finishers in the Championship race, with the top four women finishing within eight seconds of each other! On the Masters side, after Hilary, Darcy finished second and Maureen finished fifth.
Strong performances from both the Open and Masters women allowed PRT to clinch both titles for the overall Dirt Dog Series. This was exciting both because it was the fourth year in a row for the Open women to win, and because the Masters Women’s win marks the first year that PRT fielded a team in that division.
For the individual standings for the season, PRT took six of the top ten spots, led by Cortney (1st). She was followed by Julie (2nd), Sabina (3rd), Noelle (6th), Kathy Dunbar (7th), and Sara Sanchez (10th). Similar to the results of the Championship race itself, Hilary was the overall champ of the Masters Series, followed by Darcy (2nd) and Maureen (5th).
After a strong showing locally, the women of PRT were ready to head up to the USATF Club Cross Country National Championships in San Francisco. There a squad of eight Open women raced with some of the top talent in the United States. Three hundred and fifty women representing over 40 teams competed over the 6K course in Golden Gate Park. The race started out quick, with a large pack of FAST women blazing through the first mile. PRT fought for every place in the competitive and crowded race. In only their second showing at this national event, the women of Prado finished in 16th place, with Erin Menefee breaking into the top 100 at 89th place. Overall, the season was a huge success for Prado Racing Team!
Whlie most of the focus of the fall was on the cross country season, several women also trained for marathons, bringing PRT four new PRs in the distance. Kicking it off for the long-distance ladies, Marie Schaper took on the Chicago Marathon, running a PR of 2:45, shaving over a minute off her previous best. Not to be outdone, a few weeks later Hilary Corno lined up in the Elite division in the New York City Marathon. She ran a 2:45 as well (only one second faster than Marie ran!) and was the second Masters woman in the race. In the last marathon of Prado’s Fall season, at the California International Marathon, Sabina Piras gunned for an Olympic Trials qualifying time and Julie Sawyer made her marathon debut. Sabina ran a strong 2:43, which in the next few weeks would be announced as a qualifier time, entering her into the Olympic Trials race in Los Angeles. Julie accomplished her goal for her first marathon, finishing in 2:47.
To top off an awesome season, PRT's own Maureen Friend was honored on February 28 at the USATF San Diego annual Track Banquet as the 2015 Masters Long Distance Runner of the Year! We are all very excited for and proud of Maureen!
Photo courtesy Chris Friend
The Women of PRT raced to personal records in races from the mile up to the marathon this Spring. Many of those performances took place in local San Diego races where a majority of the team showed up in force to dominate the competition.
In February, ten women toed the line of the Cardiff Kook 10K, coming away with multiple PRs and top ten finishes. Hilary Corno led the way, running her fastest 10K ever in 35:55, taking fourth place in the race. She was followed by Julie Sawyer in 36:28 and Darcy Davidson in 36:50, both of whom also PR’d in the race, finishing 5th and 6th overall, respectively. The rest of the team put up notable performances as well, with the following women placing in the top 15: Marie Schaper (37:14), Angela Moll (37:17), Cortney Staruch (37:34) and new teammate Kathy Dunbar (38:12).
Angela Moll and Hilary Corno make racing look easy!
Many of the women chose to test themselves in an event that was out of their comfort zone by participating in the Encinitas Mile in March. Thus unique event allowed the women to show their versatility at all distances on the road. Darcy Davidson started things off right for the women by coming away with the Masters Women’s win in 5:14. In the elite field, a tight pack of PRT women came in within a second of each other, with Julie Sawyer finishing 6th in 5:09, Kathy Dunbar finishing 7th in 5:10, and Gina Merchant finishing 9th in 5:10.
As the season progressed, many of the women focused on their speed to race in the always competitive Carlsbad 5000. The races are broken down by age group, giving the women the chance to snag more podium spots. Julie Sawyer led the 30-39 women by placing 3rd in a PR of 17:19. She was followed by Hilary Corno (18:21), Angela Moll (18:23), and Kathy Dunbar (18:27), all of whom placed in the top 10 in the race. Marie Schaper led the women in the 20-29 division, also taking third in 17:48, impressive off her Marathon training.
Marie Schaper cruised to a podium finish at the Carlsbad 5000
In addition to the impressive performances in local races, many of the PRT women went outside of San Diego to seek out competitive fields in which to lower those race times.
Several women trained for Marathons this past spring, Sabina Piras, who joined the team earlier in the year, raced to a PR despite the miserable weather at the Boston Marathon, running 2:51. Darcy Davidson didn’t mess around in her debut at the Mountains to Beach Marathon. Not only did she run 2:54, but she also won the race! What a great start to her Marathon career! Marie once again left the country for her Marathon, though not quite as far this time around. She went up to Vancouver and finished 4th against a competitive field running 2:49 on a difficult and hilly course.
Darcy Davidson won her debut Marathon this past May
In the world of track and field, Julie Sawyer laced up her spikes for her first ever 10K on the track, competing at the Mt. Sac Relays. Despite a start time after her usual bedtime, she raced to 3rd place in her heat and ran a PR of 35:15.
Julie Sawyer took over a minute off her previous 10K PR at Mt. Sac in April.
PRT had Half Marathon PRs booked its spring season. Angela Moll didn’t let congestion stop her from racing to a 1:21 PR in the Arizona Rock and Roll Half Marathon in January. Then in June, Hilary Corno shaved over a minute and a half off of her previous best to run 1:17 in the San Diego Rock and Roll Half Marathon.
In recent years, many of the PRT Men have treated the Cardiff Kook 10K as the first real test of the year. This February, Tyler Underwood was the top finisher, cracking 32 minutes (31:40) for eighth place in a highly competitive field. He was followed closely by Derek Bradley, who also cracked 32 minutes (31:56; 9th place), and Dan Seidel (32:00; 11th place). Rob Verhees was the top Master, winning his age group and running well under 34 minutes (33:40). Steve Johnson was next, finishing second in his age division and running 34:02.
From left to right: Daniel Farmer, Alex Phipps, Chuck McKeown, Dan Seidel, Thomas Whitcomb, and Derek Bradley sport the new neon PRT men's singlets. (Photo credit: Kristin Schleicher)
In March, at the second edition of the Encinitas Mile, Alex Phipps led the PRT men, running 4:33, slightly ahead of Chuck McKeown, who finished in 4:36. Justin Turner, deep into training for the half marathon and marathon, still turned in an impressive 4:36. Robert Verhees ran a scorching 4:44, only a second behind the winner of the Masters Mile. Sean Fader ran five minutes flat, good for fourth place, and Joel Bernard was fifth in his age division, running 5:19.
Justin Turner at the 2015 Carlsbad Half Marathon, en route to a sub-1:10 finish.
At the Carlsbad 5000, PRT had an impressive turnout of 20 guys racing. The top three Open finishers were Tyler Underwood (15:07; 8th place, 20-29), Justin Turner (15:20; 6th place, 30-39), and Chuck McKeown (15:59, 12th place, 30-39). On the Masters side, the top three guys were Rob Verhees (16:00, 6th place Master – beating many of the PRT Open guys!), Steve Johnson (16:18, 11th place Master), and Jason Lewis (17:00, 22nd place).
After a longish break, the next team-focus race was in June at the Bonita 5K, which doubles as the San Diego USATF Association Road 5K Championship. Dan Seidel was fourth overall in 15:43 (finishing just out of the prize money!), and not far behind him were Luis de la Vega (15:53) and Alex Phipps (15:56). Steve Johnson was the top Master overall, running 16:05.
From left to right: Rory Golden, Jeff Creighton, and Gerard Reski hanging out post-race.
At the final team race of the spring, the Scripps Ranch Old Pros 10K, the PRT men traditionally pack the front of the race, waiting for the patriotic Speedo-wearing crew to burn themselves out in the first 100 meters before they begin to work together along the Lake Miramar loop. This year, Tyler Underwood and Justin Turner set a strong early pace, and Tyler pulled away in the second half of the race to get the race victory, running 31:32, and also setting a new PRT men’s record in the 10K! Justin ended up in fourth, running 32:01, and Dan Seidel was fifth in 32:20, followed closely by Alex Phipps (32:22). PRT’s top Masters were Steve Johnson (33:41; 3rd Master) and new member Patrick Burke (34:20; 4th Master). Overall, the PRT men had four of the top six spots, and nine of the top fifteen – an impressive team showing to cap off the spring season!
Tyler Underwood, on the way to a 2:26:23 marathon in London, an all-time PRT Men's record!
Several individual performances from this spring also deserve recognition. Justin Turner set a half-marathon record for PRT, running 1:06:50 at the Holiday Half Marathon. And Tyler Underwood not only set the 10K mark at Scripps, he also set the best mark for the marathon, running 2:26:23 in London.
Fresh and rested, the PRT Men are now ready for the 2015 Dirt Dog XC Series this fall!
The PRT Men made more than 100 race appearances this past fall, consistently bringing scoring teams in both the Open and Masters divisions to the Dirt Dog XC Series races. The Masters team, led by Robert Verhees and Stephen Johnson, won the overall team title, while the Open Men, coming in third in a closely fought championship race with San Diego Track Club and Milestone Track Club, took second in the overall team scoring, and had three men in the top-ten individual scoring (Tyler Underwood, Derek Bradley, and Alex Phipps).
Alex Phipps led the Open team at the first race of the series, the Wild Duck 5K, running 16:13. He was closely followed by Dan Seidel (16:14), Thomas Whitcomb (16:15), Chuck McKeown (16:19), and new member Rory Golden (16:51). Stephen Johnson won the Masters race in 16:54, followed by team captain Brian Culley (17:03), Greg McMillan (17:21), Jason Lewis (17:21), and Iron Dog Sean Fader (17:39).
Iron Dog Sean Fader at Cougar Challenge 8K.
At the very tough Balboa 4-Miler, new member Justin Turner made an immediate impact, finishing just behind Derek Bradley (22:07) in 22:09, followed by Dan Seidel (22:12) and Chuck McKeown (22:50). Rob Verhees took second in the Masters race, and Jeff Creighton, running in the 50+ division, took fifth overall Master.
The PRT Open Men won their first team race of the season at the Bonita Stampede (8K), with an outstanding performance by new member Tyler Underwood, who took second overall in 26:25. Seidel, Phipps, Whitcomb, and Bradley all finished within a minute of Tyler to seal the team victory.
In early October, PRT had a great turnout at the Balboa Boogie 5K, with all top five Open men (Derek Bradley, Dan Seidel, Eduardo Mariscal, Justin Turner, and Alex Phipps) running well under 16 minutes on the rolling course. For the Masters, Rob Verhees took second in 16:13, followed closely by Stephen Johnson (16:21) in third.
Alex Phipps turned in a terrific sub-26-minute performance at the Cougar Challenge 8K to lead the Open team, and Rob Verhees and Stephen Johnson again took second and third, respectively, for the Masters, with additional strong races by Jeff Creighton, Sean Fader, and Joel Bernard, all breaking 30 minutes.
Justin Turner and Tyler Underwood at Dirt Dog Champs.
Derek Bradley led the Open men to a team win at the Cuyamaca 6K on November 1, taking second overall in 19:19. He was followed by Tyler Underwood, Alex Phipps, Eduardo Mariscal, Daniel Farmer, and Patrick Baldwin. The Masters men swept the top four spots, with Stephen Johnson taking the top spot in 20:35, followed by Jason Lewis, Jeff Creighton, and Sean Fader.
After a long season, the Dirt Dog Championship 8K race was held on November 16 on a tough, four-loop grass course at Mission Bay. Justin Turner, who also ran a 2:25 marathon in October, led the Open men in 26:57, and scoring behind him were Tyler Underwood (27:03), Alex Phipps (27:16), Derek Bradley (27:22), and Thomas Whitcomb (27:56).
The Open men narrowly took third in the race but earned second place overall in the Dirt Dog series. The Masters men, extending their dominance from earlier in the season, won the race and the series, with Rob Verhees (28:15; 2nd), Stephen Johnson (28:31; 3rd), Jason Lewis (29:46), Jeff Creighton (29:51), and Brian Culley (30:09) making up the top five.
In the overall individual standings for the Dirt Dog series, Tyler Underwood took second place, and Derek Bradley and Alex Phipps also finished in the top ten. Stephen Johnson and Rob Verhees took second and third overall, Jeff Creighton was second in the 50+ division, and Sean Fader achieved “Iron Dog” status, running all races in the series. All in all, a great season for the PRT men’s team, and they look forward to another great year in 2015!
As always, the team focused on the San Diego Dirt Dog Cross Country series during the fall, competing in a total of eight cross country races spread out over San Diego County. The PRT women had a full scoring squad in seven of the eight races, and went undefeated for the 2014 season.
The Women of PRT after braving the heat, hills, and dust of the Balboa 4-miler
Darcy, Angela, and Gina compete at the
Dirt Dog Championships
The women showed their strength early in the series at the Balboa 4-miler, where the women were led by Jenna Munguia, who finished second overall in the race. She was followed by teammates Courtney Staruch (3rd), Hilary Corno (4th), Caela Timinsky (5th), and Gina Merchant (8th). For the first time ever, the PRT women had a Masters runner competing in the Dirt Dog Series. Darcy Davidson won the Balboa 4-miler in the Women’s 40+ division, and would remain undefeated in all races that she ran for the season.
The strongest regular-season race for the PRT women came in mid-October at the Cougar Challenge. PRT had three runners under 18 minutes on the cross country course, led again by Jenna Munguia, who was first overall in 17:12. She was followed by Courtney Staruch, who set a new 5K PR of 17:21, and Hilary Corno, who ran 17:37. Also finishing for PRT was Gina Merchant (18:17), Angela Moll, who ran 18:32 only six days after competing in the Chicago Marathon, and Julie Sawyer (19:47).
Jenna leaves the competition behind at the Dirt Dog
Cross Country Championships.
The PRT women went into the championship race undefeated, and as the reigning Dirt Dog Champions. The women did not disappoint in an exciting race. Jenna Munguia showed her strength by pulling away from the lead pack early in the race and running all the way to victory. Jenna’s victory in the championship race also sealed her individual champion status in the Dirt Dog Series. She was followed by Cortney Staruch, who ran a gutsy race to hold on to second place. Marie and Hilary finished next, in 4th and 5th, respectively. Darcy Davidson was the fifth PRT woman to cross the line, and the first Masters woman, clinching her Masters individual title. She was followed by Gina Merchant (9th) , Angela Moll (10th), Caela Timinsky (12th), and Sara Sanchez (21st). Overall, the PRT women claimed seven of the top ten spots at the championship race, and seven of the top ten spots for individuals in the series, including the individual champion. As a team, PRT once again repeated as the Women’s Open Champion.
In addition to a full cross country schedule, the PRT women were busy racing on the roads and trails during the 2014 Fall season. Both Hilary Corno and Marie Schaper competed in the Long Beach Half Marathon, finishing first and second, respectively, in times of 1:19:35 and 1:20:28.
Marie and Hilary after the Long Beach Half.
Darcy Davidson ran several trail half marathons and came away with impressive wins in both the Stairway to Heaven Trail Marathon and the Raptor Ridge Trail Half Marathon (where she placed seventh overall – including the men!).
PRT had two women PR in the marathon this fall. First, Angela Moll ran the Chicago Marathon in a speedy 2:51:31, good for a new personal record. Then in early December, Hilary Corno tackled the California International and finished with a new PR of 2:47:11. Both ladies significantly reduced their prior times in the marathon.
Finally, Darcy and Marie decided to wrap up 2014 with a set of PRs of their own. Both women competed in the Holiday Half Marathon in San Diego and took down the 1:20 barrier! Darcy finished in 1:18:38, followed by Marie in 1:19:43.
After a solid season of cross country and road racing, the PRT women gear up for the 2015 spring season, where they’ll focus on several team races in San Diego, as well as participate in events on the track, the trails, and the roads. Check back for more updates and PRs!