Weekend Happenings

A couple of big events this weekend.

On the local level - the annual Snow Joke 1/2-Marathon.  It comes at a great time of year for people wanting a tune-up before spring marathons like Boston.  The weather always has the potential to be a factor at this race.  And, road conditions on the back side of the lake (a bit more than 1/2 of the run) are typically dicey even in the best of years.  But, this year figures to be a doozey.  Western Montana has had some healthy snow this year; and, temps this weekend are likely to be a bit frigid.  So, fast times are likely to take a hiatus this year.

On the regional level, the Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships happen this weekend.  Can Patrick Casey get an 800/mile double?  Will he run some fast times and stamp himself as a favorite for the NCAA's?  Will Katrina Drennan get a mile/3000 double?  Any more UM school records on tap for her?

Nationally, we'll see the big boys take to the oval at the USATF Champs.  Check the web for live coverage schedules.

The Muddy Buzzard

Some Damn Fine Writing

Tim Dumas is a writer for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

Tim Dumas is a runner.

Tim Dumas is a multi-time competitor at the Montana Men's Master's Mile (M4) (including the 2011 edition).

Put these things all together and what to you get.......................a piece of writing in Tim's Chronicle blog (The Dumas Prospectus) on February 13th that was a masterpiece. 

For a great read check it out at:  http://dumasprospect.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/chairmen-of-the-boards/

See you on the roads, tracks and trails.

The Muddy Buzzard

Montana Running History

Here's a great piece on one of the big time studs of the running world and a Montana native.  Saw it this morning in the Missoulian and figured I just had to share it.

Montana history almanac: Deer Lodge native runs record 3-mile


Feb. 22, 1941
 Missoula's Greg Rice set a record for the three-mile run at the National AAU championships in New York's Madison Square Garden.

The 5-foot-5 Rice, with his parents Joseph and Mamie of Missoula watching in a crowd of 14,000, lapped all four of his rivals. He was timed in 13 minutes, 51 seconds, breaking his own record of 13:52.3.


It was the second world record in eight days for Rice, a 1939 Notre Dame graduate and the reigning Sullivan Award winner as the nation's top amateur athlete. On Feb. 15, at the New York Athletic Club Games, Rice set the indoor two-mile record. In March in Chicago, the 25-year-old Rice ran 2 miles faster than anyone had before, indoors or out - 8:51.1. Four days later he was declared physically unfit for the U.S. Army. The reason: A triple hernia.

Rice went on to win 55 straight races, though his shot at Olympic gold was dashed by World War II. The string ended in 1943 after joined the U.S. Maritime Service.


Born in Deer Lodge, Rice won state championships in the 880 and mile runs for three years running at Missoula County High School.

21010 Women's Runner Of The Year

Last year, The Muddy Buzzard announce his first ever Male Runners Of The Year.  But, didn't really follow the women's side in 2009; so, did chose a female ROY for 2009.  But, that changes here and now.......so, in follow up the Male ROY's that were identified in late January here are the The Muddy Buzzard's First Annual Female Runners Of The Year for Montana.

Now, let me first suffice this by saying that I had a bit of dilemma on how to handle some of the rankings and where to categorize one of our top athletes  (you'll understand as you review the rankings).  She started the year as an open runner; but, entered the Masters category just before Bloomsday.  So, in the end, I took a bit of an easy way out.  The Buzzard will have 3 female categories this year - Overall, Open and Masters.

And, with that, let's get right to it.

Nicole Hunt @ 2010 USATF Club National XC



The picture above pretty much gives away The Buzzard's choice for Overall Female Runner Of The Year ---- Nicole Hunt of Deer Lodge.  And, I think it was a pretty easy choice to make.  During the season, Nicole had only a handful of losses on the open side all year.  Her only loss in the Masters category was at the USATF Club XC Championships.

Just a couple of years removed from the birth of son Eon, Nicole has thumbed her nose at the 40 year old age barrier and has returned back to the dominating form that she showed in the late 1990's and early 2000's.  Here range of distance and terrain were stunning.  Here's a list of her top performances from 2010.

AOH Saint Patrick's Day Run - Anaconda - 3 mile - 15:50 - 1st

Big Butte Run - Butte - 11K - 50:05 - 1st

Don't Fence Me In Trail Race - Helena - 12K - 54:12 - 1st

Ice Breaker - Great Falls - 5 Mile - 29:33 - 3rd

Bloomsday - Spokane - 12K - 43:43 - 17th overall, 1st Master

Governor's Cup - Helena - 5K - 18:04 - 1st

MT Washington Road Race (Uphill) - New Hampshire - 4th overall, 1st Master - new masters course record

World Mountain Running Championships - Slovenia - 17th overall, 3rd American

Bozeman Classic - Bozeman - 5K - 18:36 - 2nd overall, 1st Master

MT Helena - Helena - 43:34 - 1st

Montana Cup - Billings - 6K +- - 24:45 - 3rd overall, 1st Master

Veteran's Day - Butte - 5 miles - 32:51 - 1st - new masters course record

USTAF Club Championship Cross Country - 6K - 21:50 - 3rd Masters

Pretty hard to argue with that record that Nicole wasn't well deserving of of the overall Runner Of The Year designation.  Add to that the fact that she's a pleasant, unassuming, hard working, passionate person only makes it all the better.  Nicole is a true ambassador for the sport and a fantastic role model for younger female runners.

And, while Nicole's record stood out for it's breadth of competition locally, regionally, nationally and internationally The Muddy Buzzard's Open Woman Runner Of The Year was ever so close to matching those accomplishments.

I got to know this woman during the time that we lived in Billings.  Like Nicole she is kind, pleasant, humble and unassumming.  She's also one of the most aggressive racer's that I've ever seen on the women's side and has an incredibly wide performance range.

Sarah Graves at 2010 Montana Cup

Sarah may not be a household name to most of you in the Montana running scene.  She's one of those athletes who quietly shows up, hammers her race, cheers the rest of the field, then heads back home.  But, she virtually always leaves a mark on the field of any event from the mile to the marathon.  Here's a look at some of the best of what Sarah accomplished last year.

New course record at the Newport Marathon in 2:47:52 (and less than 2 minutes from an Oly Trials qualifier)

1st at the Montana Women's Run 5-mile in 30:01

1st at the Heart and Sole 5K in 18:41

1st at the Beartooth Run 8.4 mile (uphill) in 65:53

1st at the Montana Marathon Half Marathon in 78:40

1st at the Montana Cup in 24:24

3rd at the Run To The Pub 1/2 Marathon in 88:17

5th at the Montana Mile in 5:19.4

82nd at the hot Chicago Marathon in 2:55:43

Sarah just missed qualifying for the 2008 Oly Marathon Trials; and, as you can see above, is just off the mark for the 2101 Trials.  If the Buzzard could have one wish granted for the 2011 year, it's that Sara will finally get that 2:46 mark and make the field for Houstan.

Behind Sarah came a tight field of athletes; and, it was a challenge to pick a ranking order; but, here goes:

# 2 Open Runner - Meg Lerch of Missoula.  Meg didn't race a lot in the 2nd half of the year due to some nagging hip issues.  But, she had a great 1st half of the year; especially at the 5K distance.  She went sub 17:00 3 times - winning the Oregon Twilight Track Meet in 16:42, a 16:43 at Mt. Sac, and a 16:27 in winning the Riverbank Run (and placing 5th overall against the full field).  She also was 28th overall in February at the USATF Cross Country Championships (28:58 8K) and won the Missoula Marathon half marathon in a course record 1:22:24.  She finished off her competitive season with a 23:09, 2nd place finish at the Roots Festival in Missoula.  Here's to hoping that Meg gets her leg woes behind her and is back to full force for the entire 2011 season.

#3 Open Runner - Marta Fisher of Helena.  A trail specialist who rarely raced on the roads, Marta had a stellar year playing in the dirt.  1st at the Don't Fence Me In 30K in 2:58:54; 1st at the Pengelly Double Dip in 2:03:42; 2nd at the Big Butte Run 11K in 52:55; 2nd at Wulfman CDT 14K in 70:33; 2nd at Mount Helena in 46:26; 6th in the 35-39 age group at Bloomsday in 49:36; and, 8th in MT Cup in 26:24.

#4 Open Runner - Michelle Bazzanella of Helena.  Another trail runner, Bazz had some epic battles with Marta. But, with Marta having a 4-2 head to head record, Michelle just misses the top 3.  She won the Wulfman in 69:16; got seconds at Don't Fence Me In 30K (2:59:32), Pengelly Double Dip (2:05:56), and Veteran's Day (35:34); thirds at Mount Helena (47:30) and Big Butte 11K (53:20); and, 6th at Montana Cup (26:18).

#5 Open Runner - Dani Shahan of Bozeman.  Dani will be entering the masters rank later in 2011; but, like Nicole, she isn't letting age slow her down.  Dani would likely place higher in the rankings; but, her lack of racing keeps her from jumping ahead of Marta and Michelle.  Dani won the Bozeman Classice 10K in 38:12, won the Run To The Pub 1/2 Marathon in 85:57, was 2nd at the Montana Marathon 1/2 Marathon in 79:56, and was 4th overall at Ice Breaker in 30:01.

Just missing out on the top 5; but, still having solid years, were (in no particular order) - Jenny Newton, Trisha Miller, and Rye Palen and Beth Shumate.

The Master's women don't have quite the depth of fields or performances that we see on the men's side - yet.  But, with folks such as Jenny Newton and Dani Shahan crossing the 40+ mark, I expect 2010 to be different.  That being said, we still had several top notch women master's in 2010.

The top of the list was pretty easy to conclude (especially with my chicken-$&(8! way of creating the Overall category and taking Nicole out the mix :D ).  The choice was made even easier by the "lobbying" that was put forth by her team members of Helena's Vigilante Running Club as they provided ample evidence of her great year.

Debbie at 2010 MT Cup
Part of Helena's Blue Thunder

Debbie Gibson of Helena had a great year, with only one loss at the master's level in Montana.  Debbie excels on the roads and trails; and, is a distance and ultra specialist.  Some of her highlights last year included:

Run to the Pub 1/2 Marathon - 1M - 1:39:58

Wulfman 14K - 4th overall, 1st Master - 72:41

Montana Cup - 13th overall, 3rd Master - 27:32

Montana Marathon - 1st overall - 3:16:11

Last Chance Half Marathon - 2nd overall, 1st master - 1:25:25

Snow Joke Half Marathon - 1:37:30

Le Grizz 50 Miler - 1st overall - 7:26:44

Missoula Marathon - 1st Master - 3:15:26 (new masters course record)

Fat Ass 50K - 1st overall - 5:29:32 - new course record

A solid season with competitions at a wide array of distances against some very solid competitions; and, Debbie had a solid, consistent season.  And, that's exactly the type of thing that will get you a top billing by The Muddy Buzzard.

2nd on the Master's list is someone who doesn't race a lot; but, when she did, it was pretty spectacular.  She won (overall) the Diva Dash 5K in Missoula in 19:11; was 2nd in the 45-49 age group (and 6the overall master) at Bloomsday in 48:05; and, was 3rd in a master mile at the USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque in 5:12.94.  That's some solid racing.  Work and family limit her racing; but, man, does she make the best of the time when she toes the line.

After that, the depth and level of performances starts to drop off.  Towards the top of the remaining list would Janika Umile of Missoula who had a solid run at USATF XC in Februry, finished just behind Mary at the USATF Indoor Mile, and had a couple of good races in the Missoula area.

Suzie Kaluza of Butte, now in the 50 - 59 age group, continues to perform quite well in the master's category.

Demaris Taylor of Helena, Kristina Smith of Great Falls, Julie Gilchrist of Ovando and Joann Weber of Helena all had some good performances.  But, just didn't see enough volume to really develop a deep ranking on the women's master's side.  I'll be a bit more diligent this year to keep track of the women master's to try to have some more meat to this part of the ranking.

So, there it is for 2010.  My take on the Women Runners Of The Year. 

Would love to hear any comments or feedback.

See you on the Roads, Tracks and Trails

The Muddy Buzzard

Catchin' Up

The Buzzard has had a wild last couple of weeks; and, that's made it tough to keep on top of the posts.  It started with a trip to Scottsdale, AZ at the end of January.  Headed down to see my son and meet his fiance's parents.  Got home on a Sunday afternoon; then, on Monday morning, headed to Billings for a week of work.  My days there went from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 or 8:00 at night.

Got back on Friday then headed to Arlee for Divisional wrestling tournament all day Saturday.  Sunday was filled with getting caught up on chores.  Over the last couple of weeks, I've been working hard on a couple of projects at work; and, that's meant being in Missoula on multiple occasions.  And, had a trip to Hamilton for State wrestling.  Finally, started voluntary pre-season track workouts with the H.S. kids this last week and that has eaten into my days.

Finally, we have a full weekend where we don't have to travel - so, that's allowing me to get caught up on a few things:  including getting The Muddy Buzzard off the roost.

There have been some big things that have happened in these last couple of weeks.................................................so, here we go on catching up.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you should have heard by now that Patrick Casey cracked the 4:00 barrier.  Last year, the Laurel native and MSU Bobcat came oh so close.  On Friday, February 4th at the MSU Dual Invitationals, he ran a solo time of 3:59.76.  Straight up haulin' butt by Casey!!!!!!!!  The first ever sub-4:00 on Montana soil and the second native Montanan to break the barrier (the first being UM alum and Poplar native Scotty McGowan in 2004).  That time will get him a ticket to the big show of the NCAA indoor championships.  Here's a video of the race:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRMXMz5RB30&feature=player_embedded

But, as if that wasn't enough, Patrick had another big run the following week at the Bozeman Running Company Invitational.  This time he dropped down to half the distance and ran a solo 1:47.67.  With the win by 6.5 seconds, he garnered himself another NCAA qualifier and has begun to build up a bit of a reputation and following on the national scene.  In fact, he's been getting some regular mention on the Let's Run message boards.

Some big runs also came the weekend of February 11th for members of the Lady Grizzly track team.  On Friday night at the University of Washington Husky Invitational, the distance medley relay team set a new school record of 11:36.27, breaking the old record by some 10 seconds.  The next morning, Senior Katrina Drennan shattered the old school record for the mile.  The old record was set by Vonda Harmon in 1990 at 4:45.69.  Running in the elite heat, Drennan cranked out the first sub-4:40 in school history with her 4:39.82.

But, my personal favorite action of the last 2 weeks was the fantabulistic rock show known as the 7th Annual Montana Men's Master's Mile (aka M4).  Held as part of the Bozeman Running Company Invitational at MSU - the field was made up of a dozen of the best 40+ runners in Montana.  The Buzzard wasn't able to make the trip to compete or spectate; and, what a shame ------ this race was perhaps the best race in the short history of the event.

As may have been expected, Scott Creel of Bozeman and Peter Dan Sullivan of Helena took the race out hard.  Creel and Sullivan are the only 2 men to have won the event - Creel winning the first 3 editions, PDS #'s 4-6.  Creel (also the course record holder of the Ridge Run) has been away from the racing scene for a bit; but, if he's toeing the start line, you know it's going to be a battle.

Mid race, Creel took the lead from Sullivan; and, it stayed that way until the last couple of laps of the 200 meter track.  Sullivan took the lead; and, it looked like PDS had his 4th consecutive win.  But, in the last 200, Chad Coley of Bozeman put on a Ray Hunt like flames shooting out his ass type of kick.  At 150 to go he blew past Creel.  At 50 to go he passed Sullivan and it looked like the race was his.  But, alas, the gorilla jumped on Chad's back with about 10 meters to go and he faltered and stumbled to the track.  Peter Dan cruised past to get the win at 4:38.7.  Coley got up and lumbered across the line, just holding off Creel for 2nd - 4:41.5 to 4:42.0.  What a thrilling finish to a spectacular race.

The field was rounded out with:

Pat Judge - 4:42.3
Rob Walker - 4:43.6
Kyle Strode - 4:45.6
Shaun Marshall-Pryde - 4:55.1
Steve Bruner - 4:58.8
Jeff Braun - 5:01.6
Tim Dumas - 5:04.7
Mark Slater - 5:06.3
Steve Gideon - 5:12.3

For a video of this event, check it out here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTvV8Vf627U

So, that's some of the highlights of the last couple of weeks and the early part of the 2011 season. 

Next up on the Buzzard - time to wrap up the 2010 season review and name the Female Runner's of the year.

See you on the roads, tracks and trails

The Muddy Buzzard