The Stockade-athon weekend began early this year, as approximately 50 runners representing all four branches of the US military joined international forces from a NATO base in Kabul, Afghanistan to run a sister race on a cool sunny Friday morning. The brainchild of Capt. Cassie Ayott of the US Air Force Expeditionary Group, the race was an innovative way to give some sense of racing excitement to break up the tedium of everyday life on the base, where road racing opportunities are scarce.
Cassie Ayott, an HMRRC member who trains regularly on base at 5:45am was happy to receive a box with specially designed tan Stockade-athon shirts, along with BIB numbers compliments of the Stockade-athon Road Race. Mike and Cameron Mclean acted as liaison between Cassie, myself and the Gazette Newspapers who generously provided ample media coverage in the weekend newspapers.
The Expo, one of the largest was in full swing later Saturday morning, as 1000 runners, and family members used the opportunity to visit arts and crafts, clothing and health related booths. Runners received reflective Brook’s performance shirts on the final day of daylight savings. Later in the afternoon, the first ever Woman’s Distance Running Forum was held upstairs in an ornate room within the Proctor’s complex. An Elite panel of talented women distance runners including Emily Lasala, Lori Kingsley, Emily Bryans and Eileen Combs fielded questions from the Race Director and those in attendance on issues as diverse as injury prevention, training, race strategies, long term goals, and a bit of reminiscing on their scholastic careers. The panel members especially enjoyed listening to each other and their often common approaches to the sport despite their age differences ranging from 25 to 44. Also in attendance was Ed Whitlock, after just arriving from Milton Ontario in preparation of his final Stockade-athon run in the 75-79 age group.
Race morning arrived typically cool and crisp, with the sun shining brightly on the maple trees surrounding Iroquois Lake, as their brilliant orange and yellow dress reflected vividly on the calm lake waters. As the 9am siren sounded, a record field of 1500 runners emerged from Central Parkway through the finish area for the first time, and the men’s and women’s competitive races quickly took shape by the 1-mile display clock near the westward edge of the lake.
At the top of Monument Hill, exiting the park, the men’s duo of 2007 champion Andy Allstadt and former SUNY Geneseo talent Tim Chichester separated themselves from the chase pack after a debut mile of 4:52 and an impressive push up the first of 3 noteworthy hills. The 4-man chase pack included the top returning runners from last year, Scott Mindel (6th), and Aaron Roberston (4th), former Guilderland star Seth Dubois, and Rochester’s Mark Andrews who recently turned 40.
On the fast downward run to the historic Stockade, Allstadt and Chichester dueling at 5:05 minute per mile pace stretched their lead on the chase group while clinging to each other. At the base of State Street Hill, Chichester surged to open a small gap on Allstadt that widened to about 15 meters through Vale Cemetery. Mindel made a superb move exiting the Stockade to leave the chase pack with the intent of reeling in the dueling leaders. On Bradley, the final hill but still 2 miles from the finish, the contest became a 3 person race as Mindel fought to within 15 meters of Allstadt, who refused to give way as Chicheter maintained a small separation at the crest of the incline near the final water stop.
The final 2 mile layout of twisting terrain through Central Park encourages spectator support, and the cheering had a revitalizing affect on Allstadt as he found another gear to pull even with Chichester near the 8 mile mark and repulse his challenger around the lake. Allstadts second Stockade-athon victory was by a hard earned 6 seconds, after trailing on the hilly sections earlier. Allstadt was the first repeat winner since 2005, when Kevin Collins won the last of his 4 Stockade-thon titles. Prior to that, Jerry Lawson and Tom Dalton collected 9 titles between their brilliant careers. The trio of Allstadt, Chichester and Mindel finished within 20 seconds of each other in one of the closest 3-way contests in race history.
The women’s race was a 3-way duel also, in what could arguably be called the fastest women’s race in Stockade history. Rising NY star Emily Lasala, a two time All-American at Indiana Wesleyan, dictated the pace early and reached the 10K split in a swift 35:48 with Levittown’s Jodie Schoppmann, a late entrant at the Expo clinging to Lasala most of the way. Lasala, the winner of the Syracuse Mountain Goat 10-miler in the spring, and the Festival of Races 5K in the fall, came into the race with the best 15K resume based on her 54:35 posting at this years Boilermaker. Schoppmann who had run a 16:53 5K on the track earlier this spring, was coming off a summer stress fracture that left her 15K fitness level in question. Trailing by 6 seconds but running within herself at the 10K was Syracuse Charger standout Amanda Lopiccolo (nee Latham) who entered the Stockade-athon on a roll with victories at the hilly Pit Run 10K in Oneonta and the 5K Fam Fund Run in Cobleskill.
The Stockade-athon is often decided at the infamous State Street Hill, but not this year as the deciding move was made on Bradley Street Hill reentering the park, when Lopicollo surged past a resilient Lasala as Schoppmann began to drop off the relentless pace. Lopicollo would post up in an impressive 53:58, three seconds faster than last years winning time by Laurel Burdick. Runner-up Lasala bettered her Boilermaker PR by 10 seconds with Schoppmann finishing in 55 flat. It is the first time that the top 3 women ran 55:00 or faster at a Stockade-athon Race and with the 4th and 5th place runners Lori Kingsley and Emily Bryans finishing under the Master’s course record, this women’s race was one for the record books.
The amazing Ed Whitlock won a remarkable 6th age-graded title while finishing ahead of world class age-graded runners, Kathyrn Martin (58) and Bill Borla (70) who both rank tops nationally in their respective age-groups. Whitlock averaged 7:10 per mile pace at age 79, after setting a single year world record at the half marathon distance earlier this fall averaging 7:12 per mile pace. Whitlock hopes to run a full marathon next year at age 80 in Rotterdam.
By the time Kathleen Darby, 61 from Chatham crossed the finish line as the last runner, a record number of finishers stormed the Stockade for the 3rd consecutive year ensuring that the race will remain ranked one of the largest and most competitive 15K races in the USA.