Liberty AC at the National Club Cross Country Championships Tallahassee, Florida -- January 11, 2026
Many Liberty members, particularly those newer to the club, may not be familiar with USATF. The letters stand for “USA Track & Field”, and it is the national governing body for our sport of running (and jumping and throwing), as is USA Swimming for that sport, and on and on for other Olympic sports. Our local association, USATF-New England, is arguably tops in the nation, in the top three at the very least.
But like everything and everyone, USATF is hardly perfect. When it was announced last year that the annual club cross country championships would be delayed a month from December to January to coincide with the world championships, a rarity on US soil*, it raised some eyebrows. Having our own championships operate under the shadow of something “greater” has not always workout out well. [*The last time a world XC championship was held in the United States was 1992 – right here in Franklin Park, where Liberty AC alumna Lynn Jennings won her third world title on a snowy March morning.]
This did not deter a flock of New England club athletes; in fact, the chance to see a world championship one day and take part in a national race was a draw for many, despite the fact that Tallahassee is far from the easiest destination to reach (as well as other, um, factors). Among the first to get on board was Liberty’s age 60-plus contingent – fleet of foot, and their energy is second to none. Six runners (Viki Bok, Mary Cass, Mimi Fallon, Lauren Leslie, Mary McNulty and Julie Menosky) signed on and began doing Friday workouts together; meanwhile, your coach’s own racing club, the Greater Lowell Road Runners, had a group of 60s and 70s men going. So eventually the coach was in as well – couldn’t sit on the sidelines for this, eh?
Saturday’s world championship was something to behold: the best distance runners in the world at Tallahassee’s now-famous Apalachee Regional Park course, on a sunny and quite warm day dealing not just with the traditional course but a bunch of added obstacles: a faux-turf hill, a thick sand “beach”, a fake lake, a quartet of logs made to resemble alligators, and a mud pit created by hoses instead of clouds. Lest that sound negative, it isn’t (entirely). The competition was fabulous. The day began with an 8K mixed relay, two women and two men per country, each running a 2K leg. Australia came from behind on the final leg to win thanks to the great running of Olympic medalist Jessica Hull, a Liberty favorite (she happily posed for a Liberty group photo at a BU workout two years ago). https://www.facebook.com/1667304850/videos/pcb.10163212697457740/1081364874081254
Sunday was a gift for “older” athletes: the day dawned 10-15 degrees cooler, with cloud cover, and paths had been cleared around the lake and Alligator Alley, negating the need to negotiate them. The Masters 40 and over 6K (3-loop) race for women was first up, starting at 8:15, and the 60s team race, as expected, quickly turned into a duel between Liberty and New Jersey’s Shore AC. Shore has been dominant lately and held on for first here; still, the women of Liberty shone, with Mimi Fallon (27:31) fourth overall and Mary Cass (28:18) sixth. Lauren Leslie (29:30) took the 3rd scoring spot with Viki Bok (29:44) and Mary McNulty (32:04) backing up. Fittingly, all five Liberty athletes received silver medals at the post-race awards. https://www.flipsnack.com/USATF/2026-club-xc-masters-womens-6k
The next race, 8K for men aged 60 and over, took off at 9:15. Suffice to say your coach came in first in the 70-plus in 34:17. To use a word favored by our own Dru Pratt-Otto, “grateful” . . . !
These championships are not limited -- anyone can participate. If you’ve never done one of them, you’re missing a wonderful part of the Liberty running/racing experience. Everyone should try it once if she can. Worth noting: there were three complete women’s age 70-plus teams, 12 men’s 70+ (GLRR was 5th), and – wait for it – three full three-runner teams of over-80 men (!).