Liberty Athletic Club weekend race report – June 6-8 2025
June is a time when racing of all kinds merge – the tail end of track season, the kickoff of triathlon season, plus trail, mountain and road races. This weekend was unusual, featuring aqua/tri/duathlons and track only, but what memorable events they were.
Beginning Friday, Viki Bok took part in two events at the US National Multisport Championships in Omaha – a swim/run aquathlon Friday followed by a standard tri on Saturday (five distinct endurance events over two days). Swimming was held on Glenn Cunningham Lake, named for a former Nebraska politician, but for athletes the real Glenn Cunningham, 1500-meter silver medalist in 1936 and mile world record holder, came from neighboring Kansas. Viki, riding a rented bike, surprised herself and probably a competitor or three by placing 3rd in the 60-64 age group, 49:13 (20:54 1K swim/25:15 5K run), although some split times seemed a bit off. Then came Saturday’s triathlon (750m swim/20K bike/5K run), where Viki placed 10th in 1:29:08 (14:32/42:55/25:45), and (we hasten to point out) that in both races she shined in the run portion -- Viki had been dealing with an injury but with care and motivation was ready on race day(s).
Closer to home, Kelly Chiu and Jas Lee took on the season’s first major New England triathlon, the Western Mass Ironman 70.3M in Springfield on Sunday – which turned out to be a duathlon after a last-minute decision to cancel the opening Connecticut River 1.2-mile swim leg after Saturday’s heavy rains. Jas returning to big-time triathlons with a strong 10th place 45-49 finish in 4:38:54 (56M bike/1.1M run) covering the half-marathon in 1:54:24. Kelly, meanwhile, placed 29th in the 50-54s, 5:53:54 (2:20:05 half). Well done Kelly, Jas, and Viki!
Anything else? Oh yes, track. By now (Tuesday 6/10) some know what happened with the attempt to set a US club age 65-69 4 x 400-meter relay record. The same foursome that broke the US club 65-69 4 x 800-meter relay record a week before – Jackie Shakar, Alda Cossi, Judy Copley and Julie Menosky – along with a mixed-age support team of Alison Conway, Veronique Vanderhorst, Mary Cass and Caitlin Sweeney were set to go. Saturday’s mid-day monsoons had other ideas, however, and not very long before the 4 pm start the meet was called off (the Bentley University track had flooded) albeit not before Julie and Judy had long since been on the road.. The meet was quickly re-set for Sunday afternoon, and the scramble was on to see if everyone was still available. Caitlin couldn’t make it, so the call went out and Karen Lein and Carlyn Uyenoyama quickly responded. Having two volunteers enabled Mary not to have to make the long trip from her Westport home.
Once there, all went smoothly; the meet ran on schedule and the 4 x 400m went off at 1:30, with two Liberty teams and one unattached open team. Cutting to the chase: both teams crushed it, with the 65-69s knocking 41 seconds from the existing record and breaking 6:00 in the process in 5:55.09 (Jackie 89.80, Alda 88.54, Judy 85.86, Julie 90.90). With Alison’s flying start “Team B” turned in a 6:18.46 (Alison 81.79, Carlyn 91.49, Karen 2:01.7, Veronique 83.44). Terrific running by everyone, and a marvelous weekend of racing by all these Liberty athletes (track and multi)!
Next on the team-race docket: 26 x 1-mile relay in Medford, Saturday June 21st.