Liberty Athletic In action
Liberty 60s team Wins USATF Masters National Grand Prix Series for 2023
For the past two years, our 60s team has traveled hither and yon to compete against our peers from clubs around the country, in the very competitive Masters National Grand Prix. In 2022, we came in third. In 2023, we took first.
The core of the 2023 team consisted of Mary Cass (who also tied for first place on an individual level), Lauren Leslie, and Viki Bok, though we were joined on occasion by teammates Alda Cossi, Anne Shreffler, Dru Pratt-Otto, Shadi Reeder, Brenda King, Karen Lein, and Amanda King.
We are eager to grow our traveling ranks in 2024, with additional athletes and teams planning to participate in the upcoming year.
Liberty Crushes it in USATF-New England Cross Country Grand Prix
For the second year in a row, Liberty swept first place in the 40s, 50s, and 60s age groups for the regional Grand Prix cross country series – and improved our standing from 5th to 4th amongst Open teams. On an individual level, Mary Cass topped the age-graded rankings, with an astounding five other Liberty athletes in the top 10 (Amanda King, Christine Crowley, Alda Cossi, Anne Shreffler, and Julie Craig). Amongst Opens, Sara Vannah placed third in the series.
Liberty has a die-hard contingent of athletes who LOVE cross-country, and their enthusiasm communicates itself throughout the club, encouraging everyone else to at least give it a try, even if they had never imagined themselves galloping across an open field! Also, in 2023, our brand-new tent made its debut, finally giving us a visible presence and gathering spot!
2023 Cross Country Season Off to a Rip-Roaring Start
Liberty athletes were out in force at the first two USATF-NE cross country meets of the season – the Old Goat Classic and the GBTC Invitational – with eight Liberty women at the first race and a lucky 13 at the second. At both meets, Liberty swept the 40s, 50s, and 60s age groups, with strong performances all around. For some, it was their first ever cross country race, and for at least one, her first race in a Liberty singlet. Cake, pie, and ice cream after the GBTC race were a satisfying way to end the morning!
We Love Triathlon
An increasing number of Liberty athletes are discovering that triathlon and other multi-sport activity is fun, and great cross-training. We showed up at triathlons all over the place in summer 2023 – Freetown, Hyannis, Cohasset, Falmouth, Boston, South Portland (ME), Milwaukee, and even Hamburg (Germany)!
USATF NE Indoor Championship, Harvard Track
Liberty fielded on of its largest contingent of track racers for one of the final indoor track events of the 2023 winter season, and for many it was their first indoor track experience. The complex was crowded, loud (the Gordon Track acoustics aren't the best), and full of energy as runners and field athletes from high schoolers to Grand Masters competed across a variety of events. Congratulations to Melanie, Alda, Mary and Lauren for taking on heats of much younger racers in individual events ranging from 60M to 1 mile. At the end of the meet Liberty fielded both a 40s (Jas, Carrie, Kathy and Jennifer) and 60s (Lauren, Alda, Viki and Mary) team in the distance medley relay. As there are no listed USATF age-group records for the distance medley, we're hoping that these marks will be recognized as new US Masters and Senior indoor records for this event! Liberty was supported by coach John, Jan and Margaret who provided much needed cheering throughout the meet.
Liberty Shows Up Big-Time for the USATF NE Grand Prix, Super Sunday 5k
Just as Super Bowl Sunday is always a little crazy, so was this first race of the 2023 New England championship grand prix series. Chilly but not quite icy, flecks of sun amid tall-building shade, breezy but not exactly windy. So it was perhaps appropriate that, walking towards the starting line five minutes before the scheduled start, there remained a long line of people still in the number-pick-up line, leading one to realize, “this race ain’t gonna start on time!” Still, after waiting 15 more very cold minutes to start, Liberty fielded a strong team of 18 runners who scored across all age groups. Liberty won the 60s division, placed 2nd in the 50s division, 5th in the 40s division and in the top half of the open division (with no scoring open runners). Notable finishes include Mary Cass (1st 60-69), Lauren Leslie (2nd, 60-69), Amanda King (5th, 60-69) and Christine Crowley (5th, 50-59). It was also great to have coach John, Jan, Cassie, Madeline and Kathy join us in Cambridge and to catch up with everyone out racing that day!
60s Team Sets US Record! AGAIN!
Liberty’s 60s team set a national record in the 60-64 women’s club indoor 4x800 relay category! The unstoppable Liberty’s 60s team beat their own outdoor record from Summer 2022 with the group running 12:28:37— Lauren Leslie (3:05.7), Viki Bok (3:02.8), Alda Cossi (3:20.9) and Mary Cass (2:59.1)
Liberty Rips It Up at New England Cross Country 2022
Liberty has a thing for cross country. We just love those rocks and roots! We showed up in force for the 2022 USATF-New England Cross Country Grand Prix series of five races, with 18 women wearing Liberty blue for at least one of the races (8 of us ran in at least three of the five). We were the ONLY club to have scoring teams at each of the five races across all age categories. And Liberty swept first place in the 40s, 50s, and 60s (and 5th of 11 in the Open category).
Individually, we had three runners in the top six age-graded, with Mary Cass taking the top age-graded slot, followed closely by Julie Craig and Alda Cossi. A great season, which will be capped off on December 10 with the National Club Cross Country Championships in San Francisco, to which we are sending 8 runners. Go Liberty!
60s Team Sets US Record!
Liberty’s 60s team set a national record in the 60-64 women’s club outdoor 4x800 relay category! The team had had a record attempt in their sights for a few months. Trained up and ready to go in late June, they were foiled by the last-minute cancellation of the meet they planned to run in. But undaunted, the team regrouped and aimed instead at the July 30 meet at Regis College. There, they pulled it off, running a combined 12:29.09, beating the old record of 14:19.4 set by the Atlanta Track Club in 2014. Lauren kicked the effort off with a 3:02.8 leg, followed by Viki in 3:05.8, Alda in 3:18.9, and Mary in 3:01.7.
It was a big day for Liberty generally, with a dozen Liberty athletes running and supporting. Since a record attempt requires at least one other team competing, Liberty fielded a second 4x800 team – Julie, Jan, Anne, and Christine – who ran a strong 13:02.3, combined. And other Liberty athletes competed in the 1500. A great day all around!
Bobby Doyle 5M, USATF-NE Grand Prix Race
On another hot (but slightly less humid) summer day, Liberty gathered in Narraganset RI for the 4th stop of the USATF-NE Grand Prix series. An incredible, beautiful location for a local race in its historic 15th year. While local, the race featured former and current Olympians, some who traveled into the state just for the day to race, but the big news was not these younger talented runners but the older athletes, as joint Whirlaway/Liberty member Jan Holmquist took to the streets in her second attempt to beat the national and world 75-79 8k records. Jan did not disappoint, and her 39 minute run was enough to get under the line and capture both records that day. Liberty runners also had an incredible day, with the women’s 60s team edging out Whirlaway for the team win, with Mary Cass (2nd 60-64), Lauren Leslie (3rd 60-64) and Anne Shreffler (2nd 65-69). Liberty scored in the open division with strong runs by Tara Cates (3rd 35-39), Jennifer Stewart (6th 45-49) and Margaret Keaveny (6th 35-39). Coach John Barbour also had an excellent day and took first place in the 65-69 division as he continues his comeback from injury. Great running everyone!
Mt Washington Road Race
Is it summer? Is it winter? With Mt Washington it can be anything at any time of the year. The famous road race features a continuous uphill climb from start to end and weather can shift in an instant. That did not dissuade Liberty’s Julie Craig from taking on the challenge! Even when epic weather conditions were forecast for the June race day (freezing rain, high winds and snow showers with treacherous winter conditions), Julie put her gear on and headed for the mountain. To add to the challenge, and manage dangerous weather conditions, the race was cut in half – but no cars were allowed on the auto road and after finishing runners were forced to jog straight downhill back to the start. Julie took in all in stride finishing in an impressive 5th position in the women’s 55-59 category against intense competition, and 50 mph winds at the finish line. Julie’s comment post-race “it is really quite a challenge and I’d highly recommend it if you love mountains and a good challenge.” I think Mt Washington will see Julie again, but next time I don’t think anything will stop her from reaching the top, impressive job Julie!
60s Team at Masters One Mile Championships
Mary, Lauren, Viki and Alda made the 6-hour trek out to Rochester, NY in May to compete in the USATF Masters One Mile Championship. The downtown course featured a few noticeable hills and a lot of right-angle turns, which combined with the 85-degree heat made it a tough race all around. But our fearless 60s team took second place, behind Greater Philadelphia, with Mary clocking a 6:15, Lauren at 6:22, Viki at 6:37, and Alda at 7:05 – all four clearing the 80% age-grading mark. Alda took 2nd in her 65-69 age group, and Mary took 3rd in the 60-64 group. With three Masters National Grand Prix races now under the team’s belt, they are eligible for end-of-year awards, and currently sit in 3rd place overall, behind Greater Philadelphia and Impala, with two more races to go.
Hitting the Track with TrailblazHers Run Co!
We got to share our love of the track with the fabulous TrailblazHers Run Co at one of their Self-Care Sunday events this spring. Like Liberty, TrailblazHers is an all-women run club. We are aligned in our desire to expand the running community so that it is a welcoming and comfortable place for ALL women, whatever their experience level, shape, color or size. Five Liberty women (Caitlin, Nora, Dru, Cassie, and Jennifer) and some 30 TrailblazHers hit the Clemente track together in Boston’s Fens area early on a spring Sunday morning. Some who came were old pros at running track, while for others the experience of running around the oval was brand new. We talked about track etiquette and lingo, we did drills, we ran some intervals, and worked on our baton-passing and relay-running skills at the end.
The enthusiasm level was high, and even those who had been leery of getting on the track ended up having a great time. This may have been the first Liberty-TrailblazHers collaborative event, but it certainly won’t be the last!
Photo Credit: TRACS Inc/Puma Running
The James Joyce Ramble is Back!
After two years of COVID cancellation, the James Joyce Ramble roared back to life in this 100th anniversary year of the publication of Joyce’s Ulysses. This makes the 8th year that the Ramble has served as the USATF national championship masters 10K race. Nine Liberty women toed the line in a range of age divisions – and for two of them (Margaret and Anne Z), this was their first-ever time racing in a Liberty singlet! The hilly course challenged us all, but we were buoyed by a range of Liberty family and friends on the sidelines, and the lovely, brisk spring weather. The Liberty 60s team took second place, and Alda and Anne S took 2nd and 3rd in the 65-69 age group!
Alda Reflects on Indoor Track Season
No one from Liberty ran more track this year than Alda, and she capped off her indoor track season with a national win in the 65-69 age bracket at the Armory on March 19. As Coach John put it, “Track racing often involves making tactical changes on the fly, and Alda chose to go for the win over a fast time – and now she is national champion.”
Alda offers these reflections on the season. “This past December and January, I wasn’t sure that there would be an indoor track season given the Covid restrictions. But USATF NE came through with meets at Wheaton College and Providence. Then an opportunity to race at the Ocean Breeze facility on Staten Island, NY, followed by the US Masters Indoor Championships at the historic Armory Track in NYC. Those were both firsts for me. A great indoor track season after all.
Looking back on this past season, I think it’s all about being resilient. This past weekend, with many Liberty athletes competing in multiple events, was a WIN for us all who faced all sorts of challenges throughout this Covid pandemic but eventually got their chance to compete. It showed the resilience in every single individual who participated. As Jack Daniels put it, ‘It’s not winning that is most important; it’s getting to participate that counts the most.’” Amen to that, and congrats, Alda!
New Bedford Half Marathon
Seven Liberty athletes ran all 13+ miles of the New Bedford Half in late March (and one more, plus Coach John, cheered us on from the sidelines!). We began in a fog bank, but it turned into a picture-perfect and largely wind-free day. Even though five of the seven Liberty runners were over 60, our team results were strong – Liberty took first in the 60s, third in the 50s, 6th (of 19) in masters, and 13th (of 23) in the open category. Lauren and Mary snagged first and second place in the 60s. And Anne, laying down a huge 21-minute PR, came in 2nd in the 65-69 age bracket!
2022 USATF Masters 5K Championships, Atlanta
Despite a last-minute snowstorm that upended travel plans, five Liberty athletes and one coach made it down to Atlanta in late February to compete against the country’s top talent. For some of us, this was our first time on an airplane in two years. It was well worth it – a wonderful weekend of running, camaraderie, and exploring Atlanta. Our 60s team – Viki, Mary, Alda, and new club member Lauren – took third place in a very tough field, with an average 5K time of just a hair over 22 minutes. Alda’s time of 24:48 was good for third in the 65-69 age group. Mary even proceeded to race a half-marathon the following day, quietly taking first in her age group, with a time of 1:45:17. We were only sorry not to have Julie racing the 5K with us – she traveled down to Atlanta, but hamstring issues prevented her from racing. Our runners were buoyed by the tremendous support provided by Julie, Coach John, and various family members who cheered us on.
Primary Bank Super Sunday 4-miler, Race #1 of the USATF-NE 2022 Grand Prix series
Eight Liberty women braved an early morning snow storm to trek up to Bedford, New Hampshire for the first Grand Prix race of the 2022 series. While the temperature was cold, the road was clear and over 1300 runners took off from the line. Liberty proved that small can = mighty and fielded scoring teams in each category from 60-plus to Open, with notable finishes in the 60-plus (2nd) and 40-plus (3rd). All the runners had excellent races with notable individual finishes for Mary (1st, 60-64), Jennifer (3rd, 45-49) and Viki (4th, 60-64). Thank you also to Carrie, Laurie, Joanne, Dru and Helene for racing hard and making a difference in the team results!
USATF Indoor Track and Field, Winter 2022
Alda, Julie and Carlyn of Liberty have returned to indoor track and field meets this winter. Demonstrating a diversity of skill Carlyn competed in both the 800 track event and the shot put at the USATF-NE open and masters meet at Wheaton College in January. Julie and Alda have competed in the mile at multiple indoor meets, including most recently at the Ocean Breeze track facility on Staten Island, each runner lowering their mile time each outing and achieving age grade results in the high 80s. Way to go Liberty!
2021 Cambridge Winter Classic 5k
Liberty took to the streets of Cambridge for the annual winter classic 5k with the largest field in winter classic history. While Jennifer and Maria battled it out in a very competitive masters division (with polar bear style), Viki ran away from the seniors division in record time. In the words of New England Runner Magazine, January/February 2022 Issue: “One more divisional record fell on the day as the irrepressible Vicki Bok, 60, of the Liberty AC, cleared her division handily in recording a time of 22:19 to surpass the previous W60 best of 23:13.”
Liberty’s Winter Warriors
In what is becoming an annual tradition, Liberty has embraced the Winter Warrior Challenge again this year! Our 2022 Warriors are out the door every single day of January, no matter how cold, snowy, or dismal the weather – logging at least one mile of outdoor running or walking. We are, of course, way over that low bar. As of mid-January, the Liberty team ranked 8th out of 364 teams in total mileage.
Frank Nealon Boston Prep 15k
Two weeks ahead of the Boston Marathon Liberty took to the roads of Upton MA to tackle a hilly 15k course which formed part of the USATF NE Grand Prix series for 2021. Liberty field strong teams across all age groups (seniors down) which included Jennifer Stewart, Mary Cass, Viki Bok, Anne Shreffler, Joan Butterton and Dru Pratt-Otto. Notably, Mary Cass placed 2nd in a competitive 60-69 age category and took home a soup ladle in honor of her achievement!
Showing up at USATF National Masters’ Cross Country Championships!
Liberty showed up in a big way at October’s national masters’ cross country 5K championships in Franklin Park. Fourteen of us raced on this glorious fall day, with teams across all age groups. In true Liberty style, a dozen more cheered enthusiastically from the sidelines. Our 60’s team took second place, only seconds and a few points behind the first-place team. And Alda (left) won her 65-69 age group!
Month of Marathons!
October was a month of marathons, with fully ELEVEN Liberty members showing their grit, speed, and determination at the 26.2-mile distance. Mary ran Chicago, and nine of us ran Boston – MK, Barb, and Sue virtually, and Jennifer, Cait, Helen, Erin, Kathleen, and Karen in person. The following weekend, Tara and Helen (again – what?!) ran Bay State. Many others played support roles. A team of Liberty volunteers worked the vaccination validation tent pre-Boston. And as usual, a large crew of us cheered wildly from the sidelines (Mile 21 support team, above)!
Liberty Takes on the Falmouth Triathlon!
A dozen Liberty athletes -- representing the 30’s through the 60’s cohorts – showed up on July 11th for the Falmouth sprint triathlon. It was a gorgeous July day with little wind. For some of the Liberty crew, it was their first ever tri. Others showed up despite calf injuries, osteo-arthritis, bursitis, fear of ocean swimming, and other challenges. But everyone persevered, and triumphed. Liberty went 1-2 in the 35-39 age group, had two other top-5 age group finishes, as well as top newbie finisher. Go Liberty!
First triathlon in two years!
Jennifer was so excited to be racing again, that neither a 4 AM wake-up nor pouring rain could keep her away from the 2021 Harvest Tri in Wareham. Jennifer notes, “Everyone was equal parts excited and nervous to be racing again. It was amazing to be together after so long! Two other women (in their 30s) and I battled it out on the bike course and actually high fived each other at the end (a real high five - so cool!).” The challenging sprint tri course involved an off-road run through cranberry bogs, flooded areas and at least one hill. Jennifer’s 1:14:43 time was good for second place in the 45-49 division, and sixth woman overall. Nice job, Jennifer! (Oh, and by the way, the rain stopped right after the race was over.)
Liberty 60s Rock the COVID Virtual Race Series
In July 2020, when the Boulder Road Runners threw down a 5K challenge to 60s teams across the country, the Liberty 60s jumped in, fielding the largest team of all – Alda, Nora, and Karen (shown above), who ran together in social-distanced fashion, plus Dru, Anne, and Joan, who ran on their own and submitted times. The six-person Liberty 60s team shocked the field (including Paul Carlin, aka the Running Professor, who provided a detailed write-up of the event), coming in 3rd and making it to the virtual podium! Alda was 3rd overall, age-grading at an impressive 83.89%.
Meghna and the Yeti 24-Hour Challenge
Instructions, for those crazy enough to take this challenge on: Run or walk 5 miles EVERY 4 hours for 24 HOURS! Let’s be honest, not all of us might leap at such an opportunity, but last year, Caitlin did, and this year, in April, Meghna followed suit.
As Meghna tells it, “We started running at 10 pm on Friday and finished up on Saturday evening. We were nervous going into it, especially because of the bad weather we were dealt, but it turned out to be a very positive experience. Definitely hard, but not impossible. The running itself was a lot of fun, the rain didn't bother us as much as we thought it would, and the support we got from friends (including Caitlin!) and family made all the difference and was maybe the best part of it all.
I also fully recognize that being able to do something like this and choosing to put myself through this kind of discomfort is an indulgence and privilege in light of the many real ways people are suffering in the world right now.”
You guys inspire us!