The month of July ended in dramatic fashion at PUMA’s Chi-Town Miles. Not only did many of the best teams on the Circuit face off in competitive head-to-head heats, but the night was brought to a close with All-American Chandler Gibbons running the first outdoor sub-4:00min. mile in Chicago history!
Chi-Town Miles represents the first race where the team's 9th best performance gets dropped from the standings. Since this was a large competitive race, most teams saw at least a few points gained. However, it was DWRunning who saw the winds shift in their favor as they collected major points in nearly every category. Their masters women rocketed out of 4th place and into 2nd. Meanwhile, Oak Park’s senior women took the initiative and moved out of 4th place and into 1st. Each week will now become a battle between early season incumbents vs late season challengers.
Photo via Chad Marek: https://www.flashframe.io/event/2413/all/all/0/#/20/
All Around Standings:
(Combined Gender, Age Graded Scoring, Top 5 Score Per Team)
Chi-Town Miles Results | Season Standings |
DWRunning- 868 | Evanston Running Club- 110 |
Xtra Mile Fast Track Racing Team- 842 | DWRunning- 106 |
Fleet Feet Racing Team X New Balance- 818 | Xtra Mile Fast Track Racing Team-100 |
This became one of the fiercest All Around competitions of the season with the top 4 teams averaging 800 points or more. However, even against stiff competition, no one was able to match DW. Their team score of 868 was their best performance of the season, beating their winning score from Shamrock Shuffle by 6 points. The team was led by 4 masters runners: Aaron King’s team leading 915 (with a 4:22), Trent Fifield’s 892, Jeremy Downs at 857, All Around regular Kristen Dailey at 848, and open women’s competitor Izzi Olive at 826.
Fast Track’s reliable core of Jeremy Ruston, Matthew Jeromin, Volker Rose, Yoon Oh, and Grace Wasielewski kept it close with the team’s second best all around score of the season but were beaten runner-to-runner against DW’s top 5. Although they were unable to secure a victory, the team's efforts were rewarded with a 7 point increase, moving up into a podium position and bumping CARA Racing Team out of the top 3.
Fleet Feet finished in 3rd place, one of their best finishes of the season. Led by 3 of the team's heaviest hitters, 2023 CARA Senior Runner of the Year Angelica Guerrero, 2022 CARA Runner of the Year Brandon Theilsen, and Nitro Mile competitor Claire Krummenacher, they all scored between 826-839. Fleet Feet’s performance was enough to move them out of 6th and into 5th place in the category.
Open Men Standings:
(Top 5 Men Score Per Team)
Chi-Town Miles Results | Season Standings |
Fleet Feet Racing Team X New Balance- 4:46 | Xtra Mile Fast Track Racing Team- 108 |
CARA Racing Team- 4:50 | CARA Racing Team-105 |
Xtra Mile Fast Track Racing Team- 4:53 | DWRunning- 100 |
Fleet Feet and CARA faced off with their top men in heat 12 and heat 14 (Open Men), in direct head-to-head showdowns that aren’t always seen at Circuit Races. Heat 14 belonged to Fleet Feet as Brandon Thielsen set a fast pace through the first lap. Since team standings are decided by average time, there is little benefit in a tactical race. Thielsen’s aggressive start opened a :09 gap on CARA’s Dan Pettitt, creating a massive hole for CARA to dig out of. Fleet Feet’s Max Sauers, Justin Mattingly, and Jeevan Phedke all did their part to go runner-to-runner against CARA’s Pettit, JD Barrett, and James Diamond. Fleet Feet’s Josh Shancer had run a 4:57 earlier in the meet, giving Fleet Feet the final piece they needed for victory.
Traditionally a marathon club, 5 of some of CARA’s top marathoners dropped down to the Mile distance to utilize the home race advantage. While the team wasn’t able to claim victory, they were one of only two teams to have five runners under 5:00. Newcomer Paul Salach and oldcomer Steven Levine used team tactics from heat 12 to contribute to the team’s solid 4:50 average.
Like CARA, Fast Track also had three men in heat 14. While the two teams were close to evenly matched through their top 3, CARA’s depth was too much for Fast Track to overcome. While the team remains in 1st place in the team standings, their lead has shrunk from 4 points to 3. An interesting development within this team that has reverberated across the Circuit is the new leader of the overall men’s Division. Sebastian Ramirez Wiener has led the Circuit for weeks. However, thanks to an excellent age-group placing, teammate Jeremy Ruston has moved into 1st place in the individual standings. Fast Track’s men now control 4 of the top 10 positions on the overall men’s leaderboard.
Open Women Standings:
(Top 5 Women Score Per Team)
Chi-Town Miles Results | Season Standings |
DWRunning- 5:14 | CARA Racing Team- 110 |
Fleet Feet Racing Team X New Balance- 5:46 | DWRunning- 108 |
CARA Racing Team- 5:47 | Oak Park Runners Club- 97 |
While DW has had some dominant wins this season, this was probably their most impressive. The path to victory started for this team in heat 13, when Lauren Zumbach won the women’s open division. Her 5:20 ended up being enough to place her as the team’s 4th runner. The team competition was essentially over the second the gun went off for the Women’s NITRO Mile, as DW had four athletes in that heat, all chasing the $1,000 prize purse. Izzi Olive led the way with a 5:06, finishing 4th overall. She was followed by a tight 2-3 finish of Brittney Matteson at 5:10.0 and Kristen Dailey at 5:10.2. Samantha Greenwood finished the NITRO heat in 5:25, faster than any other team’s number 2 scorer. After their victory, DW remains in second place in the season standings but has closed the gap on the CARA racing team from a 7 point deficit down to 2. With four victories so far, this team now leads the category in race victories.
Fleet Feet Racing Team was able to beat CARA Racing Team by the slightest of margins thanks to Fleet Feet’s Claire Krummenacher, whose 5:06 in the NITRO Mile put a massive :24 second lead on CARA’s top finisher Kim Bishop. Fleet Feet’s team average was also helped by their 2 & 3 runners Melanie Pozdol (5:34) and Gloria Romero’s (5:38).
CARA Racing Team may not have had the top end speed to overcome Fleet Feet, but depth was their ally and played a significant role in their top 3 finish. Their scoring quintet all finished sub-6:00, one of only two teams able to do so. Less than a :30 gap separated the 5 runners of Bishop, Ashley Bruner, Ashley Turner, Nicole Hobbs, and Cece Galvan. Consistency has paid off well for this team. With three race victories so far, they stand a fighting chance to hold off DW’s late season charge.
Masters Men Standings:
(Top 3 Men Ages 40+ Score Per Team)
Chi-Town Miles Results | Season Standings |
DWRunning- 4:45 | Xtra Mile Fast Track Racing Team- 113 |
Xtra Mile Fast Track Racing Team- 4:55 | Evanston Running Club- 110 |
Evanston Running Club- 5:28 | DWRunning- 104 |
For the 3rd time this season, Aaron King has led the DW masters men. King has consistently improved as the season has progressed and the distances have gotten shorter. At Spring Trail Chase, his 10k performance equated to a 795 age graded score, and then at the Race Against Hate 5k his 16:10 scored an 843. Chi-Town Miles was his best performance yet, with 4:22 placing him within 8.5% of his age group’s world record. With teammates like Jeremy Downs’ 4:53 and Trent Fified’s 4:58, this has become one of the most dangerous trios on the circuit. Their victory was significant as it granted them a 6 point swing and has allowed them to close the gap on Evanston from 11 to 6 points and widen the lead on CARA Racing Team from 2 to 7. With 4 race victories under their belt, this team is positioning itself for a final kick to victory.
Fast Track’s Jeremy Ruston and Matthew Jeromin ran phenomenal times of 4:40 and 4:46, with veteran runner Volker Rose filling the 3rd position at 5:20. Although defeat can be frustrating, this team remains one of the strongest, most consistent performers on the circuit.They remain as one of only three teams across all categories to finish in the top 3 for every race so far this season. Although DW is rapidly racking up points, Fast Track remains the favorite for a season victory. This team has already won 2 races and has several races and are returning champions at the Lake Bluff Pumpkin Chase 5k and their own home XC race. Additionally, Fast Track’s worst finish at any given race has been 3rd place, while DW has a few 7th place finishes on their scorecard. Last year, DW pushed hard at the end of the season and tied its points with Fast Track, but lost on the tiebreaker. Fast Track will be hoping history repeats itself.
Evanston was led by Dan Lennington’s 4:46, a low stick that 4th place finishers, CARA Racing Team, was not able to overcome. Evanston’s 3rd place finish increased their team score by 4 points. While not as consistent as Fast Track, this team also has two race victories under its belt and a path to a perfect score, even if it’s a rocky one! Regardless of the odds of perfection, this team should still feel confident in their ability to chase the championship. When their full squad shows up they have the talent to beat Fast Track, the consistency to outlast DW on tiebreakers, and an early season points lead to feel comfortable with their position in the top 3.
Masters Women Standings:
(Top 3 Women Ages 40+ Score Per Team)
Chi-Town Miles Results | Season Standings |
DWRunning- 5:40 | CARA Racing Team- 112 |
CARA Racing Team- 6:10 | DWRunning- 107 |
Oak Park Runners Club- 6:40 | Oak Park Runners Club- 105 |
DW’s Masters women have completely flipped this category's season standing on its head. Prior to this race, DW sat in a strange place. They had collected 4 race victories, yet remained tied for 4th place. However, their victory at Chi-Town erased a 0 score from Chicago 13.1, creating a 15 point swing and rocketing them into 2nd place. DW is now favored to win the Masters Women’s category with a perfect score of 120. The team has already collected 5 victories and they will be returning champions at the Alpine 10 Mile, Hidden Gem Half Marathon, and the Chicago Marathon.
While DW exists as an encroaching presence, CARA Racing Team still remains in serious competition in this division. Their trio at Chi-Town was led by Ashley Turner’s 5:54, followed closely by Evance Stalley in 6:10 and Jenn Splinter in 6:15. This team has collected 3 race victories including a hard fought victory over DW at Race Against Hate. Hidden Gem, the Chicago Marathon, and Fast Track XC are three races many of these athletes performed well at when they raced for the Division II CARA Run Crew. Their best chance to hold on to their top podium finish will be to force an upset at Hidden Gem or Chicago Marathon and take the category to a tiebreaker at Fast Track.
Oak Park was led by Linda Frederick followed closely by Geri Bensen and Kristen Otto, keeping their team spread at :21. This tight spread gave Oak Park a wide berth from 4th place’s Evanston and increased the team’s lead on Evanston in the standings to a 10 point margin. Oak Park has yet to win a race and sits in 3rd with a point cap of 118. This team’s consistent performances have paid off, although an 118 score cap is not ideal to chase a season victory. Their current 10+ point lead on 4th and 5th place means they are only a few races away from guaranteeing a podium finish.
Veteran Men Standings:
(Top 3 Men Ages 50+ Score Per Team)
Chi-Town Miles Results | Season Standings |
CARA Racing Team- 5:29 | Evanston Running Club- 109 |
Oak Park Runners Club- 5:59 | Xtra Mile Fast Track Racing- 105 |
Xtra Mile Fast Track Racing Team- 6:07 | Oak Park Runners Club- 103 |
For the second time this season, the CARA Racing Team walked away with a victory. The team has now finished 2nd, 1st, 1st in its last two races. This is in large part thanks to the addition of Ken Schuch and Jose Puyol to the roster. Schuch led the team with a 5:24, with Jose Puyol at 5:31 and Phillip Stalley at 5:33. The team’s depth was on full display with two other runners, Kenneth Jensen and Nial Cullinane under the 5:40 mark. The team’s 6th and final runner Rob Fleenor still finished ahead of every other team’s 3-man. Despite the hot streak, this team still remains in 5th place due to the slow start to the season.
Oak Park was led by veteran regular Richard Vigsnes with a time of 5:28. Vigsnes had been a vital piece of Oak Park’s fixture in the top 3 teams in the season standings. He currently leads the men’s 55-59 category in the individual standings, finishing in the top 3 for his age group in all 7 races he’s competed in so far. He was supported by Raymond Gobis and Rainer Schochat, who have been instrumental in Oak Park’s success in the senior category as well. Oak Park has not yet won a race this season. Typically, this would put a top 3 finish at the end of the season on shaky ground, however, the team has proven itself capable of taking down 2nd place Fast Track in head-to-head races.
Fast Track was led by an incredible 5:20 from Volker Rose who has been a key player for keeping this team as a fixture on top of the team standings. This team has the talent to win the Circuit, which they showed after a dominant victory at the Good Life 5k back in April. However, their gift isn’t only their talent, but also their depth of roster, as they've never had the same 2-3 runners two races in a row. At Chi-Town, Jim Brinlee ran a 6:29, while Ray Einig scored for his team for only the second time of the season running a 6:31.
Evanston did not bring a full powered squad, but were still able to finish 5th. They remain the favorites in this category thanks to their 3 race victories so far.
Veteran Women Standings:
(Top 3 Women Ages 50+ Score Per Team)
Chi-Town Miles Results | Season Standings |
CARA Racing Team- 6:51 | Oak Park Runners Club- 113 |
Oak Park Runners Club- 6:56 | Evanston Running Club- 113 |
Evanston Running Club- 7:12 | CARA Racing Team- 101 |
CARA Racing Team and Oak Park battled for the victory, with each team having a counter for the other with their 1 & 2 runners. The battle for first was ultimately decided by CARA’s 3rd runner, Erica Agran, as she was able to open a :14 second gap on Julie Blankemeier to deliver a home meet victory for CARA.
CARA- Libby Harvey-Hill- 6:45
Oak Park- Geri Bensen- 6:46
Oak Park- Kristin Otto- 6:52
CARA- Unsal Ozdogru- 6:53
CARA- Erica Agran- 6:54
Oak Park- Julie Blankemeier- 7:08
CARA Racing Team saw a massive bump in their point total as they eliminated a 0 score from 4 on the 4th and re-established themselves as a top 3 team. This team has secured 3 race victories so far, but all of them have come from home events (Lakefront 10, Spring Trail Chase, Chi-Town Miles). If the CARA Racing team hopes to top the podium, they will need to bring their A-game to an away competition.
Oak Park’s 2nd place finish may have been disappointing at first, but it was all they needed to pull even with Evanston in the team standing. These teams are in a true tie, and as of now, both teams have a 4th place finish as their tie breaker performance. There is no trend line between the strengths and weaknesses of either team as Evanston lost to Oak Park at their de facto home meet at Race Against Hate, and Oak Park lost to Evanston at their home race. They are two strong teams with consistent performers. This division might not be settled until the final race in November.
Senior Men Standings:
(Top 3 Men Ages 60+ Score Per Team)
Chi-Town Miles Results | Season Standings |
Elmhurst Running Club- 6:15 | Elmhurst Running Club- 114 |
Oak Park Runners Club- 6:25 | Oak Park Runners Club- 113 |
Evanston Running Club- 7:05 | Evanston Running Club- 106 |
For the first time this season, the senior men’s category has a new leader. Elmhurst Running Club has created a 1 point lead on Oak Park after spending the last 5 races within a 2 point margin of them. Marc Woodcock, David Hensley, and Carlos Viramontes have been the secret formula behind 3 of the team’s 4 race victories. This is due to their tight team spreads which can go a long way towards securing victory in this division.
Oak Park was led by a commanding 6:00.3 from David Schaub, fast enough to finish ahead of Elmhurst’s whole team. Raymond Gobis and Rainer Schochat offered significant support finishing 6:29 and 6:44, but were not able to overcome Elmhurst’s tight 30 second team spread. While they may have conceded ground to Elmhurst, this team remains a threat, particularly in the longer distance events where runners like Schochat thrive.
Evanston raced well, particularly thanks to their low stick Keith Holtzmueller’s 6:16. Their 3rd place finish has continued to widen the gap on 4th place’s Fast Track, who they have been distancing themselves from for the past 4 races. Evanston does have a race victory under their belt and the talent to win again. However, with a score cap of 119 time is running out for them to catch up to Oak Park and Elmhurst.
Senior Women Standings:
(Top 3 Women Ages 60+ Score Per Team)
Chi-Town Miles Results | Season Standings |
Oak Park Runners Club- 7:44 | Oak Park Runners Club- 112 |
Fleet Feet Racing Team X New Balance- 15:48 | Xtra Mile Fast Track Racing- 105 |
CARA Racing Team- 15:54 | Evanston Running Club- 101 |
Consistency continues to be the name of the game for Oak Park. Fielding a full team for 7 of the past 9 races has left them with few weak performances. Oak Park’s scoring trio were Julie Blankemeier (7:08), Eileen Dolan (7:57), and Eileen Skisak (8:05). Unlike most teams in this division, Oak Park is not only anchored by top performers like Blankemeier but a strong supporting cast, as 7 women so far have stepped up to the scoring position so far for Oak Park. The sun hasn’t yet set on this division, but if Oak Park has their way it will be lights out for the competition soon.
Final Thoughts:
PUMA’s Chi-Town Miles represented the first “late-season” race of the year and has given clarity as to who the main players will be in the fight for a season victory. Teams like DW have started their final push for victory, while clubs like Oak Park and Fast Track have worked to reinforce their positions atop the leader boards!
Preview:
Scores are currently being calculated for the Alpine Runners 10 Miler. This became a “strikeforce” race as teams brought smaller units to compete for individual categories.
Upcoming:
The next race on the Circuit is September 9th, at 2022 and 2023’s “Circuit Race of the Year” The Hidden Gem Half Marathon.
Important Links:
Join a team, follow the schedule, and check standings at cararuns.org/circuit
Support the Circuit, get discounts, earn individual points: become a CARA Member.
Join the Circuit Community on our Chicago Racing Circuit Facebook Group and Chicago Racing Circuit Strava Club.
댓글