West Valley Track Club

The West Valley Track Club has been an institution on the Northern California and national running scene for almost forty years. Founded in 1964, it is the oldest track club in Northern California. The club has been active across the spectrum of the sport, including track and field, road racing, cross country, and ultrarunning.

Home of the Christmas Relays

Christmas Relays Results

The West Valley Track Club would like to thank all runners participating in the 34th Annual Christmas Relays on Sunday December 16. The Transports Adidas were the overall winners, enjoying a comfortable cushion over the runner-up WVTC A team. The Google Corporate team muscled past the other PAUSATF club teams to take 3rd place overall honors and to win their division. The battle on the womens side was much closer, with the Asics Aggies pulling away from the Impala Racing Team on the final leg for this win. The Impalas did come back to take the Master and Senior Womens titles, the later by the slimmest of margins over the WVTC squad. The Pacific Striders Masters Men took the 40+ category, with the Tamalpa and West Valley Joggers and Striders winning the Senior and 60+ divisions, respectively.

Full race results can be downloaded by clicking here.

Full_Results.pdf

Race results sorted by division are available here.

Results_by_division.pdf

See you all next year!!!

Giusti Claims Garin Park Win

Hayward, CA (September 29) Five races into the PAUSATF Cross Country Series, just how individuals and teams have been faring remains a mystery, given the absence of any results emerging from any but the first race in Santa Rosa. One conclusion that can be drawn is that West Valley's Anita Giusti is just as dominant over hill and dale as she was on the track and roads in Spring. Despite her admission that the hectic nature of her new job has left her less than sharp, Giusti followed up her Golden Gate win with a first place finish in the 5K race at Garin Park, hosted by the West Valley Track Club. Although team results are not yet available, it appears that the Dutch native, supported by strong finishes by Suzanne Segesta (4th) and Shannon Cody (12th) lead the womens team to victory in the open division.

Adidas Transports runner and ex-Cal star Giliat Ghebray captured the win in the mens race, followed by masters phenom Jim Sorensen. Racing for the third consecutive weekend, Todd Rose and Alex Mason had enough in the tank to finish fifth and sixth, respectively. Their high placing on the leader board combined with strong team depth provided by Jonah Backstrom, Carlos Castelo, and Dave Kyle appeared to drive the WVTC men to victory as well.

Top 20 Results:
Women
1 Anita Giusti WVTC 18:31 5:53

2 Michelle Gallagher Pamakids 18:52 6:00
3 Mary Torres 19:20 6:09
4 Suzanne Segesta WVTC 19:23 6:10
5 Melanie Lovrin Empire 19:25 6:10
6 Melissa Nestel 19:55 6:20
7 Stephanie Bambury Asics Aggies 20:03 6:22
8 Deborah Rushman Tamalpa 20:09 6:24
9 Laura Melendez WVJ&S 20:17 6:27
10 Tanja Tamquarey NB-EX 20:22 6:28
11 Julie McGee NB-EX 20:28 6:30
12 Shannon Cody WVTC 20:44 6:35
13 Leah Evans Pamakids 20:48 6:37
14 Lisa Wells GV Harriers 20:52 6:38
15 Ashley Carroll Impala 20:53 6:38
16 Michele Rowic Humboldt TC 21:02 6:41
17 Nicole Campbell 21:11 6:44
18 Michelle Lydon Empire 21:13 6:44
19 Tracy Hoban NB-EX 21:15 6:45
20 Elizabeth Wistrom WVTC 21:19 6:46

Men:
1 Giliat Ghebray Adidas 15:49 5:02

2 Jim Sorensen 16:04 5:06
3 Lenin Zapata 16:06 5:07
4 Erik Mencarini Rebels 16:15 5:10
5 Todd Rose WVTC 16:23 5:13
6 Alex Mason WVTC 16:24 5:13
7 John Friedman Adidas 16:44 5:19
8 Aaron Torres Chico TC 16:48 5:20
9 Chris Layman Chico TC 17:04 5:25
10 Cristian Morinico Rebels 17:06 5:26
11 Jeff Mann Pac Striders 17:08 5:27
12 Jeff Hongo Asics Aggies 17:10 5:27
13 Matt DeShazo Humboldt TC 17:13 5:28
14 Jonah Backstrom WVTC 17:19 5:30
15 Michael Woodward Rebels 17:27 5:33
16 Timothy Miller Humboldt TC 17:31 5:34
17 Carlos Castelo WVTC 17:35 5:35
18 Erich Ackermann Adidas 17:37 5:36
19 Nick Fill Humboldt TC 17:45 5:38
20 Jared Doescher Rebels 17:49 5:40

Garin%20Park%20Womens%20Results.doc
Garin%20Park%20Mens%20Results.doc

Rose 3Peats in Beer Mile

The full story of this heroic event will follow, although pretty much all you need to know is here in these two videos, shot and edited by Jack (the full race) or Yoko Senga (the artistic video).

Redpath 6th at Western States

Auburn, CA (June 23) The West Valley family is large, diverse, and dispersed. Many no longer wear the jersey but maintain their close ties to the Bay Area's most storied running club. But of all those ex-teammates who over the years have followed life's tradewinds to far-off locales, ultra runner Glen Redpath is undoubtedly one of them.

Just two years ago, Glen brought West Valley it's first ever PA ultramarathon series crown. I'm sure none of us can forget the celebration, the spontaneous outpouring of joy, that this achievement brought about, and it may not be a stretch to call Glen's title the event that finally, 40 years after its founding, put West Valley Track Club on the map. Now, solidly in the masters ranks, Glen is running stronger than ever, despite his New York surroundings. Returning to the Boston Marathon of the ultras, the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, Glen relentlessly ground out his best performance ever, a 6th place finish.

In an event where PB usually refers to the peanut butter sandwiches tucked into the fanny packs, Glen hammered away at a torrid pace that both destroyed the majority of his fellow obsessive compulsives, and propelled him to his fastest time ever on this course by several hours (18:05:33.17). As the first masters finisher, Glen not only receives the sub 24-hour belt buckle, but a pair of gold plated suspenders signifying his win in the "crazy old coot" division.

We await Glen's gripping my-by-mile account of his oddessy, which will be posted on this site (bandwidth permitting).

Mile Monsters!

Open Men Dominate, Repeat as PA Mile Champs

Stockton, CA After twelve separate races and fourteen different heats, the Pacific Association's 25 best milers stepped to the starting line. Among them were members of the Transports, including a group of Olympic Trials qualifiers and a 3:53 miler, the River City Rebels, a group of Sacramento-based college middle distance stars, and West Valley Track Club, the defending champions. Among the many spectators was Don Bowden himself, who, fifty years ago at the very same location, became America's first sub-four minute miler when clocking 3:58.7.

After a slow opening circuit of 2:15 whereas the majority of the heat was in one tight group, the West Valley began to race. Eying the Transport orange, Sean Marzolf and Alex Mason surged on Richie Boulet, Todd Rose pushed ahead of David Bronfenbrenner, Lars Schmitz lead Miguel Nuci and Steve Immel, and Chuck Schneekloth and Matt Hinde had over thirty meters on Enrique Henriquez. Except for a titillating final sprint that resulted in Boulet as the overall champion, this was the final order—resulting in a dominating victory for the West Valley men. Averaging 4:26 a man, their team time of 22:10 was a whopping 28 seconds faster than the Transports (22:38), who ended up placing third to the Rebels’ 22:30.

Final times were Marzolf (4:19.2), Mason (4:19.9), Rose (4:25.2), Schmitz (4:28.7), Schneekloth (4:37.0), and Hinde (4:39.3). Included in the mix was the newest WVTC member, Julian Marsh. Julian, was not able to get outfitted in time, and was therefore left off the scoring team, but ran an outstanding race in 4:23.0, good for 4th place in the teams 2-5 blanket finish. The WVTC b-team was equally impressive, with Steve Dewan (4:40.5), Raymundo Cruz (4:41), Carlos Castelo (4:53), and Tony Fong (5:17).

PA Road Action

Marcus Rolls 31:01 in Marin 10k
Marin, CA (May 28) Jonathan Marcus, coming off a huge double the day before at the PA track championships, got outkicked by two Aggies enroute to a third place finish in 31:01. Averaging 5:00 miles, he was followed by teammates Sean Marzolf (32:42), Craig Gaites (32:50), Raymundo Cruz (34:10), Neil Gilfedder (34:18), Carlos Castelo (34:42), Mat Desjardins (35:48), and Jonah Backstrom (36:02). In an act of heroism, much akin to his firefighting heroes, Todd Rose decided, just moments before the start, to not race, citing "why race if we can’t beat the Transports" later that day. It was a decision not without consequences, as the Open Men finished seconds behind the upstart River City Rebels for an unaccustomed 3rd place.

Open Men Go 2nd & 4th in Zippy 5k
San Francisco, CA (April 29) Still hungry from his 15:01 performance at UC Davis’ Woody Wilson Invite, Todd Rose gutted an impressive 3rd place finish in Golden Gate Park. His effort, placing him first on his team and third overall, propelled the WVTC open men with a second place team finish. The final top finishers may have been different if WVTC 2nd man Sean Marzolf, who finished in 15:19 but was sitting on the leaders the entire race, hadn't misjudged the race’s finish line. He kicked too early, allowing a handful to pass him in the final stretch.

Just behind Marzolf were teammates Craig Gaites (15:40), Jason Oswalt (16:05), and Ian Mason (16:10) who helped bring in $125 of prize money and 9 PA team points. Two places back were WVTC's proud B-team of Raymundo Cruz (16:19), Joe Tonna (16:28), Lars Schmitz (16:37), Carlos Castelo (16:46), and Steve Dewan (17:17).

WVTC Women Place 2 in Top 5 at Emeralds 12k
San Francisco, CA (March 18) In an impressive display of depth, the West Valley open women placed first and fifth in a very competitive Emeralds Across the Bay 12k field. Newcomer Anita Giusti ran a brilliant race, outpacing Olympic Trials qualifier Chris Lundy by 25 seconds for the win in 42:14. Just a few steps behind her was Suzanne Segeste, who ran 45:45 for fifth.

Bay to Breakers Action!

Gilfedder Spanked at Finish with Bat
San Francisco, CA After placing 75th in the Bay to Breakers 12k, WVTC marathoner Neil Gilfedder was spanked with a hollow waffle ball bat by a man with a leather thong. Attempts to copy and publish the pictures on the WVTC website were denied by SportPhoto.com's copyright protection software.

Rose Runs on Victorious Bay to Breakers Centipede
San Francisco, CA (May 20) Despite originally committing to WVTC teammate Craig Gaites and Hood to Coast teammate Kevin Pierpoint to run on their Aggie-filled centipede, things changed three days before race day. "I went into Transports to buy some trainers, and one of the guys offered me a spot on their centipede. With it came $500, a jacket, and shoes. I could really use that money, so I switched teams." Left scrambling, Gaites and Pierpoint luckily found a replacement; their team placed second to Rose’s by five seconds. Two months ago, Rose purchased a home in Noe Valley, one of San Francisco’s most coveted neighborhoods.

Mason Writes Unsolicited E-mail
Alameda, CA (May 20) After enjoying a day of fun and sun in San Francisco’s Bay to Breaker's race, Alex Mason came home inspired about his running career. "Okay who did the workout on Saturday?" he asked dozens of teammates in an unsolicited, drunken email. "I did and I ran 4:23.8. came through the half in 2:05 the 3/4 in 3:22.9 and ran the last quarter in 1:00.9. I hope fat boy Chuck has come out of the wood work and will be ready to run by June 3rd." Despite struggling with subject-verb agreement and various other grammar structures like capitalization, he confidently asserted his fitness despite occasionally swaggering in his chair, as he signed off "Ready for the mile, Alex."

Enter Anita

Four-time Dutch National Champ Joins WVTC
San Francisco, CA --The WVTC men enjoyed a remarkable resurgence last year, closely battling for both PA road and cross country team titles against long time powerhouse-turned-rival Transports; they settled for silvers in both. This year, the WVTC women have seen a similar revival, as former Farm Teamer Suzanne Segeste, national-level mountain racer Sarah Raitter, former PA champ Sissel Heber, and 2005 Napa Marathon champ Shannon Cody have held strong against the swiftest Impalas and Transports on the PA circuit.

But now, enter Anita.

Months ago, after moving from the Netherlands to New York City to North Carolina to California's South Bay, Anita Giusti looked on-line for a local running club. Despite leaving the Dutch national team just months ago, she wanted a community and new friends in her new life. She contacted Teresa Clark, jumped in a Saturday morning workout, then soon thereafter joined the West Valley Track Club. And now -- team resurgence is officially redefined.

Along with modesty and a love for running’s team element, Giusti brings an impressive resume with her as the newest WVTC member. In her home country the Netherlands, she won national titles in cross country (2004) and in the 5k (04, 05, 06), while taking silvers in the 5k (02) and 10k (02, 06). Years prior to such national success, she studied for one year at University of Texas at El Paso. In 2000, she earned All-American honors in cross country (15th at NCAA meet) and two golds in the WAC Indoor Track Championships (3k & 5k).

Although the 31-year old, married happily to husband Paul, hints at fall cross country and a possible marathon being her next quests, her track bests are impressive. They include 2:12.6 (800), 4:20.98 (1500), 9:13.30 (3k), 15:53.89 (5k), and 33:38.29 (10k). Despite such success on the oval, Giusti points to her national gold medal in cross country as her fondest running memory thus far. "It was a great race. I managed to create a gap between me and the pack early on in the race and was able to extend it throughout the rest of the race. At that race, all the people I cared about so much and who supported me so much were there; Paul (he flew over from NYC), my parents, my brother, my best friends and all my track friends. It was very special to run a great race for them and share this moment with them, my first National Title!"

Guisti has already made waves on the PA circuit, dominating a competitive field in the Across the Bay 12k in March. In that race, she outran Olympic Trials qualifier Chris Lundy by 25 seconds, winning in 42:14. However, despite such recent success and past international racing experiences, she most looks forward to continuing her career in early childhood education, cooking, mountain biking, exploring her new home state of California, and enjoying new races and her new teammates. "Being part of West Valley TC and running with the girls, I got my joy back in running. I am so happy with that. For now, I just want to enjoy it and run the races I find attractive for different reasons, like scenery."