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Here’s What Elite Team Members do After Workouts
Ryan Adams, Olivia Baker, Samson Colebrooke, Gemma Finch, Sadi Henderson and Shane Streich are all new to the Atlanta Track Club Elite Team this year, so to get to know them we asked (1) What is your favorite thing to do after a workout? (2) What is the best song to listen to before a competition? To check out their full bios click here. 

Ryan Adams
  • College: Furman University
  • 1,500m PR: 3:37.66
  • Answer 1. Drink a tall glass of cold chocolate milk, take a shower and pass out.
  • Answer 2. I've listened to "The Fighter" by Gym Class Heroes before every race since my 9th grade cross country season in 2011. From not always sleeping well before a big competition to refusing to give up, it perfectly embodies the spirit behind one of my favorite Rocky quotes "Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up." Even if I'm not projected to win a race, I want to do what I can to throw a spanner in the works and overcome the odds, or at the very least prove that all that matters is who shows up to the line on any given day.

Olivia Baker
  • College: Stanford University
  • 800m PR: 2:00.08
  • Answer 1. Take a nap
  • Answer 2. I actually don’t usually listen to music before I compete because I like to be completely focused on each aspect of my pre-race routine from the warmup to the starting line. However, if I had to choose one, it would be "Brave" by Sara Bareilles because the song reminds me to run with boldness and have fun out there!

Samson Colebrooke 
  • College: Purdue
  • 100m PR: 10.01
  • Answer 1. Help my teammates out
  • Answer 2. Bahamas apostolic music and Junkanoo

Gemma Finch
  • College: Troy University
  • 800m PR: 2:02.81
  • Answer 1. My favorite question! I love having hard workouts early in the morning and getting home after. I take a hot shower then make the biggest, strongest coffee and cook up a big breakfast!
  • Answer 2. It changes frequently but this past season I liked listening to "Watermelon Sugar." This song would always play first on my playlist during the big workouts of the 2020 summer while I was training alone for months. It would take me back to all of the work I had been putting in for so long!

Sadi Henderson
  • College: University of San Francisco
  • 800m PR: 1:58.62
  • Answer 1. Stretch outside, eat a burrito, and take a nap
  • Answer 2. "The Business" by Tiesto- this one puts me in the mood to get to work and run fast. Another is, I Have Everything I Need by Trevor Hall- I listen to this one regularly in practice and competition to remind me that I have all the tools I need to achieve what I am aiming to achieve.

Shane Streich 
  • College: Lipscomb University
  • 800m PR: 1:45.85
  • Answer 1. Drink chocolate milk and nap
  • Answer 2. “Clouds” by NF. The overall theme of this song is how NF’s work ethic, focus, and ambitious attitude has allowed him to be successful. I listen to this song before every race because it is a great reminder to maintain an ambitious attitude, to dream big and that if you can outwork the competition, you can be successful.
 

The victorious Atlanta Track Club men's 70+ team. Left to right - Kirk Larson, Vasan Neovakul, Dave Glass, Jerry Learned, Sam Benedict
Masters Team Tops Rivals to Win USATF 5Km, Grand Prix Titles
The country’s top Masters distance runners converged at the USATF Masters National 5km Cross Country Championships at Boston’s Franklin Park on Saturday, October 17. More than 250 Masters athletes competed in the event, which also served as the USATF Masters National Grand Prix finale. 

Atlanta Track Club Masters men’s team entered the race tied in Grand Prix points for the 70+ age group with rival Boulder Road Runners. They succeeded in their goal of beating Boulder to win the 5Km championship and Grand Prix titles.   

Atlanta Track Club's Kirk Larson showed true grit and team spirit, crossing the finish line first among men’s 70-74 age group competitors in a time of 22:32 while recovering from a recent elbow surgery. He started the race hard and settled in behind Boulder’s Doug Bell for the first two miles of the race. The Masters veteran began to slowly reel in Bell during the final kilometer before digging deep to mount a big kick and blow by Bell during the final 100m. Jerry Learned finished third in the 70-74 age group for Atlanta Track Club with 22:57. Dave Glass had a strong start and finish as well and won the 75-79 age group race with 23:41. Larson, Learned and Glass finished 1-3-5 in men’s 70+ scoring with the Boulder Road Runners top three finishing 2-4-7. 

Atlanta Track Club’s Ken Youngers turned in one of the top performances of the meet, running 19:30 to win the men’s 65-69 age group race (sixth overall). 

Atlanta Track Club Masters women’s team also secured several noteworthy performances, including Jill Braley’s fourth place finish in the 40-44 age group race (fifth overall) with a speedy time of 19:21. She battled to the finish with Michelle Rohl of Greater Philadelphia Track Club, but was narrowly outleaned at the line with the two finishing less than a hundredth of a second apart. Kathy Weigand and Cynthia Williams claimed bronze in the 45-49 and 65-69 age groups, respectively. The women’s team finished third in the race’s 40+ and 60+ age group scoring, which earned them second place in the women’s 60+ and 70+ Grand Prix. 
 
Youth Team Boys Raise Trophy at State Meet
Atlanta Track Club Cross Country Youth Team boys ended their regular season on a high note, capturing third at the Georgia Middle School Cross Country Championships Club Race in Bleckley County. Jacob Jacquot (blue shirt) took the lead for the first 800m against more than 150 of the state’s top runners on the challenging two mile course. He crossed the finish line fifth in an impressive time of 11:44.38. Seven of the boys team runners finished with the top 25 with an average time of 12:52.08 

The girls team also performed well at the State Championships as they were led by Audrey Anderson who broke into the top 30 of the race against more than 120 other runners. The young team looks to continue improving together as each of their five scorers are in the fifth grade and can continue to compete at the middle school level for an additional three years. 

The Cross Country Youth Team looks to continue their success throughout the postseason, which culminates with the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in Paris, Kentucky on December 11. 
 
Wahoo!
An Atlanta-based fitness technology company is partnering with two of Atlanta's iconic running traditions. Atlanta Track Club announced Wahoo Fitness as the official wearable partner of the Invesco QQQ Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon events and Publix Atlanta Marathon weekend. Wahoo will also be the year-round partner for the Club's In-Training programs, masters and elite Olympic Development teams, providing cutting edge wearable technology, data and support to runners and walkers throughout the runner life cycle.

"Like Atlanta Track Club, Wahoo Fitness is proudly based right here in Running City USA," said Rich Kenah, Atlanta Track Club's Executive Director. "We are proud to partner with a local brand that is committed to working with athletes ranging for those training for their first 5K to professional runners who will represent this community on the world stage."

Founded in 2009 by Chip Hawkins, a member of Atlanta Track Club's Masters Team, Wahoo provides walkers, runners and cyclists with a better way to track, measure and share their training data. The company's innovative line of products includes GPS sport watches, smart bike trainers and heart rate monitors.

To read more click here. 
 
About this Newsletter
Stay up to date with Atlanta Track Club's Olympic Development, Masters and Youth Team athletes with this monthly-ish newsletter. To send the sign up link for this newsletter to a friend click here.
 
 
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