Running, my second job and passion...: PAUSATF 2023 season award banquet: back to exceptional normal!

2022 still had quite some pandemic after state. Our society and world is still healing from the global shock but, for our Mountain, Ultra and Trail Running Grand Prix, things were pretty much back to pre-pandemic normal, that is, with many exceptional achievements from all!

As the LDR (Long Distance Running) MUT sub-committee chair, I cover mostly that part of our Pacific Association business, and have been since starting running ultras in 2016. See for instance these posts of our yearly editions of this award banquet: 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021 on Zoom, 2022)

While this edition was called the 4th, we've had LDR-specific banquets long before. Our Grand Prix started in 1992, so we are in our 33nd year, counting the 2020 season we started but aborted in March. Some great traditions stick, thankfully! Although, not without a lot of work, support and engagement from many!

So, why 4th? Because, in the midst of the start of the pandemic actually, on February 1, 2020, our leadership took the decision to gather all our sports and committees into a single celebration. To give a voice to all, to invite everybody to learn from others. While that worked at the top, and for other reasons like member priorities, we actually saw a decrease in the number of representatives of our LDR members to these celebrations. Subtle balancing act... What we gain at least though, which was one of the main initial drivers for the change, is an official recognition of the promising Track & Field Youth. Kids love it!

Now, some posts take much more time than what I expect. I'm a collector -don't get Agnès started on the reationale of keeping years of issues of UltraRunning Magazine...- and kept all the programs since the first banquet I attended, in 2008. I was quite disappointed to learn that, for the first year, nobody had stepped up to create one this time. Although I know it takes a lot of work as I provide the MUT-related information. At least, our hard-working communication lead, Cynci, gathered all these inputs into several slide decks online on our association's website. With this additional switch to a digital mode, I took the time this Sunday to go through previous programs and recreated the award history since 1992, phew! Making it available to all in this spreadsheet, let me know if you spot mistakes or commissions, that was hours of edits...

With that long preamble, let's report on that special evening. While my MUT theme was "back to normal" I'm going to suggest another one for the overall ceremony: "MUT isn't the only group running long..." Indeed, instead of finishing by 8 pm, the award presentations were still running at 9. Maybe the good time to situate the venue, Brentwood. Despite having lived in California for now a quarter of a century, and roamed quite a lot across the large area of our Pacific Association ranging from San Luis Obispo to Reno, I have to admit I've yet to explore more. Brenton is half way between San Jose and Sacramento but kind of far from the main axis (80, 5, 680, 580) so, I dare to say, it felt quite in the middle of nowhere and I'm very appreciative of my MUT colleagues for having stayed until 8:30 already.

For a nice change, the registration fee included two alcoholic beverages and the bar was actually quite loaded! There you are for a great start. The room, a veterans' hall, was rustic but the team had put a lot of work in creating posters, and buying a boat load of colorful balloons, to create a clear USATF touch.

The program started with a keynote by Elena Buckner who recently competed in the Discus at the World Championships.

From her passion for all sports through middle school, to her specialization and successes in the discus and shot put in high school, Elena very genuinely and eloquently invited us through the peaks and valleys she went through College, the extremely hard work she invested in these years in Texas and the heartbreaking challenges when being dropped by coaches. Elena's main mantra: "Learn how to believe in yourself! And when things don't work out, find a way to still do it!" Despite a lack of progression in her athletic performances through College, Elena's parents still supported her to persevere and Elena is so grateful to the Pacific Association Foundation for also supporting her three years in a row, keeping believing in her. And all that paid off when Elena hit the 61.55-meter mark which qualified her on Team USA. And, as she shared with humor, making her "good enough for drug testing!" What an inspiring journey of hard work and perseverance, and realization of her childhood dream. Indeed, when she was a kid and people were asking her what she wanted to do as an adult: "an Olympian!" Her closing was to cheer for the promising youths and the critical importance of coaches in shaping lives. All the best, Elena: Citius, Altius, Fortius!

Then the long series of awards started, punctuated by a few trips to the Mexican food buffet which even had deserts later.

Our entertaining MC, Past President, Charlotte, was helping on multiple fronts, from thoughtful introductions of presenters, to serving at the buffet, supervising the bar, giving hints to the DJ, phew!

And now a zoom on the MUT section. For the sake of (my) time, let me include below the notes I had prepared to accompany the slides I had made and which will be available soon on the PA website (I had asked Cynci to remove the Volunteer and Runners of the Year slides ahead of the presentation in order to maintain an Oscars-like suspense...).

Per my previous post in December, I designed a framework to remove some of the subjectivity from this selection exercise but, with so many brilliant MUT athletes in our association, it's still very hard. Special thanks to my partner in crime, Shiran, and those who voted among our community of runners, volunteers and Race Directors, essential partners of our Grand Prix.

I'm very excited for our three top awardees who happen to all be first recipients at that level! Congrats Jessi, Mandie and Jonah, and all the very best to you and our Age Group Champs for keeping inspiring our local community this way!

Charles (M60 champ) and I (M50) with our Quicksilver team captain, Stephen:

This year, we finish second in the Men Team competition, 1 point behind Pamakids' 86, so close!

Now, for a bit of embarrassment: while I was happy that MUT did get the very last slot this time, we may want to get the Youth recognition earlier in the program, not at 8:30 pm. Although, maybe that helped get them to patient more quietly though long presentations otherwise. Yet, they were adorable, taking turn at the mic then in front of Irene's camera, so many inspiring performances at the Junior Olympics and joyful smiles, beyond the timidity of coming under the spot light!

On the other side of the spectrum, the excitement of Elsbeth Padia, 85, was even higher than the kids. She ran to the stage, was jumping while telling us how happy she is to set records at the National level in her 80s. She got into Track and Field at 73 so she is just getting started! What another inspiration! When I grow-up I want to be like her!

Speaking of excitement, what about this other pillar of our association, having fun popping balloons, after receiving a life achievement award for decades of leadership of our coach community: Dave Shrock (tonight was at the PA level, he had been recognized already at the National level in 2021):

Past 9, there was quite a sense of urgency to quickly clear not the dancing track, pun intended, but the field. With the 70 miles to home, that made it for a long day, albeit not as bad as when the banquet falls on the same day as Jed Smith, which happened several times in the past. Have a great 2024 season all, see you at the many PA events throughout the year and next year for another celebration!

Raw notes for MUT award presentation

A few words on our 2023 Season

Main theme: Back to normal, phew!
A lot to say but for the sake of time, Charlotte, I’d just give a few stats: 2 cancelation (thanks to a much welcome rain last winter!), 1 replacement, 1 change of distance from 24-hour to 12-hour (darn coyote in Golden Gate Area), 14 events overall

Let’s start recognizing our age-group champions. I want to highlight that we do have a few returning champions but also a fresh set of first-time ones! Speaking of which…

20-29 Margie Cullen from the speedy Impala
30-39 Katherine Song from Strawberry Canyon, yes Coach Carl, your track girls do run fast, and they can run long too, please keep them coming!
40-49 Christina Vincent from Pamakids
50-59 Louise Stephens, from… Pamakids
60-69 Karen Romagnoli, from Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders
70-79 Kat Powell, from… yes, Pamakids
On the Men side:
20-29 Victor Skorapa IV, Excelsior
30-39 Jakob Walter, Pamakids again
40-49 Karl Schnaitter, Excelsior
50-59 Jean Pommier, Quicksilver for another change!
60-69 Charles Blakeney, Quicksilver
70-79 Carl Jacob, from the most respected, albeit aging, Tamalpa

On the teams’ side

Well, while Grand Slams have happened in the past, for the first time in our quarter century Grand Prix history, Pamakids takes a Grand Slam home 2 years in a row! Most notably, despite or in spite of a change of Captains, from Pen Perez, incidentally our ultra pro photographer, to… Shiran Kochavi!
Give me this plaque, Shiran…! ;-)
Now, you’ll notice how close Quicksilver was in the Men competition
And how Impala could easily win would they score 7 events, not just 5!

A special mention and thank you to Kendra Hershey who took over our scoring duties mid 2023. Thank you for volunteering her, Pamakids and Shiran!
And now for the coveted top awards…
I want to thank my partner in crime, Shiran, for his diligent work on our selection. We had 14 women and 18 men under consideration this year.
Ladies first! Female Runner of the Year

Mandie qualified for the 24-hour Team USA, and went to Taiwan to represent our country a month ago
Sylvie had 11 podiums out of 11 races in UltraSignup, a rising local trail star!
And, drum roll, the winner is… Mandie Holmes!

On the Men side

A returning short listed, finally out of injury, with 4 podiums despite his age… me… Thank you, Shiran!
And Jonah with 3 podiums
And the winner is, your overall National 100-mile Road champion of 2023 at no less than 49 years old, Jonah Backstrom!

As for the inspiring Volunteer of the Year

After considering inputs from our PA MUT community, and our Race Directors partners, the 2023 Volunteer of the Year award goes to someone omni-present on the sideline of our races, committed to helping our trail and ultra runners reach their goals, a member of the San Francisco Running Company club… Jessi Goldstein!

And with that, let me close by giving you a visual glimpse of our 2024 season, which already started with Quad Dipsea in November. Announcing the inaugural stand alone “Shorter Trail” series scoring. Credit for the idea to our PA leader, John Mansoor, with the hope this will be appealing to our younger runners especially. But that should actually be appealing to our older runners as well!