Before the new year gets rolling and last year's Dirt Dog series fades into a distant memory of wind and dust and criterium-style suffering, it's time for a quick recap. Heading into the championship race on Nov. 10, PRT had pressed hard for a win to put the men in better position to compete for the overall title at the Champs, but we came up just short at the Cuyamaca College 6k, losing by one point to San Diego Track Club.
The conditions at Mission Bay for the 8k championship race were slow, with a strong headwind on the long, exposed stretch heading north that each runner had to face four times. With his trademark aggressive racing style, Daniel Farmer went out with the leaders, and ended up first among PRT’s men, finishing in fifth place (26:50). He was followed close behind by Alex Phipps (26:55), who turned in a strong performance. Derek Bradley (27:16) and Dan Seidel (27:28) were third and fourth scorers, with Andrew Corman (27:40) and Luis de la Vega (27:48) not far behind. Although it initially appeared that PRT would finish second overall, a recalibration of the team scoring resulted in a PRT team victory. The double score (40) for the Champs win was enough to push us over the top for the overall Dirt Dog team title.
On an individual level, PRT had a strong season as well. Four of our runners—Daniel Farmer, Alex Phipps, Dan Seidel, and Derek Bradley—finished in the top ten for the series and took home a bit of prize money.
Meanwhile, the season for some of our masters runners was not yet over. A group of four headed down to Lexington, Kentucky, in December to compete in the national club cross-country championships. Tim Gore (35:31; 28th place) and Brian Culley (35:31; 29th place) were joined by Robert Verhees (36:11; 52nd place) and Gerard Reski (40:30; 165th place).
The 2013 season for the PRT men kicks off in earnest at the Mizuno-sponsored Coronado 10k on Feb. 17. Hope to see you there!
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