JP MORGAN CHASE CORPORATE CHAMPIONSHIP
By
Vince Juliano
The JP Morgan Chase Corporate Championship 3.5 mile race
was finally held on December 1st in midtown Manhattan. Traditionally
held in early October, the team race was delayed due to the tragic events of
September 11th which meant the runners could now view the Christmas
lights that decorated the tree lined midway that divided the Park Avenue
course. Also delayed were the usual winter winds that swirl among the
skyscrapers at this time of year. Instead the runners were greeted with sunny
skies and temperatures rising well into the 60’s as they exited the Chase
Headquarters for a full array of pre-race ceremony, including marching bands
and the singing of the National Anthem.
The 25-year old Corporate Challenge began in NYC in 1977
and was joined by the Capitol City of Albany in 1980, Since then, the challenge
has been extended to 15 other cities and 4 countries as over 200,000 runners
and 7800 corporate teams participated in this years events. Winning teams
(men’s, women’s, and Coed) from each city are invited to the Championship Race
on Park Avenue. This year’s championship race had 1035 participants, as teams
from London, Frankfurt (Germany) and Sydney (Australia) joined over 100 teams from
the United States.
Hometown Albany was well represented as GE sent strong
Men’s and Co-ed teams. Newkirk Products filled the 3rd spot on the
roster with a competitive Women’s team.
The race is competitive and the top runners get plenty of rest the night
before, but the post race activities are quite festive and somewhat of a
celebration since all the teams were champions of their own city. The race was
immediately followed by a brunch and award ceremony, then the runners had
several hours of free time to shower, rest, or to take in the city flavor
before a formal dinner scheduled later in the evening. Runners with endurance
genes (as well as speed) continued to celebrate at an Irish Pub until late in
the evening before walking back to their hotel under a December full moon.
After making arrangements for our Labrador Hamlet to
spend the weekend at the Clarridge (Sarah) Canine Sanctuary, I escorted my wife
Emily and the Newkirk’s women’s team (Laurel Peterson & Courtney Bradley)
to NYC to watch the race and provide logistical support. We arrived just before
the evening deadline for Packet Pickup and enjoyed hot hor’deuvres as we picked
up the race numbers and the championship chips after a 3 hour commute.
The packet instructions informed the team to arrive at
the starting line at 8:45 AM the next day ready to run, even though the race
did not actually go off until about 9:05 AM due to pre-race ceremonies.
If past championship races were any indication, teams
from London and Frankfort Germany would be the ones to beat but the men’s GE
team from Albany was a serious threat led by former Union graduate Peter Flynn
and a strong supporting cast of John Devitt, captain Mark Mckenzie, Mike
Mahoney and Nathan Hoffman.
Peter Flynn started aggressively and forced the pace
along with several European runners over the first 2 miles before falling back
to eighth place. In the last 100 yards Peter was able to kick past 2 runners to
finish a very respectable 6th in 17:32. In hindsight, Peter felt the early surges might not have been the
best strategy since he lacked quality speed work in the month leading up to the
event. Still he was gratified that his strong effort led the GE men’s team to
their highest finish ever. Only the Royal Mail Letter Carriers of London led by
the 2nd place finisher overall (16:59), prevented GE from winning
the championship as they settled for second place among 47 teams.
The GE co-ed team of Judy Guzzo (also a Willow Street AC
member), Jen Ward, Mike Gross and Craig Fischberg also ran strongly to finish 5th
among 50 co-ed teams. Team awards were given to the Top 10 teams in each
category and were presented by 4-time Boston and NYC marathon winner Bill
Rodgers and 9-time NYC marathon winner Grete Weitz.
The Newkirk Women’s team also ran well but just missed
the awards with an 11th place finish but still managed to beat 26
other teams. While the emphasis is on team competition at the Chase Corporate
Challenge, two-time Albany Women’s champion Emily Bryans ended her competitive
racing season with another special effort. Running against the women’s
defending overall champion from the 1st place London Royal Mail
Carriers, and her strong European teammates, Emily found herself in a battle
for 4th place after a 1st mile in 5:50. Emily then passed
Shirley Griffiths also from the London Royal Mail carriers, and Katja Potthof
of the Frankfort Co-ed team during the second mile as her pace quickened to
5:40. With the defending champion Beverly Jenkins still 100 yards ahead, Emily
ran the last 1.5 miles at a 5:42 pace to hold second with a time of 20:04.
Emily’s teammates (Laurel & Courtney) also ran well and joined us for full
night of celebration later that evening. The highlight of the evening dinner
was a polished film of the day’s race set to music that captured the excitement
of the day.
JP Chase Albany Director Al Michaels assured us that
Corporate Challenge will continue to be held in Albany next year, even as the
event looks to grow internationally with Tokyo (Japan) next on the expansion
list in 2003.
NEW YORK (01-Dec) -- German steeplechaser
Christian Knoblich, who normally represents his athletics club, LAC Quelle
Fürth/München, easily won this race for his employer, Entrium Direct Bank of
Frankfurt. Possessing a solid lead with a half mile to go, he smiled and
waved to the crowd in his final approach to the finish line on Park Avenue
while runner-up, Gareth Raven, tried furiously to catch him.
"It's super, excellent," said
Knoblich of New York City on his first visit to the Big Apple. He will represent
Germany at the European Cross Country Championships in Thun, Switzerland next
weekend.
Bev Jenkins defended her 2000 title in the
women's race, winning easily in a slow time. When asked what helped her
keep motivated during the race she said, "The team. The crowd.
I love the crowd. They're fantastic."
Jenkins's team, Royal Mail Letters, won both the men's and women's team titles. Roche Diagnostics Gmbh got the victory in the co-ed team category.