Beyond Monumental and the Indiana Sports Corporation have partnered to bring the 2024 USATF Masters Half Marathon Championships to Indianapolis. Hosted by the Indy Half Marathon at Fort Ben, Masters athletes have an opportunity to race over a scenic half marathon courses as it runs along the roads and paths that wind through Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park. The weather forecast is near perfect for fast running, upper 40’s to low 50’s during the race, with moderate humidity and winds under mostly sunny skies.
There are three primary contenders for the overall Masters win. Jesse Davis, now out of Omaha NB, looks to pick up a second Half Marathon win to go with his first at the 2022 Syracuse venue. His most recent Masters win was at the Lincoln Half Marathon this May. Ramiro Guillen, in his first Masters Championship appearance, comes in from California with the confidence of a Masters win at the Santa Barbara Half Marathon last year. Davis’s teammate, John Poray, won the Masters overall title at the Indianapolis Mini Marathon in May. Charlie Hurt, out of Virginia, New York’s Daniel McGrath, and Colorado’s John Yoder will try to break up the top three.
Three women are prime contenders for the top spot overall. Tera Moody, in June of this year, claimed the second Masters spot at the prestigious Bank Of America 13.1 race in Chicago. Natasha Yaremczuk claimed the silver medal overall at the Ten Mile Championships this August in Flint MI. Fiona Bayly claimed the second Masters spot at the New Balance Bronx Ten Miler two weeks ago. Others who will be in the hunt include Jennifer McCann, who enjoyed a top five finish at the Mesa Half Marathon earlier this year; and hometown runner, Lucie Mays-Sulewski , who owns two of the Age Division Event Records here at the Fort Ben Half.
Age Grading among the women will likely come down to a tussle between Bayly, 57, and Lisa Veneziano, 60. At the 2022 Half Marathon Championships, Veneziano edged Bayly for the silver age grading medal by less than four-tenths of a percentage point. Other top age graders include Abby Dean, 53, Stella Gibbs, 65, and Mays-Sulewski, 54. Roger Sayre, 66, who broke his own 65-69 American 25K Record at the Amway Riverbank Run in May, finished 2nd in Age Grading at these championships in 2022. John Fernandez, 55, who finished 2nd in age grading at the Masters 5 Km Championships earlier this year, and Craig Godwin, 57, who was a top-five age grade finisher at the 2021 Masters 12 Km Championships, will chase Sayre for the top spot.
The most ferocious Age Division competition on the Women’s side comes in 50-54. Not only are Dean, Mays-Sulewski, and McCann going head-to-head, but they are joined by Jennifer Malavolta, whose 6th place led Team USA to the 50-54 Team gold medal in the Half Marathon at the WMA Championships in Sweden. For the Men it is the 55-59 division, featuring Fernandez vs. Godwin. They are joined by Scot Ursum who took the division bronze at the recent ten Mile Championships in Flint.
In the team competitions, the Shore Athletic Club, out of New Jersey should take the Women’s 40+ crown while the Impala Racing, from the San Francisco Bay area should take the 50+ title. The hometown Indiana Elite Athletic Club is a strong favorite to take the Men’s 40+ title. Indiana will get more of a battle from the Atlanta Track Club in 50+ but should be able to outscore the team from down south. The Ann Arbor Track Club drops down from Michigan to take the favorite’s role in both 60+ and 70+. The Greater Lowell Road Runners, out of Massachusetts are looking for the upset in 60+.
Submitted by Paul Carlin