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NEW CANAAN, Conn. Sharon Vos and George Buchanan aren't just getting older, they're getting better. And the computer proves it.
At Tuesday night's Summer Cross Country Series in Waveny Park, the two 50-somethings wound up at the top of the standings as a result of the unique nature of the event, the Age Graded 5K. The runners' times are adjusted using tables from the World Masters Association, producing times equivalent to those of runners at peak world-class ability. The grading also generates a percentage used to rank finishers.
Vos covered the 5-kilometer course in 21:17. Buchanan placed in the top 10 overall in 18:12. (He explained his speedy time by noting he had to get to a niece's birthday party right after the race.) After being massaged by the computer, those times changed to 17:24 and 15:33 respectively. Vos edged Buchanan by two age-graded percentage points, 85.05 to 83.06. "George had been saying he was gunning for me this year," said Vos, who consistently places as one of the top 50-year-olds in such national events as the New York and Boston marathons.
Hope Krause, a 23-year-old New Canaan resident, got no help from the computer. Her 18:36 time remained unchanged, but with a 79.65 percent age grading, she placed third in the adjusted standings.
The timing of the race couldn't have been better. Rainstorms passed through about an hour before the start and resumed just as the last runner finished. During the race, cooler temperatures and clear skies prevailed.
The series continues next Tuesday with a Women's Shortcut event in which female runners will follow four detours that allow them to run a shorter route than the men. This has resulted in some close finishes with women winning overall several times. Details on the series as well as complete results of the Age Graded 5K are available on the Club Connecticut website.
Have you run a race yet this summer in Waveny Park?
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