Kalamazoo Valley Walkers: The importance of shoes in Race Walking

Racewalking Judges

The following KVW members are certified racewalk judges (USATF Officials):
• Thelma Fallows

• Bobbi Jo Gamache

USA Track & Field Outstanding Racewalk Award

1st place USATF age-group finishes in eight USATF judged race walks:

2001 Mens 45-49 Age Group Bill Reed, Scotts, MI

2002 Mens 45-49 Age Group Bill Reed, Scotts, MI

2004 Mens 50-54 Age Group Bill Reed, Scotts, MI

National Masters Track & Field Championships

Decatur IL August 6-10, 2004

Men 50-54 5K Racewalk 2nd Place 26:40 Bill Reed, Scotts MI

Men 50-54 10K Racewalk 1st Place 55:55 Bill Reed, Scotts MI

National Open 10K

Wilkes Barre PA, August 21, 2004

Men 50-54 10K Racewalk 1st place 57:20 Bill Reed, Scotts MI

USATF 5K State Championship

Borgess Run For the Health of IT

Saturday, April 24, 2004

Men 40-44 1st 30:10 Dave Dunn, Kalamazoo MI

Men 50-54 1st 27:33 Bill Reed, Scotts MI

Men 50-54 2nd 30:19 Rick Sack, Parchment MI

Women 50-54 2nd 34:12 Sue Haroldson, Portage MI

Women 55-50 2nd 39:48 Sue Czuk, Portage MI

Women 60-64 2nd 38:04 Jan Crosby, Kalamazoo MI

USATF Michigan & North Region - 10K Championships

Dearborn MI - October 17, 2004

Men 55-59 1st 1:00:58 Rick Sack, Parchment MI

(Both State & North Region)

Michigan Senior Olympics (MSO) - Age 50+

2004 Summer Olympics - Race Walk 1st Place Results

August 2004, Lansing MI

1500M Gender: Female

60 - 64 1st 11:57.90 Jean LaValley, Benton Harbor MI

70 - 74 1st 12:05.90 Carolyn Selby, Portage MI

75 - 79 1st 12:55.80 Thelma Fallows, Portage MI

85 - 89 1st 20:53.70 Dorothy Ray, Porgage MI

1500M Gender: Male

55 - 59 1st 08:10.10 Rick Sack, Parchment MI

3rd 12:33.40 Gary Krueger, Paw Paw MI

70 -74 1st 09:19.40 Robert Ferguson (RJ), St Joseph MI

5K Gender: Female

60 - 64 1st 42:34 Jean LaValley, Benton Harbor MI

70 - 74 1st 43:36 Carolyn Selby, Portage MI

75 - 79 1st 45:10 Thelma Fallows, Portage MI

85 - 89 1st 67:00 Dorothy Ray, Portage MI

5K Gender: Male

55 - 59 1st 29:16 Rick Sack, Parchment MI

2nd 53:02 Eugene Kester, Gobles MI

70 - 74 1st 33:53 Robert Ferguson (RJ), St Joseph MI

Michigan Senior Olympic STATE RECORDS - Set by KVW Members

1500M Gender: Female

Age 80-84 0:15:04.00 Dorothy Ray, Portage MI - 2002

1500M Gender: Male

Age 50-54 0:08:00.00 Rick Sack, Parchment MI - 2000

Age 70-74 0:08:26.50 Hugh Acton, Augusta MI - 1996

Age 75-79 0:09:21.00 Hugh Action, Augusta MI - 2000

5000M Gender: Female

Age 65-69 0:35:44.00 Carolyn Selby, Portage MI - 1996

Age 85-89 1:09:00.00 Dorothy Ray, Portage MI - 2004

5000M Gender: Male

Age 50-54 0:30:07.85 Rick Sack, Parchment MI - 2003

Age 55-59 0:29:16.00 Rick Sack, Parchment MI - 2004

Bill Reed, KVW Member, Awarded USATF 2002 Outstanding Racewalker Award

January 2003 -- Bill Reed, KVW coach and member, was named USA Track & Field, 2002 Outstanding Racewalker for the Men’s 45-49 Age Group for a second time. The national Outstanding Racewalker title was earned with first place age-group finishes in eight USAT&F judged racewalks in 2002. These included State Championships for 3K at GVSU at Allendale MI, 5K at the Borgess/USATF Racewalk at Kalamazoo MI and the 8K Lynnette Atkins Memorial USATF State & Regional Racewalk at Kalamazoo MI. Another regional age-group first was won at 5K in Chicago, along with National Championship titles for 5K and 10K in Orono, Maine and 5K in Kingsport, Tennessee. Ten other events filled out Reed’s ’02 race calendar, most of them area 5k to 10K unjudged local walks along with a 20K Ontario Racewalk and two 1-hour national postal judged racewalks.

Now at age 50, Bill’s 5K time is down to 25:50, which is within a minute of his Personal Record (PR) at several longer distances in 2002. Reed is looking forward to more improvement in 2003. “I feel that with steady, hard training I can still set some new PR’s, particularly at 10 to 20 K distances. There are also National Master’s Time Standards for Racewalkers at all distances which, finally at age 50, I have begun to reach after flirting with them for the last seven years”.