The Trailzilla series of road races started more than two decades ago, and has been a popular set of Peninsula Track Club summer races, all at Sandy Bottom Nature Park in Hampton. It was founded by former PTC president and Bethel High coach Rhonda Venable, along with her husband Dave Venable, and another Bethel coach, Rick Hartung. The three-race series always starts with a shorter race in early June, either 3 miles or 5K, followed two weeks later with a slightly longer 3.75 or 4 mile race, and concludes with a 5 miler.
Starting in 2018, the final race name was changed to Joe-Zilla, in honor of longtime PTC president Joe Harney, whose birthday of July 10 coincides around the time of the 5 miler. The final PTC race Harney attended was the 2017 Trailzilla race, shortly before he died on July 20, 2017.
The Trailzilla series name is a takeoff on the Godzilla movie series, and the individual race awards and the three-race series awards are traditionally stones with dinosaur or other creative running themes painted on them. This year the PTC had a rock painting night at the home of race directors Steve and Maria Peters. The JoeZilla race was both a PTC Grand Prix race, and a Hampton Roads Super Grand Prix race. PTC webmaster Thea Ganoe, along with Pete Navin, were also key organizers for the series.
All Trailzilla races were on the mostly shaded and soft-surface trails of the Sandy Bottom Nature Park. It was warm, but not excessively hot for all three. The predicted morning rain for the Joe-Zilla 5 Miler did not start until after all had left the park. The previous Saturday, the race was postponed due to the Friday afternoon and evening deluge flooding many of the trails in the park.
Steve Peters, PTC president for the past five years, emailed, “We are happy to say that the 2024 Trailzilla Series was a success and we are thankful to our volunteers, the city of Hampton, and the Sandy Bottom Nature Park rangers for helping us ensure the 3-race series was completed in spite of a one-week postponement of the JoeZilla 5-Miler due to heavy rains [the date was changed from July 13 to July 20]. This was the first year we’ve used Trailzilla as our PTC Scholarship fundraiser [for graduating seniors, who are PTC members] and we look forward to improving on it next year. It is fitting that the culmination of the series is the Joe-Zilla 5-Miler, named in memory of the late Joe Harney, long-time PTC President who was a huge advocate of the PTC Scholarship fund which enables the PTC to help graduating seniors in a small way as they head off to college. Thanks particularly this year to Grove and Mary Calvert for their generous donation to the PTC Scholarship fund.”
The Joe-Zilla 5 Miler on July 20 came down to a three-man sprint for the men, and a runaway victory for the women, with the top two men both on the Warwick High cross country team. Benjamin Perry, 17, of Newport News outkicked Nate Cochran, 16, of Newport News by one second, 31:40 to 31:41, with Wilson Mason, 33, of Hollis, New Hampshire a step behind in 31:42. All three averaged 6:23 per mile for the measured 4.95-mile race, slightly below the official 5-mile distance.
In contrast, the women’s race was no contest as Svitlana Honcharova, 26, of Williamsburg won by almost seven minutes over Connie Glueck, 60, of Williamsburg, 33:56 to 40:45, with Stephanie Eitzen, 46, of Yorktown third (42:20).
The first race in the series was the 5K on the evening of June 4. At that race Cochran easily beat Perry, 17:22 to 18:00, with Kyle Peters, 15, of Carrollton third in 18:01. At the second series race, a 3.85 miler on the evening of June 18, Cochran won again in 22:22, with Soren Hines, 15, of Newport News second (23:20), Jim Highsmith, 41, of Newport News third (23:26) and Perry fourth (23:26). In track this past spring, Cochran had run fast times of 4:34 in the 1,600 meters and 9:56 in the 3,200 meters.
For the women, Honcharova was runner-up in the first two races. Ariana Logsdon, 16, of Newport News won the 5K (19:52), with Honcharova second (20:56) and Eitzen a distant third (25:07). At the second race, the 3.85 miler, Bethany Spector, 34, of Virginia Beach was first (27:06), Honcharova was second (28:19), Megan Syrett, 41, of Yorktown third (31:29) and Eitzen fourth (31:52).
Special awards (beer glasses) were given to the series winners, with runners having to complete all three races to be eligible. For the men, Cochran won the overall title over Perry, but Perry won the 15-19 age group. Other men’s series award winners were Braxton Lee of Quinton (14-and-under, with his 15th birthday just days after Joe-Zilla), Matthew Armenta of Hampton (35-39), Adam Henry of Newport News (40-44), Kyle Aulenbach of Yorktown (45-49), Aaron Candella of Yorktown (55-59), Tim Westfall of Norfolk (65-69), Jimmy Blount of Williamsburg (70-74), Ron Kellum of Hampton (75-and-over) and Bob Curtin of Hampton (race walk). A number of runners could have won a series age group award, but could not make the rescheduled July 20 race date.
For the women, with two seconds and one first, Honcharova easily won the overall title over Eitzen and Glueck. Age group Trailzilla award winners were Emily Blackburn of Yorktown (women 30-34), Maryanne Lee of Quinton (40-44), Eitzen (45-49), Susan Hagel of Norfolk (50-54), Glueck (60-64) and Deneen Venters of Newport News (race walk).
More than 3,000 miles away, and in a totally different type of running event was the USATF National Masters Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif., with the temperatures exceeding 100 degrees (although a dry heat, with low humidity, and a low dew point). Rob Whitaker, 65, of Yorktown was the only distance runner from Hampton Roads who competed, and his highlight was being part of a U.S. and world record relay team at the 4 x 800-meter distance.
The two records were for the men’s 65-69 age group, and the category was the non-running club category. The team and splits were Tim Owen, 65, of Boston (2:33.9), Whitaker (2:37.7), Michael Lebold, 66 of San Diego (2:35.1) and David Westenberg, 66, of Lowell, Mass. (2:29.8). The team’s relay time was 10:16.67. The former non-club American record was 10:27.85 and the former non-club world record was 10:19.89.
The selection process for the record-setting relay was from the results of the Indoor USATF Masters Championships in March, where Whitaker was fifth in the 800 meters. At that race, Owen, Lebold and Westenberg were part of a relay team that broke the U.S. and world records for the indoor 4 x 800-meter relay for the 65-69 age group. Owen organized the outdoor record-breaking team, recruiting Whitaker to join the group, when one member from the indoor team could not make the outdoor championships. Whitaker had run a 2:35.66 indoors. The relay was essentially a time trial when one other team dropped out late. Whitaker emailed, “Not bragging, but no one was likely to put up a team that would’ve competed against us.” This is definitely the high point of my running career. Congratulations to my teammates who ran so well in 102 degree heat.” The humidity during the relay was 20% and the dewpoint around 50.
After the relay, Whitaker competed in several individual events, placing fifth in the 800 meters (2:37.08 with the temperature 105 degrees) and also fifth in the 1,500 meters (5:27.92). The nationals was his first outdoor meet of the season. Whitaker emailed, “I’ve continued to have injury problems preventing me from competing and training properly.”
Williamsburg’s Steve Chantry was scheduled to have also competed at the Nationals, but the worldwide computer problems canceled his Friday flight, among thousands of other cancellations.
Rick Platt is president of Colonial Road Runners.
