John Metzgar and Sean McCormack shatter USA Masters 20 km track record.

~Orange Park Runner sets new American 20 kilometer Track Record ~

John Metzgar has become a near legendary figure on the Jacksonville road running circuit, but in his 42 years he had never run a race on the track before April 2, 2005  There may be another legend in the making as Metzgar, in his track debut, broke the American Masters track record for 20 kilometers by a whopping three minutes in 1:08:21.4  

The unusual 20 kilometer distance, which equates to 12.4 miles and required 50 laps on the 400 meter Bolles School oval, was organized by the Jacksonville Track Club and sanctioned by USA Track & Field.  Only four runners took part in the grueling event.  Sean McCormack, 43, winner of the 2004 Jacksonville Marathon, also bettered the old record of 1:11:36 set by Truman Clark in Santa Monica, CA on 9/12/76 by finishing in 1:10:34.3.  Len Ferman, 41, an All American Masters 1500 meter runner in 2004, started the race but dropped out after 16 laps with a hamstring injury.  Ferman’s son David, 11, winner of the 2004 Jacksonville Grand Prix for his age group, also attempted the distance but only was able to cover 20 laps.

The night was nearly perfect for a record attempt.  The cool, dry air and slight breeze on the last turn were made to order for a long run.  At the start, Metzgar and McCormack shared the lead, and took turns taking the lead for the first 25 laps, covering 10 kilometers in 34:43.  At that point Metzgar picked up the pace, covering the final 10 kilometers in under 33 minutes, and the final 5 kilometers in just 16:44.  “I didn’t really slow down”,  McCormack said.  “He just picked it up and was out of sight.” 

“I might consider running a few more track meets now”, said Metzgar after the race was over.   The next Jacksonville Track Club meet will be held on Friday night, April 15^th at the Bolles School.  The meet will not have a 20 kilometer race, but will have a full slate of events from the 40 yard dash up through the 2 mile run.
                                                                                                            -Len Ferman-

DISTANCE                        Metzgar            McCormack                        L Ferman        D Ferman
    2 km                                6:55                    6:55                    1.6 km    7:07                    6:54
    4 km                                13:55 (7:00)       13:55 (7:00)          3.2 km    14:43                 14:43

    6 km                                20:54 (6:59)       20:54 (6:59)          4.8 km    22:32                 24:15
    8 km                                27:47 (6:53)       27:47 (6:53)          6.4 km    30:03

    10 km                              34:43 (6:56)       34:43 (6:56)
    12 km                              41:31 (6:48)       41:50 (7:07)

    14 km                              48:15 (6:44)       48:59 (7:09)
    16 km                              54:58 (6:43)       56:10 (7:11)

    18 km                              1:01:42 (6:44)    1:03:26 (7:16)
    20 km                              1:08:21.5 (6:39) 1:10:34.3 (7:07) 

Officials:  David Bokros, Steve Edgell, Denise Metzgar, John TenBroeck

Many thanks to Len Ferman for his conception of, publicity for, and assistance with this JTC event.