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Runners on the Way Up
Maurice Pointer– A Top Masters Runner with a Quiet Swagger
By James Moreland
July August 2010
In 2009 Maurice Pointer was tenth overall at the Shamrock Marathon in 2:48:00. His age graded 85.3% was the highest of all the runners in the race.
Maurice Pointer will be turning 55 this September. Little has changed for this popular Baltimore-based runner in the 30 years he has been racing. Pointer is soft spoken about his victories that come even more frequently now than when he first started competing in road races. You would assume he would be pretty confident since he spends so much time at the awards table, yet he always seems a little surprised when he's accepting his latest honor.
In the 2009 WRR Runner Rankings, Pointer was ranked number three for the year in a deep 50-54 division. Not only is he a prolific runner--often racing more than 50 times a year--but he also won his age group 32 times. In addition, he often wins his age group at distances shorter than a 5K.
What's his secret? For one thing, it's having a good training partner. Pointer trains with Remus Medley, another fine masters runner. Medley credits Pointer's slight frame, explaining how he gets better as the distance gets longer.
In 2009, Pointer ran two important April races: the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Miler and Pike's Peek 10K, which he declared his two "worst" races. His time for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile was 58:36 and he finished the Pike's Peek 10K in 36:40. Both of which resulted in a "dismal" second place in his age group. That probably spurred him on to take overall titles in the following 2009 races: Executive Valley 5K (17:44), Potomac Valley Games 10K (35.21), and the MAC Half Marathon (1:21:36). In August of 2009, he had his best race on the hot, hilly, and humid Annapolis Ten Mile course in 57:47 for 12th overall and top master.
This is all a long way from 1979 when Pointer began competing in road races with no real sports background--just a curiosity and a desire to see what he could do. His first race was the BRRC Lake Montebello 4 Mile where he crossed the finish line in an intriguing 28 minutes. He followed that with the Constellation 10K where he ran a blazing 34:47. How's this for impressive? Last year, at age 53, he ran the Annapolis 10 Miler where he had a 10K equivalent of 34:46! How many runners can sustain this type of excellence over 30 years?
Pointer is a long time member of the Potomac Valley Track Club and also the Baltimore Road Runners. He credits his early days at PVTC (known back than as Potomac Valley Seniors) where he honed his skills on the track. He proves that track workouts definitely help a runner stay sharp. Over the years, both clubs have honored him with numerous accolades.
WRR Runner Rankings Competition Heats Up
In 2009, Pointer's best 5K was the Kelly's Shamrock in 17:09. Stephen Chantry (who has turned 55) has already set the bar a little higher by taking out Chuck Moeser's Virginia State record of 17:11 with a sparkling 17:06 at the Queen's Lake 5K this past May. While this may awaken the distracted Moeser (who lately has been either cycling or jumping out of airplanes) it will definitely catch Pointer's attention.
Rick Platt currently has the 10K record in Virginia with a 35:31 set at Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K. One of Pointer's three sub-36:00 10Ks last year was an overall win on the track in McLean with a time of 35:22. Moeser has the Virginia record in the 10 Mile with 57:35, which is how close to Pointer's win at Annapolis last year? A mere 12 seconds---last August Pointer ran 57:47. In addition, maybe this year's Army 10 Miler may bode well for a new record.
Now, after running three marathons this past spring, Mountain Maryland Festival Marathon (3:04:46), Bob Pott's Heritage Trail Marathon (3:00:07), and Potomac River Run Marathon (3:05:45) and winning a half marathon outright in the last month, Pointer is ready to get back to the track and hone that speed. The question WRR Runner Rankings fans want to know: Will he lower this year's 17:30 5K best by this fall?