Tom Dalton Elected to USATF Masters Hall of Fame

Tom Dalton was elected to the USA Track & Field (USATF) Masters Hall of Fame today at the organization’s 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting. Tom was the top vote getter among three candidates nominated for the Cross Country ‘Legends’ category. Legends are those runners who have not been active in a Masters Long Distance Running national championship in the last three years.
 
Tom ran high school for CBA-Syracuse and went on to an All-American career at Siena College, where he qualified for the NCAA D1 National XC Championships three consecutive years. He dominated the Capital Region road racing and XC scene for many years; his Troy Turkey Trot 10k record of 29:43 set in 1980 still stands 40 years later. However, it was Tom’s performances at the national level in Masters XC that cemented his place in the USATF Masters Hall of Fame.
 
From 2000 through 2004, Tom simply had no peers on the Masters XC circuit. He was a 9-time Masters XC Age Group National Champion, and won the overall Masters National Championship race outright 7 times at distances from 5k to 10k. His 15:12 at the age of 46 on the legendary Saratoga Spa State Park (NY) course in the 2004 Championships speaks to Tom’s ability to seemingly defy father time. Tom was USATF Masters Harrier of the Year winner five consecutive years (2000 through 2004), recognizing him as the nation’s top Masters XC athlete. That streak is unmatched; since 2000, only one other athlete has won the honor three years in a row.
 
Tom is the proud father of four adult children and lives in Rotterdam, NY with his wife Debbie. He continues to compete at a very high level in USATF road and XC events.  The Adirondack Association congratulates Tom on this well-deserved recognition by USATF National Masters Hall of Fame.