Run-A-Latke 5K - Swampscott

Word at registration was nearly 300 signed up for this scenic 5K course in what remains one of the few road races in Swampscott. This would be a record turn out. Krissy, Nakri and I rolled in an hour before the race 10AM start.  

Nakri and I joined up with Emily McDivitt for a 2 mile warm up. The sun made mid 30's feel mild. I opened up with a 6:19 mile with a slight tail wind. The 2nd mile climbed a bit and got me closer to Christopher Kay as we turned left onto Humphrey Street. This put us into a head wind and inched ahead of Christopher. The course with rise up to 3 miles and I would be passed by him and two others. 

This put me into 11th with the closing 300m and that is where I would finish, 21:09 (6:49 pace), 3rd in the 40-49. My 2nd mile was 6:57 and last was 7:03. Nakri finished 4th, 19:22 (1st 40-49) and Emily was right behind me as first female, 21:42. We headed out for a 2.5 mile cool down before finishing the event with fresh Latke and Sufganiyot (Israeli Doughnut with Jelly). 2022 Run-A-Latke 5K results Race Photos By KrissyK

5th Annual ECTA Thanks for the Trails 5K – South Hamilton

The ECTA Thanks for the Trails 5K is hosted, Friday, the day after Thanksgiving at 10AM in Hamilton. This event was formerly Gabe’s Run and ECTA took it over five years ago. I did a light warm up and got on the line. The plan was to be competitive with the terrain and keep heart rate elevated but not convince Garmin that I raced twice in 24 hours. Garmin was telling me to take a rest day. No rest for the wicked!

Patton Park and the Tank

I let several runner jump out ahead at the start line. It was single file quickly as we rounded the fields and into the woods. I got through the mile in 7:37 and the miles slowed thereafter as there was a decent sized hill in the middle of the second mile. That hill crashed back down into the opening filed and mile two split was 8:06. The hill in the middle of the closing mile was shorter but steeper. The back side of the hill allowed me to stretch the legs and head back to the finish. 

I lost one place on the return. GPS recorded 3.23 so a touch long for a 5K.  26^th place overall, 4^th in an odd age group of M46-55 and an unofficial time of 25:37 or 8:15 pace per mile. My average heart rate was 161 bpm. I connected with Larissa Bifano for a short cool down a minute after my finish. After checking the results I grabbed a cider donut and a cup of soup before heading out for the day. Splits were as follows: 7:37, 8:06 (hill in the middle), 8:17 (hill in the middle) and 6:58 for last .23 miles. Results

Wild Turkey 5 Mile – Salem

With Thanksgiving Day, there was no shortage of races to choose from. I was tossed between the Wild Turkey 5 mile road race in Salem or the Maudslay State Park 5K cross country run in Newburyport. I picked Salem as I had more friends and family invested and the race is so close to home. Krissy and I got there with zero traffic at 6:50 AM getting primo parking at the Salem Commons. She headed out for a course walk with a friend at 7:05. I waited until 7:25 and headed out for a 2 mile warm up with Nakri Dao. Nakri would go on to run a few seconds quicker than last year with a 3^rd place age group time of 31:52. 

The weather was awesome, mid-30’s, bright sun and no wind. A long sleeve under the singlet, shorts and gloves fit the bill. I bought a pair, first for me, of carbon plated shoes made by Asics the day before at New England Running Company in Beverly. "Super shoes" they call them. Supposed to shave seconds off my pace per mile, keep me on my toes, magic! After all they are Magic Speed 2 Ekiden. 

I lined up 3 rows from the front line for the 8AM start. It felt like I was in 100^th place after 400m. I did my thing along Derby Street ensuring to not get too excited. I was expecting to run a sub 7 mile pace all the way today. Mile one passed by in 6:47 (per my GPS recording). I entered the loop into Winter Island for mile 2. Andrew Ernst running with the Notch Brewing kit already had a huge lead. More on that later. I gave a high five to Dan Donato on his exit from Winter Island. He would go on to run 27:15, 4^th OA and first master. 

My 2^nd mile split was 6:53. CMS member, Brian Hutter from Lynnfield was pulling away from me. He would go on for a 33:10. A loop around Salem Neck revealed another 6:47 mile. Now running through Salem Willows to the walkway along the shoreline passing Deadhorse Beach, had a little back and forth with competitors. 

I saw Krissy on the far right walking and cheering. Mile 4 came sooner than I remember from the past just beyond that last hill. That split was a 7:01. From there to the finish, flat as a pancake. 

Maybe I can reel in a few scalps? I was talking myself into catching at last six of them back at mile 3. I think I got 3 of them over the last 2 miles (did not count the kid tossing his cookies on the side of road at 4.8 miles). I wheeled into the finish with plenty of body language to show that I was tired. 83^rd place, 34:04. Almost broke 34 and that would have been sweet. Yet, I will take the 6:48.8 mile pace overall! Did the shoes help any? Hard to say. Maybe a few seconds per mile. The last mile was the quickest for me on the day at 6:42. Heart rate was over 170 for the last three miles.

I regrouped, sunk a bottle of water and headed out for another 1.5 cool down with Nakri who was almost thinking about a 10AM 5K race in Lynn. Now for those who have not peeked at the overall results or for those that have, may overlook the winning time via Andrew Ernst. He managed to break, no, crush the course/event record by 1.5 minutes. He ran 23:25! That is 4:41 pace per mile. The previous record was 24:55 by Russell Brown. I'll try and secure from top times over the past two decades from Doug Bollen and post them up here soon. 

Wild Turkey 5 Mile Results, Salem, November 24, 2022 

Rachel’s Run USATF NE XC GP #5 – Tyngsboro

November 19, 2022 – Rachel’s Run 5K hosted by the Greater Lowell Road Runners was the last of the five cross country races in the USATF New England Cross Country Grand Prix Series. I got to all in the series this fall except #3 hosted in Wayland. This course is a tough one with Abrams Hill. The 5K course is the same 1.5 mile loop done twice. The hill is in the middle of the loop. I warmed up with Todd Callaghan and Nate Jenkins – making his masters debut for CMS. I counted nine CMS guys on the 10:45AM start line made up of three masters and six seniors. 

I was wearing a new pair of New Balance waffle racers which felt awesome. I got out and settled into the back end of the field toward the Notre Dame Academy. Krissy got some race footage as the race stretched out one the trail next to the pond 600m into the distance. Rachel’s Run opening lap video by Kristen

Mark Reeder and John Barbour would pass by me before the mile. I kept them close after Abrams Hill and back out through the end of the first loop but they would open up a gap. I managed to close the gap a bit on Mark after the 2^nd pass of Abrams, getting to within 11 seconds at the finish line where I crossed the finish in 22:21 (7:13) and or 62^nd out of 81 men. 

I had fun and did not feel I left much out on the course. I rounded the guys together for a team photo or two (thank you Krissy!) A half hour later, headed out for a cool down with Iain, Dave H., Nate and Kara. I got into some warm clothes and headed over to Maxamillions down the street for pizza hosted by USATF New England. My splits were 717, 658, 730 (6:04 pace for the last 10^th of a mile). CMS masters and seniors would place 1^st as a team. 

Next up: Wild Turkey 5 Mile in Salem on Thanksgiving Day!

Rachel’s Run 2022 Race Results 

Upcoming races through the end of the year

Below are some fun upcoming races on trails, track and roads, most are on the North Shore.

Essex Turkey Trot

Saturday, November 19, Tyngsboro, MA - Rachel’s Run 5K last race of the USATF NE XC Grand Prix

Sunday, November 20, Essex, MA – Essex Turkey Trot 5K road race (only $20)

Thursday, November 24, Newburyport, MA – Maudslay TurkeyTrot (5K XC) 

Thursday, November 24, Salem, MA – Wild Turkey 5 mile road race 

Friday, November 25, Hamilton, MA – 5^th Annual Thanks for the Trails (5K XC) 

Saturday, December 10, Melrose, MA – The Mount Hood Nutcracker Challenge (formerly Assault on Mount Hood), 3.5 XC

Sunday, December 11, Salem, MA – Festivus 5K for Autism road race

Saturday, December 17, Brighton, MA – 2022 USATF-NE IndoorSeason Opener @ the Track at New Balance, limited schedule

Sunday, December 18, Swampscott, MA – Chanukah Run-a-Latke5K road race (low key but scenic on the Swampscott coastline, views of Boston/Nahant)

 

 

BIGGSteps 5K USATF New England 5K Championship Grand Prix Needham, MA

New 5K within the USATF Grand Prix Series here in Needham. I warmed up on the course with Terry McNatt and CMS teammate Sam Wood. It was flatter than what the course profile looked like with a dip down to 2 miles and a climb out of that. There was a light drizzle for the 10:30 start time. I settled in 10 rows deep next to Shawn Conway. I eased out, took me 8 seconds to cross the timing mat and made sure I did not trip or fall on another competitor. 

The first mile was flat, taken out around 6:30 next to Matt Adams from Beverly (Wicked). I had time to give a fist bump to Dirk Walther from SRR who was watching on the side of the road. He just missed his marathon PR at age 40 in Chicago by less than 5 seconds last month. The 2^nd mile dipped down a bit showing another mid-6 paced mile split. The only climb I recall was after mile two and then it flattened out. Paul Hammond was heard coming on me so I pushed in the last quarter mile to get some room from him and Matt. Last climb came after 3 miles up to the finish in front of the Needham High School where I rolled into a chip time of 21:01, 6:45 mile pace! Paul and Matt finished ahead in the results. Results

Garmin Splits: 626, 638, 701, 623 (.15)

USATF New England Masters Cross Country Championship Franklin Park

Oof! That is how I felt after 2.5 miles into the 8K masters xc race today. A warm and windy day was welcomed but I would have preferred cooler temps. I warmed up with Bill Newsham for 2 miles. My opening two miles were decent but I was already 20 seconds behind Mark Reeder who I have been matched well within in recent months. In the end, 36:22, 66^th place in the preliminary results. Maybe only 33 runners behind me but no one younger. It was nice to be with the team and have my dad on hand as we got there early and set up the Central Mass Striders tent 2 hours before the 10AM 40+ race. I had to leave early so not sure how the open guys did. Masters-wise, looks like CMS was 3^rd overall and 50+ may have won it! Masters results and video link next to each finisher: Results

 

Photo by Rodney Hemingway

Photo by Rodney Hemingway

Great Bay 5K

Great Bay 5K results October 29, 2022

This is a fast point to point course. I got to the race late, 30 minutes before the start. Sadly was thinking about bailing as the right achilles has been hurting. Not wanting to lose another entry fee, put the NB flats on, warmed up and got on the line five rows back from the start. Weather was nice maybe around 40 degrees. Jumped into a 6:22 mile, going off far before the Garmin GPS mile which never picked up a single at the start. The 2nd mile was a bit slower but never saw a split. The folks I was tagging along with pulled away a bit. I tried to stay focused on the last mile that rolls a bit. Coming onto the finish line, was shocked to see 19's as I closed in. Crossed the line in 20:02 official time, 47th place. I was pumped as it was the fastest 5K since 2019 for me before the meniscus surgery. I was pretty close to breaking 20 minutes which was my 5K goal last year. 

With Dave and Krissy after the race in front of the Great Bay Discovery Center

Crossing the finish line

Striding into the finish

Photo by GSRS over the line

Next race: New England XC Championships, Masters 8K, Franklin Park

Brown Bear Invitational XC

October 1, 2022 - This was race #2 in the New England XC Grand Prix Cross Country series which has five races total. I was not thrilled with the 1pm start for the men’s combined 8K (all ages), I was looking forward to running a race at Highland Park in Attleboro which was purchased by the town and converted much of the former golf course into a cross country course for the local schools and community. The CMS limo arrived with Dunham behind the wheel and Verrington riding shot gun. Parking was tight as we were the last race of the day while the women were just getting started. 

The morning rain let up on our noon time arrival. After a warm up and picking up my bib number, team CMS got on the line that included five seniors and me the lone master. There were a few open clubs but mostly the collegiate running clubs. The course was four continuous loops that went through the start line area thus was very spectator friendly. It was surprisingly mud free and not saturated so footing was decent under my Adidas spikes. On the opening loop, I moved past teammate, Brent Ashmore, getting into the 5^th place for the team.

Back and forth with Mark Reeder on the rolling terrain

Trailing Mark on the steepest and shortest hill that we saw three times

I had a little back and forth with a few but could feel a fade half way through the race. As the laps passed by, the race would thin out. Mark Reeder would move on by around 3 miles and I kept him close enough over the next 3K to reel him in on the final straight away. I ran 35:57.9 good for 180^th place out of 215 overall. I could see such a course lay host to a National USATF Cross Country race in the future if parking could accommodate. 

Brown Bear Invitational Men’s XC 2022 results

 

Boston Scientific 5K Marlborough

Boston Scientific 5K September 27, 2022 Marlborough, MAResults 

My company put on a 5K on a Tuesday afternoon in Marlborough. It has been three years since the last time the race was hosted (June of 2019) where I ran mid-19’s. I bumped into a former Salem State Cross Country buddy, Tony Brancleone, who works for RaceWire as a Sales Representative. I have not seen Tony since his days at Saucony over seven years ago.  

I got in a mile warm up around the campus. The start was a nice slow descent which put me in around 12^th place 400 meters in. It flattened out for the first mile but dropped down into mile 2 along the Assabet River Rail Trail. 

Coming back up the Assabet Rail Trail

I picked up two places in the last 400 meters on the tough climb back to the campus finish. My finish time was 21:16, 11^th place, 4^th master. I jogged a short distance to grab a dry shirt followed by hanging out for the BBQ and ice cream. This was the perfect way to spend a lunch hour.  

Mile       Pace      Elevation

1              6:29        -40ft

2              6:40        -84ft

3              7:30        116ft

.10          6:26        8ft

Lone Gull 10K USATF New England Grand Prix 10k Championship

September 25, 2022 – It was a perfect weather day for this coastal 10K road race in Gloucester with sun and low 60’s. This race has hosted the New England 10K Championship for at least the last decade. I have not raced it since 2018. The start and finish are at Good Harbor Beach, separated by a quarter of a mile. I started next to Thom McMahon and Mark Reeder. It took us 12 seconds to get over the start line as we about a dozen rows deep. 

Around 4.5 miles

I got in behind John Barbour up and over the first hill. The crowd was thick as we stayed on the far right allowing oncoming car traffic going South. John led Gary Daniels (CMS’r in the past) and I through a mile in 6:44. 2^nd mile was covered in 6:47 and had a CMS teammate a few seconds away in Gwen Ridgway. She would be a beacon for the rest of the course that I could not catch. 

Next to Mark Reeder beyond 4 miles
Photo by Rodney Hemmingway

The next mile had a climb to the high point of 59ft above sea level, offering my slowest mile in 7:02. Mark Redder rolled up on me before 4 miles which passed in 6:51. My legs were wired but managed to keep the pace with Mark. A 6:57 mile at 5 miles had Deb Downs from SRR pushing any comfort away. I was ready for one last push once I reached the beach parking lot and managed to pass Mark but not Deb. The last mile split was 6:51. I finished with a chip time of 42:52 (6:54/mi), gun time 43:04.

With Deb Downs and Mark Reeder

Into the finish line

Photo credits to Shannon Cram, Rodney Hemingway and Granite State Race Services.

Lone Gull 10K USATF New England Grand Prix 10k Championship Race Results 2022

A look back at the recent past, Lone Gull 10K times since 2015 (hand time).

2018       37:44

2016       36:06

2015       35:49

18th Annual Run for the Trails 5 mile

Results 

Sept 17, 2022 - This was a fun trail race where one loop was good for 5 miles and others opted for two loops for 10 miles. Right away, a field of over 140 set afoot with a heart rate rising hill a minute into the loop. This thinned out the crowd right away where I seemed to be in the top 15 on the edge of the Harvard Forest and Patton Park. 

Shortly after the start before the hill

I crossed over the Cutler Rd and into Appleton Farms where I kept company with eventual 2^nd place female 10 mile finisher, Samantha Aprea. I pulled ahead on the return back to Patton Park. However, before crossing over the train tracks in the Pingree area, the fellow in front of me turned right. He had about 15 seconds on me and I followed but it did not seem right as I did not see a course marker for the turn so I yelled ahead and said we were off course. 

I turned back and there was Samantha and Kevin Littman who were trailing me looking confused. We bunched up and got back onto course where I scooted ahead to finish up the last .6 miles of the course. I finished 5^th overall in the 5 mile with a time of 37:43, nearly 3 minutes behind 4^th place. I am not sure where the runner who went off course wound up finishing. 

I spoke to a few race organizing folks right away about the lack of markers and offered to run back out on the course to mark and stand by there for a bit which I did. It looks to me that a neighbor pulled some course flagging down before the race. Shame on the South Hamilton resident.

Mile Splits

1                     7:58

2                     7:12

3                     7:26

4                     7:45

5                     7:15

Place First Last Division Gender Time  

1 David Long                      40‐49 M  00:32:26.55  

2 Salvatore Frontierro    40‐49 M  00:33:35.82

3 Dan West                         30‐39 M  00:33:54.03

4 Jacob Roy                         <29   M  00:34:30.75

5 James Pawlicki               40‐49 M  00:37:43.68

6 Patrick McCafferty       30‐39 M  00:39:58.90

7 Freddi Tribeck                50‐59 F  00:40:11.36

8 Robert Gilfillan              40‐49 M  00:40:36.85

9 John Mulroy                   60‐69 M  00:41:06.47

10 Samantha Goedeke 30‐39 F  00:42:07.36

Greater Boston Track Club XC Invitational 5K

Cross Country race season kicked off with the Greater Boston Track Club XC Invitational 5K at the Great Brook Ski Touring Center in Carlisle, MA this past Sunday. CMS had just enough runners, five, at the start line in the masters 5k that started at 9:30AM. A field of 52 runners set off on the three loop course. The first loop was around the corn field as runners get into position and visibility of who is within 30 seconds ahead. There were plenty of spectators around yelling for the old guys!

Loop two was a mix of the woods and back around the corn field and the spectators. The runners in front of me were thinning out and opportunity to move past someone was getting harder as we all locked into our paces among peers. We headed back into the woods after 11 minutes into the race for the longest and toughest loop with some hills. I had some back and forth with GLRR, Peter LaGoy. He passed me with 400m to go and I could not close the 2 second gap at the end.

I finished 32^nd with a time of 21:37.9 and was the 5^th man for the Central Mass Striders masters team. We placed 3^rd out of four scoring teams (each team needs five to finish). CMS was only 1 point behind 2^nd place Tracksmith Boston Hares and 2 points ahead of Greater Lowell (GLRR) who had the top runner in the field. I ran a cool down with the team for another 5K unrelated to the course so I got a daily total of over 9 miles for the day. 

I hope to attend three out of the next four USATF New England Cross Country Grand Prix races which will conclude in November. Aside from that I am lined up for the 18^th Annual Run for the Trails in Hamilton this weekend and thinking about the Ravenswood Trail Race in the middle of October.

CMS finishers 

4 Arthur Besse 17:32

5 Ian Ridgway 17:37

18 Dan Verrington 19:41

20 Dave Dunham 19:58

32 James Pawlicki 21:37

Individual Results 

Team Results 

2022 USATF NE XC GP Schedule 

Sun Sep 11 - GBTC XC Invitational,Carlisle MA
Sat Oct 1 - Brown Bear Invitational, Attleboro MA
Sun Oct 9 - Wayland XC Festival, Wayland MA
Sun Nov 6 - USATF-NE XC Championships, Boston MA
Sat Nov 19 - Rachel's Run, Tyngsboro MA

 

Lynn Woods Relay

Late August brings us the Lynn Woods Relay race which is a fun 4 X 2.5 mile event. The event is part of the weekly Lynn Woods fun runs that occur every Wednesday in the summer. I reached out to the CMS team, seeking to recruit four teams: open (under age 39), masters (age 40-49), senior (age 50-59) and veterans (age 60+) team. 

I was able to fill all but a veterans team for the August 24^th race. The recent wild fires within Lynn Woods Reservation forced a shutdown and no access to the woods. As a result, the event was postponed until August 31, pending the reopening of the woods. The date change also caused a conflict with three runners but we were thankful for some last minute replacements so that the open and masters teams would be filled out.

Dave Dunham would be chosen as the honorary Lynn Woods “CowBell” starter to get the 61 teams off at 5:40PM. I was running the 4th leg on the CMS masters team so I got a chance to warm up and watch the first three legs of the race.

It was awesome to see the opening leg for the three CMS teams come down into the exchange in order (Grandfield 15:12, Veiga 15:31 and Dao 15:47) to set the table to a great start. The Seniors would hold their divisional spot through each leg for the win. The masters team would lose the 2^nd place hold in the 40+ division on the last leg where I got blown out by Mike Paulin by over 2.5 minutes. But it was the open team who quietly moved up a place each leg. Dan Vassallo would take a 28 second deficit heading into the last leg, smoke the fastest run of the day (13:09) and take over the lead onto an open team win by almost a minute.

2022 LYNN WOODS 10 MILE RELAY

AUGUST 31, 2022

1 . CENTRAL MASS STR OPEN (95)             57:35

  MATT VEIGA                 15:31     15:31

  CALEB EVANTER              30:19     14:48

  TIMOTHY SHEA               44:26     14:07

  DAN VASSALLO               57:35     13:09

2 . WICKED AFTERBURN (241)                 58:29

  DREW FOSSA                 14:57     14:57

  CHRISTOPHER CHAPRUET       29:44     14:47

  JUNYONG PAK                44:38     14:54

  STEVE DOWSETT              58:29     13:51

3 . NOTCH BREWING PALE LAGER (1)           58:35

  KYLE TAYLOR                14:15     14:15

  GREG KARAS                 28:58     14:43

  CALEB HARRIS               43:58     15:00

  ALEX TROTSKY               58:35     14:37

4 . NOTCH BREWIN LAGERED FOREVER (15)    1:01:42

  SHAWN CONWAY               14:41     14:41

  RICK BRANDT                29:49     15:08

  BRIAN CULLINAN             46:23     16:34

  DAN DONATO               1:01:42     15:19

5 . SHAKE WEIGHTERS (295)                1:05:02

  TOM WALKER                 15:49     15:49

  PETER GUZA                 32:52     17:03

  JAKE AQUINO                49:06     16:14

  CHAS HODGDON             1:05:02     15:56

6 . CENTRAL MASS STR 50+ (91)            1:06:40

  SCOTT GRANDFIELD           15:12     15:12

  DAVE DUNHAM                32:20     17:08

  DAN VERRINGTON             49:20     17:00

  MIKE MCKIE               1:06:40     17:20

7 . WICKED WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE (231) 1:07:04

  JONAH HULBERT              16:44     16:44

  MATT ADAMS                 34:41     17:57

  MICHAEL O'CONNOR           51:44     17:03

  MICHAEL PAULIN           1:07:04     15:20

8 . NOTCH BREWING KOLSCH BOIS (5)        1:07:25

  WILL KEEFE                 15:09     15:09

  CHRIS BIROTTE              31:54     16:45

  DAVID RICHARDSON           50:50     18:56

  MATT ROWAN               1:07:25     16:35

9 . CENTRAL MASS STR 40+ (85)            1:09:34

  NAKRI DAO                  15:47     15:47

  BRIAN HUTTER               33:31     17:44

  WILLIAM JACKSON            51:42     18:11

  JIM PAWLICKI             1:09:34     17:52

10. WICKED TOUCH OF GRAY (251)           1:10:38

  IAN EDWARDS                18:19     18:19

  DONALD WITHEE              35:25     17:06

  BOB CALLAHAN               52:32     17:07

  ALEN YEN                 1:10:38     18:06

 

Vineyard Hill Trail Run - Hamilton, MA

ECTA, Essex County Trail Association, hosted this 5K/10K combination trail race in Hamilton. I have never been within the Vineyard Hill area despite being next to Bradley Palmer State Park. I miss running over there and since a paid parking requirement in the parking lots, my presence has been missing. 

I met Dan Verrington for a course preview and warmup over the 5K course. We joined up with Paul Stacey on the course. The 10K runners would do the course twice. I was glad that I was just doing the 5K and seemed just right for my fitness. 

After a good clean start from the parking lot, I settled into 10th place before hitting single track a few minutes into the course. I managed to move up a few places after a mile while being careful on every down hill. 

I got away from the nearest runner behind me and I lost track of the sight of Dave Hannon ahead. The ensuing hills proved to test the heart rate and provide periods of recovery while being isolated of competitors to the end aside from seeing the 10K runners heading back out as I neared the finish. 

I crossed the finish line in 5th place, 2 minutes and 10 seconds behind Dan, with a time of 24:08 (7:46 pace). Old friend, Dave Hannon, would embark another tour of the 5K course to win the 10K edition twenty minutes later. After a few cups of water and a banana, I did a short cool down with Paul Stacey, Dave Long and Dan Verrington. I got a gift certificate to New England Runner for taking the age group, excluding the top 3 overall runners. 

Vineyard Hill Trail Run 5K results 2022

John Carson July 4th 2 mile

One of my favorite road races here which is a 2 mile point to point course with 3/4 of it along a parade route full of spectators in Chelmsford. CMS is usually well represented here with an open runner in the top five and masters or seniors ranking up there as well. Good to see Dave Lapierre, Joe Shairs and Dave Dunham here. Also saw CMS folks like Andy Sieracki and Lisa Sternstrom who grew up in Chelmsford, going to school with John Carson before his tragic accident.

I got into the start about 15 rows deep, unable to avoid the surround of anxious teenagers who bolt out way too fast or clog the way to the finish. I spent the opening half mile like an NFL running back juking, swerving - trying to find space. Finally, once on the parade route, space granted and the pass frequency per meter slowed to 1.2 runners. Mile 1 approached sooner than expected, hearing a split of 6:47, about my goal. A generous downhill stretch followed and could see Eric Beachesne ahead so I tried to close in but ran out of space. 

I reached the line in 13:17, 66th place. 6:38 pace. Dunham and Shairs placed 1 and 2 within their age group. They waited for me long enough to grab Watermelon and water before a 3 mile cooldown with a few minutes on the Bruce Freeman trail before getting out to 1.5 miles on the course and running through the parade! Results

Trav’s Trail 3 mile Cross Country Newburyport, MA Maudslay State Park

It was nice to get back to this fun 3 mile cross country race at Maudslay State Park. This was the 20^th Anniversary of Travis Landreth’s unfortunate passing. My last decade or so blog archives shows that I have done the race in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. I have at least 3 coffee mugs from the event, coveted age group prizes.

That last effort in 2018 was an 18:18 time worth 12^th place. I ran a one mile warm up with Rich Tabbut going down to the bridge and back about 20 minutes before the start time. It was sunny and humid. Fortunately 90% of the course is in the shade. I kept the trainers on and got out to the wide start line. 

With my right achilles a bit tender, I eased out with a 7:16 mile, positioned a few slots behind Mimi Fallon and Edmund Connor. Mile two was a bit quicker, 7:06, as Ed and I would go back and forth hitting the bridge with less than a half mile to go. I got past him on the way up the hill and crossed the finish line with a time of 20:49, 6:57 pace, 17^th place, 7^th in the 40-49 age group. GPS measured out to be 2.92 miles. CMS's Greg Putnam would place 3rd overall and top senior, just getting under 17 minutes. 

After a few bottles of water and a banana, I headed out for a cool down with Tim Morin as we caught up on his running and upcoming plans for the summer.

Trav's Trail 3 mile May, 22, 2022 race results

Top 20 below

20TH ANNUAL TRAV'S TRAIL 3 MILE XC RACE ....NEWBURYPORT MA MAY 22, 2022 Place Name Age S City Time1 Pace ===== =================== === = =============== ======= ===== 1 RUBEN SANCA 35 M 15:52 5:18 2 JUSTIN MALONEY 43 M 16:40 5:34 3 Gregory Putnam 52 M Stoneham 16:53 5:38 4 NICK ROOSA 36 M 17:08 5:43 5 PAUL LAROSA 45 M 17:35 5:52 6 MARK LAROSA 43 M 17:51 5:57 7 KEVIN ALLIETTE 40 M Methuen 18:12 6:04 8 CHRIS KEALEY 54 M 18:29 6:10 9 Brett Ely 42 F Eugene 18:59 6:20 10 TIM MORIN 39 M 19:05 6:22 11 Beardo McBeardface 46 M 19:22 6:28 12 Joe Gross 47 M Newburyport 19:45 6:35 13 Paul Wertz 18 M 20:02 6:41 14 Kara Haas 51 F CHELMSFORD 20:04 6:42 15 Charlotte Furman 22 F Newburyport 20:09 6:43 16 Mike Haas 49 M Chelmsford 20:33 6:51 17 James Pawlicki 47 M Lynn 20:49 6:57 18 EDMUD CONNOR 61 M 20:53 6:58 19 Matt Contorchick 44 M 21:13 7:05 20 MIMI FALLON 57 F 21:21 7:07