Wicked Frosty Four

Keeping with the New Years tradition, the Frosty Four Mile race hosted by the Wicked Running Club was in order. The weather was sunny, in the low 30’s with very little wind to complain about. I ran a mile and a half warm up with neighbors, Eric and Dennis. I got off to a good, clean start heading down Derby Street trying to keep Eric close but stay controlled. 

I settled into mile 1 behind a Notch contingent of singlets, including Eric, with a 6:48 mile. We rounded the neighborhood behind the Salem Willows and out past Dead Horse beach up the final hill. These miles slowed to 7:11 and 7:13 respectively. I caught Mike Vanne with a half mile to go and gave him some encouragement. We are often finishing our Wednesday Notch runs together so I felt right at home. I would lose one place with 400m to go but held on straight into the fast finish. 

I placed 38^th with a time of 28:26, chip time 28:24 (7:05 pace per mile). I found Eric and headed back to the Village Tavern for some fuel before heading out for a 2 mile cool down via Derby Street, Collins Cove and the Salem Common. I capped off the even by chilling out with the Lynn Woods crew at the Tavern and supported the award winner ceremony in the back room to the diligent MC work by Alan Yen! 

Frosty Four Miles – Salem – January 1, 2024 race results

Wicked Frosty Four Mile

I lined up for the Frosty Four Mile road race in Salem today to kick off the New Year. Unseasonably warm temperatures close to 50 degrees allowed a singlet only. In short, this is basically 2 miles out to the Salem Willows and 2 miles back past Fort Lee. CMS was represented well with Dave Dunham, Dan Verrington, Joe Shairs, and Martin Tighe warming up together. I ran a few minutes with Kevin Delaney from CSU. The start of the race was quick and I settled in after 200m behind Dan Donato (Notch Brewing), Joe, and David Long (Wicked) after a few left hand turns onto Derby Street.

I would trail them down Derby Street by 5 seconds with the mile in 5:42, holding 6th place. I would pass Dan approaching the hill before Winter Island. At mile two (5:47), I was still 4 seconds behind Joe who was a step behind David. Joe would get by David into the wind leaving the Willows. I would catch David with 800m to go. I took the right turn on the Charter Street like a pedestrian and David got a good surge there and held strong to the finish line. I would finish 2.7 seconds back from him and 7.5 behind Joe. My last two miles were 6:04 and 5:55 revealing a head wind. Joe and I would run another 4 miles back to the Willows and back. I got a 1st place age group medal when I got back to the awards at Village Tavern.

               Twelvth Annual Wicked Frosty Four
            Tuesday, January 1, 2019 USATF Certified MA14043JK
         
Place No.  Name                Div/Tot  Div   Ag S City              St Time      Pace     
===== ==== =================== ======== ===== == = ================= == ========= ===== 
    1  709 Dan Chruniak          1/25   M3539 35 M Beverly           MA   22:29.3  5:38 
    2  467 Jonah Hulbert         2/25   M3539 38 M Marblehead        MA   23:03.2  5:46 
    3  411 Joe Shairs            1/31   M5054 50 M Peabody           MA   23:23.2  5:51 
    4  721 David Long            1/36   M4549 45 M Beverly           MA   23:28.0  5:52 
    5  395 James Pawlicki        1/27   M4044 44 M Lynn              MA   23:30.7  5:53 
    6  399 Kevin Delaney         2/31   M5054 50 M Arlington         MA   23:45.8  5:57 

New Years Day Frosty Four mile road race

Heading out into single digit weather is never easy. But when the entry fee is paid for and you know you are showing up with several hundred friends, it is easy. The Frosty Four Mile, hosted by the Tavern in the Square and directed by the Wicked Running Club in the Witch City of Salem. The area was several days into a sub-20 degree cold spell.  I was bundled up pretty good head to toe for the race. Two to three layers depending on the area of the body. I saw plenty of people with just their eye balls exposed on the starting line.

Leaving the Salem Willows on the hunt
Photo by Roger Perham

Ice beard anyone?
Photo by Roger Perham

Dave Dunham and Dan Verrington were the top seeds for each of their Senior age groups heading into the race. My opening six minute mile had me in a deficit trailing Dave by what I judged as 12 seconds and Dan by 4.  I was able to take in the beauty of the 4 degree weather in and out of the area behind the Salem Willows. The water to the right sparkled and shined with ice below the surface. A Christmas tree that lights up at night was in the middle of the secluded cove. 

Mile two clocked in 20 seconds slower but I managed to stay in my place in the race by losing one spot and getting it back passing a runner leaving the willows neighborhood.  A nasty head wind waited while stepping on Resttaurant Row to Dead Horse Beach (faces the Beverly Harbor).

The wind was more or less a cross wind from there back to the finish line. I crossed the finish line in good spirits, seeing my dad on the right hand side, freezing his ass off. He would want it no other way. He admitted not feeling his hands. He bolted home and I regrouped with Dave (placed 6^th, 23:48) and Dan (placed 8^th, 24:27) with a pace I could maintain on a cool down.  

I came back to the Tavern and found myself in the results: 10^th place overall, 1^st in the 40-45 age group, with a time of 25:05.5, 6:17 pace per mile. Jay Frontierro, the gent I passed around mile two, was 11 seconds back, also the same age. Full Results

Dan, Dave and I cooling down after the race
Photo by Roger Perham