Each fell well short of expected goal pace as 30,000+ marathoners clogged the course and made Boston qualifying times an unreachable goal.

Mark Lerner had the best time thanks to a high seed (#6223) befitting his near legendary status as a veteran marathoner. Mark lost 1 minute getting to the starting line, but then ran 8:25 pace for the first 10Km. Mark's half marathon time was 1:51 and for 20 miles it was 3:00:05 with an overall finishing time of 4:04:48.

Dave Jefska was approximately 17,000 runners behind Mark at the start, so it took Dave 9:41 to get to the starting line. For the first 10Km, Dave ran 53:37 followed by 1:54:44 for the half marathon, and 3:01:14 for 20 miles, before finishing at 4:14:44.

Ex-Strider Jen Gormley, who a couple of years ago moved to Clinton with her husband, was forced into 11:32 just to reach the starting line and then ran a net time of 1:14:34 for 10Km. Jen ran 2:20:58 for the half marathon, 3:37:25 for 20 miles and finally 4:43:35 for the complete marathon.

None of the three came close to qualifying for Boston by running in NYC. However, Mark Lerner had already qualified with a fine performance at the 2001 Bay State Marathon.

• "Latest news" drop-down on main page - links will take you directly to saved items (some temporary notices are just informative).
• Archive page (accessible from the Articles page)
• Activities page now covers: Calendar, Hosted Races, Training, After Hours
• Most links are now on the "Links" page
• Calendar extended thru Dec, 2003 (but needs more details about races)
• Additional changes
• Forum - I had to remove old messages for compatibility reasons - my apologies and it should not be necessary to do this again, unless we move to a completely different Forum software package. :-)

A special thanks to Dave Sullivan, who solved all of the difficult problems that arose in the transition.

Once you figure all of this out, you will receive a degree in higher road race competition logic. You may ask, "Why did Mary and her teammates seem to disguise their employer's name and why they choose the interesting name that they did?" You will just have to ask Mary, the next time you see her. Also, it seems that Mary was the only runner to represent the Striders in this race. In any event, congratulations to Mary and the FHS's on their victory in the XSB division.

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On Sunday, I was up at 4 am. Dave Jefska and Jerry arrived at my house at 5:45am to drive to Sue Besse's house in Middleton and hook up with Sue, Pat Michaud and Colleen Depew. Dave Jefska and Pat would run the half marathon and also be the support crew for the four marathoners.

The six of us rode to Lowell in Sue's SUV with Dave driving. We parked on the street a block and a half away from the finish in a choice parking spot that Dave Atchason had scoped out the day before. Meanwhile, Dave Atchason was driving up to Lowell with Sue Reamer, his personal trainer and medical support person.

Four of us made a first trip to the porta-johns at 7 am when the lines were merely long. Half an hour later, on the second trip, the lines were enormous. There upon, Sue Besse and Colleen went off to look for an indoor bathroom. Sue was heading for a church steeple in the distance with a promise to join that church if they'd let her use their facilities. (Instead of a "death bed conversion" this would be a "starting line conversion.")

Sue returned in a few minutes with the news that on the way to the church, they'd found the Lowell Police Department, which had indoor plumbing, heat and no lines. Jerry and I jumped out of line and followed Sue to the LPD where she had left Colleen. From the LPD we jogged to the starting line, arriving 1 minute before the start. When we got to the Marathon starting line, Sue estimated 600 marathoners. Since there would be 634 finishers, hire Sue if you need a reliable estimate of crowd size.

The three races lined up on the same street heading in the same direction: the 10K in front to start at 8am, the half marathon a quarter mile back to start at 8:05, and the marathon 200 yards further back to start at 8:10. Needless to say, since the three races ran on the same street together for over two miles, there soon developed a single moving throng of 1800+ runners. At the Rourke Bridge, the mob broke into two with the 10K and Half Marathon participants turning right while the marathoners went straight ahead.

Colleen DePew was running her first marathon and just wanted to finish on her feet without embarrassing herself. Dave Atchason had already qualified for Boston when he ran 3:55 at Bay State last year and was now attempting to improve his seeding at Boston, based on a training program of a single long run and a steady diet of weekly climbs on the most difficult mountains of New Hampshire. Jerry Young and Sue Besse were each trying to qualify for Boston with a time under 3:45. I needed a qualifying time of under 4:00, but I wanted to see if I could stay with Sue and Jerry, run under 3:45 and maybe place in my age group. Jerry had picked out a pace of 8:30 a mile which would be good for about 3:42 to give himself a cushion toward qualifying. Dave Atchason had been planning to run behind us at 8:31 pace, but instead started in front of us and then broke out to an early lead which he held for almost 9 miles before making a two minute pit-stop in the woods. Sue, Jerry and I must have run by at that point because we never saw Dave again after he had run away from us at the first water stop.

For the first 4 miles, Jerry, Sue and I averaged an 8:12 pace with Sue pushing the pace up an early hill. Jerry then slowed us down to 8:16 pace for the next 6 miles. At 13 miles we were still feeling and looking good as evidenced by our picture on the web page. However, repeating at 14-15 miles the hills we had first run at 4-5 miles left me wondering if I'd be able to finish under 4 hours. My right calf was feeling sore and ready to cramp. The rest of me wasn't feeling so hot either.

No Gatorade, only water, at 16 miles heightened my concern. And then, as we headed up to the Tyngsboro Bridge for the second time, I suddenly went from running just off Jerry's shoulder to running 20 yards behind him with Sue right behind me. It seems that Jerry got spooked by a slow mile and picked up the pace again.

At the bridge entrance, Jerry stopped just for an instant and grabbed his hamstring. Before I could complete the thought that this was a bad sign for Jerry, he was back on pace and even picking it up slightly. In the 19th mile the gap widened to 100 yards. I told Sue that this looked like payback for the Lynn 30K the month before.

From the Tyngsboro Bridge to the finish the marathon course runs along Pawtucket Boulevard and is a mostly flat 7+ miles. There was a moderate tail wind blowing on marathon day. Despite that objective data, it seemed like we ran uphill for the first 3 miles of the 7. At the water stop just past 22 miles, Sue and I spoke for the last time as we walked for 20 seconds and drank Gatorade. During the next mile, I felt like I increased the tempo, but even so, a young woman easily passed me. As she went by I exclaimed, "Go get 'em. You're running great." She demurred that she was hurting. "Well," I said, "you may feel like shit, but you're looking good." Another half mile and I realized that I was now catching her, even as she continued to overtake other runners.

When Linda Scannell jumped in beside me at 23 miles, the pace increased once again. At the next water stop, I realized my lungs craved air as much as my stomach craved Gatorade. Linda kept talking and I kept running. Jerry could hear Linda as we overtook him. But my focus was not on Jerry; it was on gray-haired guys. On the last uphill before the Aiken Street Bridge, I passed the 60 year old from New Jersey who would finish 2nd in the 60-64 age group. As Linda and I surged up Aiken Street to the ball park, former Strider Jen Gormley was on the street cheering and Neil was at the top of the Stadium snapping pictures and cheering and then the Wild Woman was shouting, "Way to go, Michael!" Inside the park I had to run along the warning track in the outfield from the third base side to the first base side. In the middle of the warning track were two pitcher's mounds for warming up the relief pitchers. In the left field corner, I ran around the mound, which was not easy to do after running 26 miles. So in the right field corner I ran over the top of the mound and tried to accelerate down its face. That was no easier. But I looked up and saw that if I sprinted, I might break 3:41. The picture posted on the web site of me just after I crossed the finish line shows me listing to the right ready to fall into the staging. But somehow I managed to stay on my feet.

Jerry also managed to stay on his feet after finishing, although he needed a volunteer to help him. Jerry ran a Boston qualifying time with 2 minutes to spare, without succumbing to the hamstring problems that had plagued him in two out of his last three marathons and that, back at the Tyngsboro Bridge, seemed ready to strike again.

Sue Besse ran strong for 24 miles, but faded just enough at the end to miss qualifying for Boston She ended up finishing at 3:48:40, her third sub-3:50 finish in her third marathon. She is so ready for a break-through performance.

I've been trying to figure out why Jerry and I were able to qualify and Sue wasn't. Sue is certainly faster than us, as evidenced by the vicious beating she gave us at the Apple Harvest Race. She's also tougher: she insisted we run 22 miles in training on a day when Jerry and I were willing to settle for 20. When Sue and I ran repeat miles on the track, she ran on the outside lane, smiling and talking, while I grimly and silently hugged the inside. Finally it hit me: I had the most massages from John Gillis and I finished first among us three. Jerry also went to John Gillis, but not as much as me. Jerry credits John with saving Jerry's marathon for him. Jerry lost two weeks of training around Labor Day, but a couple of sessions with John Gillis put him back in contention for a Boston qualifying run. So there you have it: the Boston Qualifier's Edge is John Gillis!

What a difference a day makes, especially a cool day. Dave Jefska was left for road kill by his training partners Jerry Young and myself on Saturday, October 5 at 11 miles of a 17-mile training run. Dave had to slowly run the last 6 miles back to the Anchor Pub by himself when the high humidity got the better of him. Sunday October 6 dawned clear and cool with low humidity and a northwest wind. Dave proceeded to leave Jerry and me in the dust as he ran 34:52. I managed a 36:37 while unsuccessfully chasing Tom Lubas (36:35). Meanwhile, Jerry ran shoulder to shoulder with me for 3.5 miles before falling back to avoid an incipient hamstring cramp. Jerry finished in 37:15, still a significant improvement over his previous best on that course. Apparently, Dave Jefska is a runner more adversely effected by heat and humidity than lots of other runners. For example, at the Newburyport 10-Mile Race, held two days after Dave climbed Mount Washington, Dave fell apart in the heat and humidity at 7 miles. However, at the Cape Ann 15.5 Mile race on Labor Day, which was only one day after Dave again climbed Mount Washington, the cool, rainy day allowed Dave to run an excellent race. The prospect of cool temperatures and low humidity in November, makes Dave's choice of the New York City Marathon an excellent decision.

After the Apple Harvest Race on Sunday, Mary Stevens continues to hold the slightest of leads in the Women's Open division of the Strider Series by virtue of being at every race in the series from 5K to 25K (Cape Ann) and making every race a quality effort. Each race for Mary is a reflection of the effort she puts into weekly track workouts.

Mary has 37 points in the Strider series to lead Sue Besse and Jen Crawford by 1 point each. Sue Besse kept alive her string of finishing 2^nd in her Strider division in each of the four series races she entered. This consistency also kept her in 2^nd place overall in the series. On Sunday, Sue was also 2^nd Woman in the Open division of the Apple Harvest race. Sue is currently the fastest active marathoner among Strider women. (The fastest inactive marathoner among Strider women is currently concentrating on being a photo-journalist of the marathon.)

Jen Crawford, as usual, finished 1^st in the Open Division among Strider Women. Jen also finished 1^st in the other three Strider Grand Prix Series races she entered. Jen almost was a no-show at the Apple Harvest Race when she went to the Anchor Pub at 8 am for her usual Sunday long run. When no one else showed up, Jen went home and discovered that everyone else had gone to West Newbury for the 12:30 pm race. Jen did likewise and then cruised to victory in the Women's Open division of the race itself in 35:41, a pace a minute per mile slower than her pace in the spring. Jen has been dogging it in training lately, especially on Thursday nights when a number of us have been able to stay with her for 6 to 8 miles. I've been wondering lately if Jen can be slowing down due to advancing age. [Actually, Jen is multiplying (please forgive my poor math joke), rather than aging - see note in pix. Editor]

Jill Page is close behind in 4^th place in the Women's Open division of the Strider series, and would probably have been in a virtual tie with the preceding three fast women if she hadn't missed one race for the funeral of a favorite aunt. On Sunday, Jill ran to a third place finish in the Women's Open division of the Apple Harvest Race.

Sue Tanona was 1^st Woman Master at The Apple Harvest Race in a time of 34:43 (a minute faster than Jen). Sue is the only Strider to have a personal fan club, The Beverly Farms STC. These guys are so dedicated that they show up every Sunday morning, fifty-two weeks per year, to cheer Sue on her training runs. And Sue, for her part, rewards their devotion by trying to have every long training run go by the Beverly Farms Fire House.

With your help, we were able to raise $5,000 and will turn this into an annual fundraising event.

Enclosed please find a Certificate of Appreciation as a token of our gratitude.

Thank you again for your support. Together we will find a cure for Progeria!

Sincerely,

Audrey Gordon, Esq.
President and Executive Director

At the Tune-up, Mike started off in a small pack with Jerry Young and Dave Jefska, and then shamelessly drafted off of them into a head wind across the causeway to Nahant, before letting them pull him up and over Little Nahant and the first big hill of Big Nahant.

At 7 1/2 miles, Dave backed off the pace and let Jerry continue as the "rabbit" for another 4 miles.  After that Mike was on his own.   Thanks to Jerry and Dave's help, Mike was able to run 2:32:03 and wallop his closest competition in the age group by 28 minutes.

Jerry finished in 2:41:38 while tuning up for the Bay State Marathon. Dave, unlike most "rabbits," did not step off the course after setting the early pace, but held on to finish in 2:55:19.  Dave has decided to forego being a rabbit again and, instead, concentrate on running a quality marathon in New York City in November.  Also, saving his best for a fall marathon was, Neil "Snail" Bernstein, who gamely got through about 3/4 of the course, before deciding that was a long enough training run and walked back to the finish line.  Joining Dave in New York will be Mark Lerner who struggled in with a 2:51:31 after his left knee gave out at 7 miles, then his right knee gave out at 9 miles and finally, with no knees left, he was forced to back off the pace at 10 miles.

Following other sexagenarians in other weekend races, Wally Kurz ran The Libbey Brakely 5K in North Andover in 21:39.  Unfortunately, since there was no 60+ category, only 50-99, Wally finished 6^th in his age group, losing out to 5 young kids aged 50-55.  Also, George Geis was 1^st M60-69 in 21:06 and 12^th overall in the CMARC 5K in Woburn on 9/22/02.  Joining him on the victory stand was Carol Geis as 1^st F60-69 in a time of 38:18.  This is a great rarity: husband and wife 1^st in their respective age groups.

Editor's note:  Mention should also be made of the band of NSS volunteers who also brought their many talents to the Lynn Tune-up: Cyndi and Joe Shairs, Gary Freedman, Mike Page, Wally "finish shute monitor" Kurz, Linda "gofer" Jenkins, Dave Sullivan, and Chris and Rene "Air Jordan" Merritt for finish line services and Jen Crawford, Linda Scannell (back from MIA?), Nancy Wilson, Glenn and Cindy Diamond, George Geis and Rich Tabbut for providing much-needed water on a long course and a warm, humid day.  And finally, Sal and Liza Genovese for their moral support at Mile 11 and for some hopefully great pics of the runners.  Let's see if we can get an even better turnout next Saturday in Peabody!