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Feature Articles - 2003

2002

Dec 14: Jacksonville "32 Miler"
Nov 24: 2:33:20 in Philly
Nov 23: Run Up to Mill Cities Relay--Turkey Trot and Feaster 5
Nov 2: A New York State of Mind
Oct 26: Cape Cod Marathon 2003
Oct 21: Member's night at NE Running Company - Wed, Nov 12
Oct 18: Bill Rodgers to Speak at GDA on Nov 5
Oct 5: Ro-Jack's Run
Oct 5: Striders Harvest Top Spots in W. Newbury 5M
Sep 28: I was Actually Trying to Defend Joe's Title
Sep 20: A Very Scenic Long Roasting
Sep 20: Air Force Marathon
Aug 27: Open Meeting - Sun, Sep 14, 6 pm
Aug 24: Newest Developments on Sunday Long Runs
Aug 9-10: Striders Busy on Weekend Warm and Sticky
Jul 24: NSS Pace Groups
Jul 22: Lauren Wallace and Scott Fraser Honored by USATF-NE
Jul 22: A funny thing happened on the way home from the Feaster Five
Jul 21: My Greenland Trip
Jul 20: Last Two Ironrunners Conquer Stowe 8 Miler
Jul 12: It Takes Moxie to Run This Race
Jul 4: Striders Sparkle at Firecracker 4 Mile
Jun 29: Striders Fizzle as Lions Sizzle
Jun 23: Officer Meeting Quick Take
Jun 18: Talent runs deep at Rossetti 5K
Jun 10: New Blogger Site for North Shore Striders
Jun 8: Going to the Dogs--A Road Trip to Rhody
May 26: Pride and Puddles Were the Order of the Day at Dory Run '03
May 24: A Midsummers Lights Relay - June 20, 2003
May 18: NSS Turns Up the Heat at Hannah
May 17: Mass Rankings of Striders Running Boston Marathon in 2003
May 8: Inspirational article: Art of distance running goes beyond sport
Apr 21: Boston Marathon 2003 Diary
Apr 21: Another 'Watershed' Moment for the Club
Apr 16: Wildwoman Reinvents Self as Ski Racer
Apr 9: Carbo-Loading During Passover
Apr 5: Quick Take on NSS Open Meeting
Apr 4: NSS Boston Marathon Team - 2003
Apr 4: My Goals for 2003-2004 (and Eastern States 20-Miler)
Mar 30: Striders Welcome April in Salisbury
Mar 25: NSS Open Meeting
Mar 9: NSS Lays Down the Law in Wakefield
Feb 19: How to Score Two or More Times Legitimately in a Single Race
Feb 17: Volunteer for: 10th Annual Peabody AOH Race on Mar 16
Feb 2: Great Stew Chase
Jan 20: 'Marathon' is more than run-of-the-mill
Jan 19: Julie Peterson Says, The Key to Running Well is to Keep it in Perspective
Jan 19: Strider Searches for Hidden Gold in Desert Marathon
Jan 19: RabbiMan Doesn't Get Lost - Maintains Sub 4-Hour Pace
Jan 1: Fresh out of the gates in 2003

Jacksonville "32 Miler" by Kevin D. Counihan - Dec 14, 2003 -

Arrival at the Jacksonville Bank Marathon at 14 minutes after the start, this only happens to me. They said there was no parking so I parked 3 miles away in a diagonally straight line to the start line. Race scheduled to begin at 7:00 a.m., at 6:30 I start jogging towards start. Then in heavy rain and darkness, I somehow make a slight left turn. It is now 7 a.m. on my watch. I realize I may be lost. A car stops at the stop sign, I get directions, go back 1.5 miles, take left at light then go 1.5 miles. This is it - pardon my French - but I am so screwed. I run the next 3 miles like a man possessed in 24 minutes.

The starting time chip mats are gone. The timing guy and race director get out of a van and save my life. I tell them I got lost and I already ran 6 miles is there any way you could please start me. They have the official time on their watch, wait until 14:00 minute mark and start me. I press the button on my watch, everything goes EEEEEEE, then it dies. It is 7:24 a.m. and I am off. The race started officially at 7:10 a.m. due to heavy rain and t-storms. The watch really is not a problem as they have digital clocks every two miles.

I have just run a fast 6 miles, I am mentally and physically exhausted, time to run a marathon, 14:00 behind, #2000 out of 2000, dead last. The mind takes over and I am at 10k race pace. I have got to find civilization.

The mile 2 water station, these are the 5 nicest guys on the planet (I love you man). I took in heavy fluids along with a water jug shower, this was my major Indy pit stop. The guy in charge wants to know why I am 10 minutes behind the last runner they had seen. I tell them the whole story, and then I am off. Make no mistake this was a 5 minute water stop and a full regrouping .

This is a beautiful course, there are some ever so slight upgrades, nothing is perfectly flat. At mile 5 I have caught the very back of the very last pack. Thank God, I have run 11 miles by now. I drop out of 10k pace and run whatever pace they are running, for awhile. Nice people, most of them were moving up from 10k's to the half marathon they were running today. Mile 8, trying to get back into the race, picked it back up to marathon race pace.

Mile 13.1, half marathon ends, marathon loops back to start. On the loop my friend from the Maine Marathon yells my name, she is about 2 miles ahead and there is no way I can catch her. Water and Gatorade every 2 miles, Gu at two stations near the end. No fans to speak of but very nice and enthusiastic volunteers. From 13 to 24 I got into my marathon zone, a little slower than I would have liked, but the first unofficial 6 miles and start took a lot out of me.

The mile 24 water stop is also the 2 mile water stop. The fans have arrived. They left their post, they cheered for me, and the head guy ran with me. The last 2 miles were at 5k race, I hit the track in the stadium and floored it. The guys at the start had said when you finish, have a race official write down your number with a plus 14:00 and talk with the race director afterwards. They did, the time is correct, this a class, well organized event. I am coming back next year with a cabbie. Got to love the 3 mile walk back to car to drain some lactic acid build-up.

I love this Game. Up next: Disney Marathon 01/11/04 #5002. Let's go for 4:20:00 - and get it right.

Name	Age	Bib #	Place	Class	Class Place	Finish Time (Gun)	Net Time (Chip)	10K Split	Half Split	20M Split
Kevin D. Counihan	42	356	660	4044M	97	5:05:47	4:51:47	1:15:23	2:30:29	3:50:25
						(11:40)	(11:08)	(12:08)	(11:29)	(11:31)

2:33:20 in Philly by Webmaster - Nov 24, 2003 -

With a 2:33:20 performance (5:50.89 pace!), at the Philadelphia Marathon, Strider A.J. Migonis blazed his way to a triple achievement - lifetime PR by three minutes, fastest Strider marathoner in 2003, and Boston Qualifier (so what if that is obvious). Finishing 19th overall, 12th in the M25-29 age group (notice how competitive that age group is), A.J. bested his 2001 time on the same course by three minutes.

A.J. credits his success to training that went exceptionally well this year - no injuries to speak of and 3 weeks at 100 miles. For the training regimen junkies, he didn't do anything specific by way of speed (track workouts). More, he concentrated on "slower" and "faster" runs.

A.J. hoped that the first stage soreness would be gone by Thanksgiving Day, at which time he expects to get back to running. He was not sure what he will be looking toward in the future. Since he was asked to chaperone the French Club's trip to Paris in April, he may have to miss Boston this year. We'll see.

Name	Age	Bib #	Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Net Time	10K Split	Half Split	20M Split
A.J. Migonis	25M	5102	19	19	12	2:33:25	2:33:20	0:57:10	1:14:49	1:54:44

Run Up to Mill Cities Relay by Mike Pelletier - Nov 23, 2003 -

On Sunday, November 23, a number of Striders couldn’t withstand the allure of the 8K Essex Turkey Trot. Although Essex wasn’t part of the Strider Grand Prix this year, a strong contingent of North Shore Striders returned to try to win a turkey for Thanksgiving. Or maybe they were just prepping for the Mill Cities Relay.

New Masters Runner Maureen O’Reilly set the mark for her fellow Striders by finishing as First Woman Overall in a time of 32:04, edging out a 26-year-old by 8 seconds. Maureen was joined in the women’s top ten by Layce Alves and Sue Besse who finished 5th and 6th woman respectively.Sue Besse was 1st Woman in the 30-39 age group, while Laycewas 4th woman in the 20-29 age group. Bonnie Hallinan was 2nd woman 50-59 and Jennifer O’Neil was 8th woman 40-49. Two little O’Neils, Erich and Scott, finished 2nd and 4th respectively in the male age group 14 and under. Louise Rossetti finished 1st as usual in the 80+ category.

On the Men’s side, Ian Shearer was 3rd overall and 1st male 30-39 and Mike Page was 10th overall and 3rd in the 30-39 age group. In other notable performances, Roger Perham finished 2nd male 50-59 and Rich Tabbut was 4th in the 40-49 age group.

Essex Turkey Trot Results

Name	Time	Place Overall	Place in Division
Ian Shearer	27:58	3	1
Mike Page	31:18	10	3
Rich Tabbut	31:37	13	4
Maureen O’Reilly	32:04	16, 1st Woman	1
Layce Alves	34:37	27	4
Roger Perham	34:53	29	2
Sue Besse	35:21	33	1
Jennifer O’Neil	41:24	102	8
Bonnie Hallinan	42:39	115	2
Rachel Aiello	44:12	130	13
Mario Fagone	46:10	149	18
Martha Brandt	50:34	175	27
Louise Rossetti	1:03:50	197	1

Five days later on Thanksgiving at the Feaster Five Road Races in Andover, another strong Strider contingent toed the starting line. Elite, invited runners George Geis and Wally Kurz provided the inspirational leadership. George Geis successfully defended his crown by finishing 1st in the 60-69 age group of the 5K, while Wally Kurz finished 2nd in the 60-69 age group of the 5 Mile race. Joining George on the victory stand was Neil Bernstein who finished as 1st Male 50-59 in the 5 Mile race.

In the 5 K race, Mike DiMauro nailed down 2nd in the Male 30-39 category and Sue Besse was 4th Woman 30-39.

Feaster Five 5K Results

Name	Time	Place Overall	Place in Division
Mike DiMauro	18:02	23	2
George Geis	21:55	120	1
Sue Besse	22:11	130	4
Susan Sheldon	24:37	289	24
Nancy Wilson	38:12	2137	6
Carol Geis	39:07	2217	8

Feaster Five 5 Mile Results

Name	Time	Place Overall	Place in Division
Neil Bernstein	30:57	58	1
Gary Freedman	32:57	107	30
Sean Kay	33:11	140	33
Wally Kurz	34:31	185	2
Steve Keenholtz	34:42	196	10
James Kraft	35:48	281	67
Dave Jefska	37:02	336	108
David Meyer	37:05	355	109
Kate Laffy	37:43	412	34
Marci Omlor	44:16	1345	155
Mario Fagone	48:35	1760	156

A New York State of Mind
by Andrew Power - Nov 2, 2003 -

It was quite an experience -- the New York Marathon -- beautiful day and great crowds. Not quite a PR but satisfying anyway. I even got to run with P Diddy for a few yards around mile 4. It was kinda funny -- I was heading over to one of the water stops when the volunteers literally dropped their cups and ran to grab their cameras. I didn't know what the hell was going on until I heard the shouts of "P Diddy P Diddy!" I looked over my shoulder and there he was with his running posse. It must have been wild for the people who were running at his pace (I think he finished around 4:15), because there were people shouting and carrying signs for P Diddy all along the route. You wanna see a weird coincidence? Two years ago, when Dave Sullivan ran NYC, I jumped in at mile 18 and ran with him to mile 26. This year Dave did the same for me. Now check out our results:

ANDY 2003: 3:33:21
DAVE 2001: 3:33:47 !!!

[Andy's PR is 3:30, which he clocked at the 2001 Bay State Marathon - Webmaster].

Strider Molly Madland flew in from Minnesota to cheer on her boyfriend. Saw her on the course and then we met up after the race. Molly's doing great. She posted a 3:23 finish at the Twin Cities marathon last month – a personal best by 15 minutes. She'll be in town this week visiting her sister Jenny and may come out for a club run.

While I'm at it, more marathon memories:

At the start: 35,000 people hanging out for 3 hours drinking bottles of Poland Spring. The lines for the portapotties were insane. The Verazzano Bridge became the world's longest urinal. When the announcement came to line up, everyone ignored the corrals and surged ahead. People were taking off their outer layers and flinging them over the crowd. Fences and bushes nearby were covered with clothes. We had just walked onto the bridge when the gun went off. Red and blue numbered runners took off on the scenic upper level while us green numbered runners took the Tobin Bridge-like lower level. A couple of times I could feel the bridge bouncing. I figured it was just nerves/adrenaline, but it turns out that the bridge actually does bounce a little. It was built that way.

Brooklyn and Queens: Big crowds and all sorts of neighborhoods. I grew up in NYC and didn't have a clue about some of these places. It's a great way to see the city. Ran with Puffy. The course was still pretty crowded, which made coming around corners kinda tricky. There were some French guys around me with French flags on their uniforms, so people were shouting "Vive la France." Others were shouting "You're beating P Diddy!"

Queensboro Bridge: Another drab lower level. This was the first point in the race where I saw a lot of people stopping to walk. There was a medical van parked where the bridge topped out and volunteers were handing out popsicle sticks with vaseline on the end. It reminded me of a story I'd heard about a runner who gulped down some vaseline thinking it was Gu.

Manhattan 1: The crowd at the end of the bridge was huge and vocal. Running up 1st Ave. was awesome. Felt like a friggin ticker-tape parade. My family was cheering at the corner of 82nd and 1st. That was the high point for me. About a mile later (mile 19) the high was fading fast. I began to notice people walking again. Felt like joining them but didn't. The crowds thinned out as we neared the Bronx. As we climbed up the bridge out of Manhattan, I tripped on something and went stumbling forward. Luckily I didn't hit the ground. Someone shouted "Go Striders!"

Manhattan 2: In and out of the Bronx and back through Harlem. Feeling kinda burnt. Running up 5th Ave., it felt like the course was all uphill. Again, the crowds were huge and loud. Especially for the guy next to me with his name on his shirt. Up ahead was a guy whose legs were so stiff it looked like he was cross-country skiing. But he kept up his pace. Saw more family. In and out of Central Park. Saw Molly cheering in the crowd. Back into the park. Dave jumped off the course with volunteers barking exit orders. Finally, banners counted down every 100 yards to the finish. I managed to sprint the last bit, which felt good. I don't know where the energy came from.

Postrace: Staggering down the path with a crowd of dazed people in foil capes. It had a kind of M*A*S*H unit feel. Volunteers were helping the walking wounded and stretcher crews were running in and out. The postrace eats could have been better -- a bottle of water, an apple, a thimbleful of raisins and a powerbar. No bananas, no bagels, no orange slices. It was about a mile walk from the finish line to the family meeting area.

Conclusion: Three rejected applications -- $30. One acceptance -- $80. Bus to the start -- $10. Running the NYC Marathon -- priceless!

Name	Age	Bib #	Place	Gender Place	Age Place	Finish Time	Net Time	10K Split	Half Split	20M Split
James T Kraft	29M	31687	17274	13038	1880	4:37:20	4:31:31	1:11:00	2:23:48	3:37:18
Andrew P Power	39M	7196	3071	2667	1142	3:35:41	3:33:21	51:16	1:44:57	2:40:22

Cape Cod Marathon 2003
by Michael Pelletier - Oct 26, 2003 -

The Cape Cod Times described the weather as "way too warm and windy for most marathoners' liking." For the three North Shore Striders who were running as individuals in the 26th Annual CompassBank Cape Cod Marathon, however, the weather was not a major hindrance. Joe Shairs ran to an 8th place finish overall and 5th in the open age group in a lifetime Personal Record time of 2:36:32. Mike Pelletier took 3rd place in the Veteran category in 3:44:32 and Sal Genovese, in spite of a 2-month long lack of training, gutted out a 4:10:51, both earning "Ironrunner" status.

Joe Shairs had opted not to defend his title at the Clarence DeMar Marathon in September, but instead to compete against the best runners in New England in the USATF/NE Marathon Championship at Cape Cod. Joe was going to go head to head with the elite on a much tougher course than Clarence DeMar.

When I saw Joe at the last track workout at Beverly High School, Joe was at his peak and clearly ready to run. By the time Joe was driving the course early on Saturday, he knew that in order to run his best there he would have to be incredibly patient over the first 15 or 16 miles.

"The challenge was not to go out early in the race with some of the guys I'm used to racing. My plan was to sit back and try and run 6 minute pace." This is of course easier said than done. The first 2 miles were too quick at around a 5:40 pace. "The first 7 or 8 miles or so I felt I was struggling to not run faster than 6 minutes per mile."

At 5 miles into the marathon John Ayers and John Gillis, who had never told anybody they were thinking of coming down to watch, made an appearance. "I look up at mile 5 and see both of them running towards me; that was really uplifting to know that they would be out there helping me get through this. I went through 13 in 1:18:05 and it still felt like I was jogging."

Right after mile 13, starts the toughest stretch of hills with the hills at 17 and 20 being the most memorable. "Around 15 or so I realized that some of the guys in front were finally starting to come back to me. I was able to still stay patient and take my time reeling them in. I lost count as to how many I passed between 15 and 23 but Ayers and Gillis kept me aware of who was next up ahead."

After the last big hill at 20 miles, there are gently rolling hills until 24 miles. Joe says, "I was still able to smile quite a bit when I was out there because I was still running 6 minute pace or so going uphill. I got to Woods Hole in one piece which I think is around mile 21. The next 4 went real well, up and over the hills near Nobska light house."

Joe, like most of the rest of us, was telling himself, "Just get to the flats on the beach and it's over." Unfortunately, the flats along the beach were completely exposed to a strong buffeting wind that seemed to constantly shift direction from a headwind to a sideways gale. When you finally turned away from the beach and headed into the downtown, the road still seemed to stretch endlessly ahead. "I'll tell you that the last street, Walker Street, felt like 6 miles in itself."

My personal story is that I spent the last week before the marathon wondering why I was doing this. I had no enthusiasm. I was only going because it was too late to back out.

At the marathon check-in on Saturday, I was pleasantly surprised that there really would be jackets for the Ironrunners. I suddenly felt more interested in running on Sunday. All I had to do was finish and I'd get a jacket. When I saw that another 3 Veteran men all claimed recent PRs under 3:20, I thought that my contending for a trophy was out of the question.

On Sunday morning, I was still less than enthused about running a marathon. I had Anne drive ½ mile from the inn into Falmouth where I disembarked and headed morosely toward the start. I was fifty feet from the starting line when I met Joe Shairs. He said he just wanted to get this over with. I agreed; four more hours and I could enjoy life again.

As I pushed my way into the crowd behind the starting line, Sal Genovese came up beside me and stood quietly. In other races in the Grand Prix, Sal had moved forward just before the start. Not so today. Sal explained he had run only one good long run in two months, a 20-miler two weeks before. His plan today was to run 20 miles at 9 minutes per mile, then see if he could pick it up over the last 6. I didn't want to confess I was running just to finish, so I proclaimed a personal goal of 8:30 per mile.

The race started and within 100 yards I threw away my old throw-away wind breaker. Sal and I ran a 9:10 first mile, then clicked off two miles at 8:12 pace. Sal wisely kept trying to slow the pace down, but I was like a horse that breaks into a gallop as soon as he is in the traces. We averaged 8:23 pace for the next 7 miles. In that stretch we met John Ayers and John Gillis running toward us and yelling encouragement, and then Mary Stevens standing on the side of the road doing the same. Sal and I went through 10 miles in 84:15 before Sal was able to reign me in to 8:38 pace for the next 5 miles. By 15, Sal decided to slow down to see if he could avoid significant walking later in the race. He couldn't and ended up run-walking from 17 on. I pushed up the worst of the hills averaging an 8:43 pace for miles 15-20. Then I picked it up to 8:35 pace for miles 20-22 and 8:40 pace for mile 22 to the finish. However, I made a conscious decision to walk up two short, steep grades between 22 and 24 miles, in order to conserve energy. I power walked up these two sections, losing only a little time and resumed running at the top of each.

When I got to the flats along the beach, it was so mentally and physically fatiguing pushing into the wind that it seemed much longer than 2+ miles. Like Joe, I passed lots of people in the last half of the marathon, especially a couple of gray haired guys in the last mile and a half. One old guy sprinted past me with ½ mile to go, only to crash and burn within 50 feet. He obviously didn't know the Strider secret of running 2-mile and 3-mile repeats on the track to build speed over long distances.

When I turned from Water Street onto Main Street, I was really surprised by how far it was to the finish line. I tried lifting and sprinting right through the finish, but The Wildwoman said I was listing instead of lifting and looking like shit to boot. I looked so bad that a volunteer got down on his hands and knees and took the timing chip from my shoe without my having to lift my foot. This was good because there was no way I was going to be able to bend down myself or lift up my foot.

Immediately after I finished, I had significant cramping in both calves for about 30 minutes. I maintained a dazzling pace of 61:37/mile as Anne dragged me slowly back to the car and threw my battered body into the passenger seat. Anne only drove a short distance before she made me get out and shuffle across a field to the post-race meal. We met up with Sal, Liza, and Mae Genovese in the school and joined up for lunch. Anne, Liza and Mae talked a blue streak, but for some odd reason, Sal and I didn't have much to say or the energy to say it. Maybe it's true that girls are just more verbal than boys. Or maybe the survivors of a near-death experience are routinely struck dumb.

After lunch I tried a post-marathon massage at the Lawrence School, but it was only a pale imitation of a John Gillis massage. Moral: After the best, forget the rest!

Anne and I eventually made our way to the Falmouth Inn for the awards ceremony. When my name was called, I was surprised by my reaction. I wasn't back in my seat with my award before I was thinking about Boston in the Spring.

In the final results, I was 3 1/2 minutes slower than last year when I was first in my age group at the Bay State Marathon. At the Cape Cod Marathon, on a much tougher course and a warmer day, I finished 3rd out of 20 in my age group. But I was now 2nd M60-69 at the USATF New England Marathon Championship, earning 9 points which pushed me into 8th place in the final standings out of the 32 males 60-69 who had earned at least 1 point in the series. A week long funk had turned into a very fine finish, after I stopped worrying about what the other veterans were doing and concentrated on running the best marathon I was capable of that day.

Joe Shairs, taking on a challenging course and the toughest competitors, ended up finishing as 3rd Open Male in the USATF New England Marathon Championship, earning 8 individual points in the Grand Prix competition. Joe had combined mental and physical toughness with an intelligent racing strategy to reach a new level of excellence, achieving a lifetime Personal Record of 2:36:32, compared with a previous PR of 2:36:40, which he ran in at Bay State in 1999, and almost half a minute faster than his 2:37:00, last year at Clarence DeMar.

Sal Genovese didn't reach his goal of a 3:15 marathon and didn't gain any individual honors in the New England Marathon Championship. However, he also didn't use a lack of training brought on by the demands of work and family as an excuse to avoid meeting the challenge of finishing the marathon. Sal hung in to the finish and joined the select company of Ironrunners.

And collectively, with no margin for error because we lacked an alternate, Joe, Sal and I finished 12th out of 16 teams in the Men's Open category.

Looking back, it was a great experience. As Adidas put it on a poster distributed at the Boston Marathon this year, "Everything you ever needed to know about yourself you can learn in 26.2 miles."

Member's night at NE Running Company on Wed, Nov 12
by Joe Shairs - Oct 21, 2003 -

!!! Membership has it's privledges !!!

Dave Menosky, owner of the New England Running Company, would like to invite all members of the North Shore Striders to an open house/clothing clinic at his new running store in Beverly. Dave will discuss new fabrics for his new fall and winter line and how to properly layer for winter running. Following the clinic members can purchase clothing with a 25% discount off the retail price. He will also have a DVD of Prefontane's '72 Munich Olympic race for people to watch.

There will be some light refreshments provided and some munchies. This will be a good opportunity for club members to familiarize themselves with the new store and stock up on their warm winter running clothes. Dave will also raffle off a pair of running shoes and possibly a running suit for those who attend. The date for this event will be Wednesday, Nov. 12 from 7-9 pm. We hope for a great turnout to welcome Dave to the area and show him that the North Shore deserves a running-only store.

Dave would like to get a rough count on how many Striders to expect. You can send your intention via e-mail to Joe Shairs or Dave Menosky, or you can leave a note on the forum.

Bill Rodgers to Speak at GDA on Nov 5
by Judy Klein, Governor Drummer Academy (via Joe Shairs) - Oct 18, 2003 -
press release

Bill Rodgers, the preeminent American marathon runner of the 1970s, will speak in Governor Dummer Academy's Moseley Chapel in Byfield, MA, on Wed., November 5 at 7 p.m.

Rodgers, who lives in Massachusetts, won the Boston and New York City marathons four times each from 1975 to 1980 and competed in the Olympics in 1976. In recent years, he has written several books on running. His appearance at GDA is open to the public and is free of charge. There will be opportunities for questions, autographs and book sales/signings. For directions to the school, call 978-465-1763.

Ro-Jack's Run
by Mike Pelletier - Oct 05, 2003 -

Six Striders drove to Attleboro on Sunday October 5, 2003 to run in the USATF/NE 5-Mile Championship. Actually only three of them, Sal Genovese, Wally Kurz and Mike Pelletier were planning to run 5 miles. Another one of the six, Strider affiliate George Michaud (an affiliate only because he claims not to know to whom to send his membership fee) thought he was driving to Attleboro to run a 5K. [George claims his current training regimen is running 1.5 miles each day with a weekly long run of 3 miles.] George is a competitor, however, and he gamely laced up his racing flats and ran the 5 miles for the Veteran's team.

The fifth and sixth Striders were Liza and Mae Genovese.Liza was dedicated to coaching Mae in her racing debut, The Ro-Jack's Diaper Dash. Unfortunately, Liza forgot to pack Mae's racing flats, and Mae could only try to hide her disappointment in not being able to race by feigning interest in the stop-and-go dance contest. [If you need clarification on the nature of the stop-and-go dance contest, you'll have to ask Sal.]

When the 5-Mile race was over, the Strider Veterans team had nailed down 4^th place in this race in the USATF/NE Grand Prix series. Individually, Wally Kurz was earning 2 points in the USATF/NE Grand Prix and leap-frogging over George Geis in the Grand Prix standings.

Excuses:

Sal Genovese
Ran 20 miles on Saturday in marathon training
Wally Kurz
Still recovering from winning 5K and 10K at Corporate Cup National Championships
Mike Pelletier
Ran 14 miles on Saturday in marathon training
George Michaud
(See above.)

Results:

Place	Name	Age Group	Time	Pace
243	Sal Genovese	M19-39	33:56	6:47
259	Wally Kurz	M60-69	34:34	6:55
307	Mike Pelletier	M60-69	36:49	7:22
425	George Michaud	M60-69	42:70	8:38

Striders Harvest Top Spots in W. Newbury 5M
by Mary Stevens - Oct 05, 2003 -

The Apple Harvest 5M road race has become a tradition of sorts for the Striders: It's been part of the club's Grand Prix for several years now, and NSS traditionally does well on the hilly, scenic course.

It didn't hurt that the weather was perfect—again—for the 22 club members who toed the line in 2003. Joe Shairs made the most (or should that be least?) of the day, winning the race in 26:10. Behind him, NSS won the men's master and senior divisions, and Striders tied a club record for most top-10 placements in a Grand Prix event (15).

Behind Shairs, three more Striders filled out the top 10, keyed by John Ayers (second overall) and Dan MacAlpine (fourth overall and top men's master).

Gary Freedman, 10th overall and fourth master, edged fellow master Glenn Diamond by four seconds. Next across was Mike Wade—apparently not content to rest on his laurels after a BQ at the Clarence DeMar Marathon—in 30:40, fifth among the 30-39 men.

Neil Bernstein, finishing nine seconds later, was top senior man in the race, ahead of Steve Keenholtz, at 35:16 the fourth men's 50-59 finisher. James Kraft ran 36:08 to take third among men 20-29. Third male senior was Bob Holland, in 41:29.

Rene Merritt led NSS women, taking third among women 30-39 in 34:08. Sue Besse was second NSS female across the line, in 35:44, sixth in the same division, and Jill Page rounded out the NSS' top trio in 38:47 (ninth among women 30-39).

Lone senior woman Bonnie Hallinan clocked 42:51 for fourth among women 50-59; Cindy Diamond the club's top masters woman for the day, in 44:43, 3:10 ahead of this writer.

Unfortunately, no club veterans turned out for this event.

Apple Harvest 5K, W.Newbury, Oct. 5
  1. Joe Shairs, 26:10
  2. John Ayers, 26:31 (2nd, men 30-39)
  4. Dan MacAlpine, 28:50 (1st, men 40-49)
10. Gary Freedman, 30:22 (4th, men 40-49)
11. Glenn Diamond, 30:26 (5th, men 40-49)
12. Michael Wade, 30:40 (5th, men 30-39)
13. Neil Bernstein, 30:49 (1st, men 50-59)
17. Rich Tabbut, 31:51 (8th, men 40-49)
28. Bill MacDonald, 33:58 (10th, men 30-39)
30. Rene Merritt, 34:08 (3rd, women 30-39)
42. Steve Keenholtz 35:16 (4th, men 50-59)
45. Sue Besse, 35:44 (6th, women 30-39)
49. James Kraft, 36:08 (3rd, men 20-29)
84. Jill Page, 38:47 (9th, women 30-39)
126. Steve Weitzler, 40:52
135. Bob Holland, 41:29
143. Will Gallina, 41:46
172. Bonnie Hallinan, 42:51 (4th, women 50-59)
203. Marci Omlor, 44:43
231. Cindy Diamond, 46:22
255. Mary Stevens, 47:53
320. Scott Fraser, 59:49

Results courtesy of Granite State Race Services and Cool Running

I was Actually Trying to Defend Joe's Title
by Michael Wade - Sep 28, 2003 -

Thanks for all of the support, guys. At the Clarence DeMar Marathon, I was actually trying to defend Joes's title, but with the driving rain, it was not to be!

The race was very well run. The organizers were extremely friendly and helpful. It had a nice small-town race feel to it. And, more importantly, we started on time! The course itself was quite scenic. At least that was what I was told, since I really couldn't see too much with my fogged/rain spattered glasses.

In hindsight, I probably didn't take as much advantage of the downhills, as I should have, in the first half of the race. Because I lost some time during the climbs in the second half. For a while, I hooked up with a group of guys trying to run under 3:10. But, they dropped me at the big hill at mile 18 when my hamstrings tightened up.

One of the guys I had met earlier on the shuttle bus to the start. It was his first marathon, and he was attempting to qualify for Boston. As a quasi-veteran marathoner, I tried to give him some advice and told him, that no matter what, this race would be a good learning experience for him. Well, wouldn't you know, he goes out and runs a 3:07:50. Some learning experience!

Oh well, I guess there's always next year!

By the way, my 3:13:28 represents a PR for me by over 6 minutes. So, despite not qualifying for Boston, I'm pleased with the effort. And besides, I think I may get an extra 5 minutes next year for turning 35. Wooo Hooo!

[Indeed, Michael's Boston Qualifying (BQ) time is 3:15, which means he made it! Additionally, Michael is the first North Shore Strider Goal-Buster of the 2003 season!n! - Webmaster]

A Very Scenic Long Roasting
by Mike Pelletier - Sep 20, 2003 -

The Lynn 30K Fall Marathon Tune-Up is a race that has it all: length, scenic beauty, plenty of hills, mind-numbing heat and, this year especially, enthusiastic support from fellow Striders. This 30K race from Lynn, out to and around and up and over Little Nahant and Big Nahant, manages to match the Cape Ann Classic in nearly every category except age. In only its third year, the East Coast Fall Marathon Tune Up has approached parity with Cape Ann as a test of a runner's readiness for a fall marathon.

Race Director Peter Monaco has done his best to create a challenge. Rumor has it that our own Gary Freedman helped with the course layout which creatively combines two circuits of all the hills of both Little Nahant and Big Nahant, plus, as a bonus, a trip around the highest part of Big Nahant, the old fortifications inside the Northeastern University Marine Biology Lab. (Although this part of the course features unencumbered ocean views on 3 sides, most runners report being unable to focus on the view because they are gasping for breath and wiping the sweat from their eyes after running uphill to get there.)

By having the race start at 10am, Peter Monaco has ensured that every runner gets to experience the Nahant Death March: 3+ miles across the Causeway, with no shade, at high noon or shortly thereafter. Only the few, the brave, the totally insane, ever return the very next year to run this race again.

Thus it was that I alone among the six North Shore Striders who toed the starting line on Saturday, September 20, 2003 was the only one repeating last year's adventure. In 2002, I scored the 1^st Place trophy in the M60-69 age group. This year I was not so fortunate; I ended up 49 seconds behind a mere youth of 60 who was also named Michael.

One welcome change this year was that, unlike last year when Peter Monaco handed me my trophy in secret, this year my name was announced, three people applauded and a photo was taken of me receiving the 2nd place trophy from Peter. (I entertained thoughts that the photo could be used as proof that I was really still alive after the race, even though I wasn't really certain of this.)

This race knocked me out: by the time I received the trophy, I felt like I was 61 years old. However, after 2-hour naps on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and 10 hours of sleep each night, by Monday I was back to feeling like my usual self, a lad of 40. By Tuesday evening, I was thanking Joe Shairs for delivering Coach Dave Jellison's track workout to me and was running repeat miles with Sue Besse.

For me, the race was a lot different than last year when Dave Jefska and Jerry Young were my rabbits. This year there were no other Striders with whom I could run. Layce Alves is just too fast. Just before the start, Layce edged away from me and closer to the front when I told her my anticipated pace. After the race, it was a different story: Layce was so cooked by the heat, her pace and the distance that she was able to comfortably run a cool down with me.

Although I was running alone at my pace, I was far from lonely. In fact, it did seem like old home week out on the course. Jill and John Page were at 1+ miles giving encouragement and were still on the same corner 16 miles later when Jill would say honestly, "I know you don't feel it, but you look like you're running well." By that point I was telling myself I'd just run a few more steps and then reevaluate.

A block later, at the turn onto the run along the beach, Tracy Brady and Linda Jenkins were shouting encouragement. Two hours later they were still there, still encouraging as we finished up the Nahant Death March portion of the race (see above).

At the first water stop, Dave Jefska stealthily slipped me some purloined Gatorade. At the Northeastern University Marine Biology Lab, Sue Besse handed me a new bottle of Gatorade, but I had to leave it behind because I couldn't open the cap with slippery, sweat-covered hands. Within 2 minutes, Sue had sent the newly-opened Gatorade up to me by bicycle messenger.

Soon after, I spied Marci Omler who was smiling and encouraging everyone. It was half-way through the race and the heat was getting to me, but I tried to show Marci that I was having as much fun as she was. In another mile or so I saw Rich Tabbut trying to simultaneously manage the 10-mile and 12-mile water stops that were on opposite sides of the main road through Nahant. It looked like Rich was much too busy to notice whether or not I was having fun and I felt no need to pretend. After the race, Rich told me that he had, in fact, picked up the subtle clues as to how I was feeling.

By the time I saw Lauren Wallace and Scott Fraser again and then all the gang at the beginning of the causeway, I was way beyond even pretending to have fun. At the last water stop at 17 miles, Dave Jefska was claiming I looked better than all the other runners around me. Now I could feel sorry for someone other than myself. Eventually I finished running along the beach and began to run back to NSCC along Lynn streets that mercifully had a few trees for shade.

I made up my mind to try to pick up the pace at 18 miles, especially since I was closing the gap on a grey-haired runner who might be 60. Just as I passed this guy, with a quarter of a mile to go, John Ayers called out from the side of the road, urging me to pick up the pace and catch the next runner. When I looked up, I saw that the next runner was a young guy, but then I thought, so what! I'll do what John would do: kick this guy's ass. I passed him with 300 yards to go and ended up beating this 30-year-old youth by 7 seconds, thanks to John's urging me on.

For what it is worth, Layce, Tom Lima and myself have all honed our devastating finishing kicks on the Beverly track on Tuesday nights.

Results of Lynn 30K Fall Marathon Tune-Up

Place	Name	Age	Time	Pace	Award
64	Sean Kay	28	2:31:55	8:09
73	Layce Alves	23	2:33:48	8:15
89	Michael Pelletier	61	2:37:08	8:26	2^nd-M6069
198	James Kraft	29	2:56:45	9:29
214	Wendy Fasciano	30	2:59:30	9:38
235	Tom Lima	49	3:04:36	9:55

Air Force Marathon
by Mike Pelletier - Sep 20, 2003 -

Inspired by other Striders such as Dave Jefska who have climbed out of a sick bed to run a marathon, Linda Scannell ran the Air Force Marathon in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday, September 20, 2003.

Linda contracted a 24 hour (exactly) flu that ceased Thursday @ 10:30 p.m. She still felt queasy on the plane trip to Dayton on Friday morning, but after calling Dave Sullivan for moral, if not sane support, from Detroit during a layover, Linda rested in the hotel upon her arrival in Dayton. She began taking Gatorade, picked up her number at 4:30 pm, and actually felt pretty good at dinner that night. Dennis, Linda's main squeeze and chief of her support crew, dropped her off at 6:45 a.m. Saturday morning. Linda sucked in Gu, ate a power bar, and had power drink on the way to the Air Force Base. At 06:50, she used the Port-a-John, lined up, and was off at 07:05!

This is one crazy lady: Linda reports she enjoyed every second of the marathon and felt pretty good the whole way through. While being skinny does have its advantages for a marathon runner, Linda is not recommending the "flu technique" to get down to competition weight.

Linda's parents and her boyfriend thought she'd cross the finish around 4-4:15 due to her pre-race predictions, but an Air Force general presented her a finisher's medal as she crossed the finish line at 3:47:31.

Linda says, "I've felt good since the marathon. I'm just sore, especially my quads. I know you won't believe it--I didn't when I heard it--but this course was tough! Almost tougher than Boston!! Up hill around 20, 21, and a steep one at 24!! Imagine? It really beat on the legs, but they're gonna be strong come next week. I hope to run a nice 10K soon on them. A few years ago I would've thought I'd jump out a window if I caught the flu a day before my race. Perspective really is everything because when this happened, well, I just kind of accepted it and went with it figuring whatever was meant to be will be. That's a good lesson."

It sure is. Go with the flow and you too can run 3:47:31, finish 32^nd woman and 7^th in your age group, within 36 hours of having the flu—if you're a North Shore Strider woman!

Open Meeting - Sun, Sep 14, 6 pm

by Joe Shairs - Aug 27, 2003 -

There is an open meeting scheduled for Sept. 14, at Mike and Jill Page's home, 9 Hale Park Ave, Beverly, at 6 PM. The only topic that will be covered is the 30K East Coast Fall Marathon Tune-Up. This race will require a massive effort by our club, so every member who is available will be needed for this event.

See you there, Joe Shairs

Newest Developments on Sunday Long Runs
by Michael Pelletier - Aug 24, 2003 -

The Anchor Pub (or maybe the City of Beverly) has constructed a new parking lot on the corner, opposite the Anchor Pub at the foot of the Beverly-Salem Bridge. Rumor has it that this parking lot is specifically for the North Shore Striders and will soon be designated as such with appropriate signage. If this is so, expect either Wally Kurz or myself to be invited to the ribbon-cutting. We will be invited because the torch for Sunday long runs from the Anchor was passed by founder Paul Ducey to Wally and me. This passing of the torch was confirmed by Joe Boudreau, the proprietor of the Anchor Pub.

So from now on, all Striders coming to the Anchor Pub on Sunday mornings should use the new freshly-paved NSS parking lot on the opposite corner.

Another point about the Sunday long runs: We need more runners able to run 9, 10 or 11 minutes a mile for at least 5 miles. We've got plenty of people who, on any given Sunday morning, can run 6, 7, or 8 minutes a mile for 10 or more miles, but not nearly enough who can run at 9, 10 or 11 minutes a mile.

As a special promotion, an anonymous Strider has offered to buy an Anchor Pub 6-egg omelet for any Strider who runs between 9 and 12 minutes a mile for at least 6 miles on any Sunday morning long run in September. I have been empowered by the anonymous donor to be the final judge of pace. I will be using the distances measured by Jerry Young and marked off by Neil Bernstein.

So if any of you Striders are up to the challenge of running between 9 and 12 minutes a mile for at least 6 miles, meet us at the Anchor on Sunday morning at 8 am. Faster Striders are welcome to join us, but are not eligible to win a 6-egg omelet. Also, no individual can win more than one 6-egg omelet.

Striders Busy on Weekend Warm and Sticky
by Mike Pelletier - Aug 9-10, 2003 -

When the Wildwoman and I arrived at the Johnson Homestead Bed and Breakfast in Shelburne Falls late on Friday night for the Bridge of Flowers 5K (race number 5 in the USATF-NE Grand Prix Series), the proprietor told us that Craig Fram would be staying in the next room. He'd already paid for the room and was expected shortly. Wow, I thought, I'll get to hang out with Craig, maybe get a few pointers on how to run hills, maybe eat breakfast together. And for years to come I can imply that we're more than casual acquaintances and I will be able to drop his name into conversations.

Unfortunately, Craig never made it to the Johnson Homestead, although he did make it to the starting line on Saturday morning. Using his skill at hill running, honed at Mt. Washington where he is a record holder, Craig finished 6^th overall and 1^st Master.

Unfortunately for me, Craig never gave me any tips on hill running which I would have put to good use on one of the toughest 10Ks around. The Bridge of Flowers race features "the hill," a nearly mile-long hill of 10.5% grade with switch backs at the bottom and a dirt surface near the top.

By the finish, I was finished. You know you are in trouble when three different race officials ask if you need help while you're staggering down the finishing chute.

At Shelburne, Sal Genovese repeated his feat of being the very last runner to register, a feat he also achieved at Newburyport. Sal left Nahant at 6:15 am to drive to Shelburne Falls. After easing through the race and then eating a quick post-race bagel and a veggie burger, Sal sped back to Nahant to prepare for Sunday's Witch City Triathlon. On Sunday in Salem, Sal and Liza each completed the triathlon while Grandma watched Mae. Also competing in the Witch City Triathlon was Bonnie Halinan who finished 1^st in her age group for the second year in a row.

At about the same time on Sunday morning, five other Striders were enjoying the same stifling humidity at the Falmouth Road Race. Joe Shairs proved the premier runner from the north shore as he finished 47^th , not with a PR time but with a fine performance on a tough day. John Gillis nearly cracked the top 100, finishing 103^rd in only his second race of the year. Dave Jefska went to Falmouth hoping for cooling sea breezes, but finding only his old nemeses: heat and humidity. Glen and Cindy Diamond went to Falmouth to escape the crowded city, only to find another 7935 runners with the same goal.

Results

Bridge of Flowers 10K		(881 finishers)
217.	Sal Genovese	79/187	45:04
387.	Mike Pelletier	5/24	50:37

Witch City Triathlon
15.	Sal Genovese	4/35
179.	Liza Genovese	12/17
	Bonnie Halinan	1^st W50-59

Falmouth Road Race		(7937 finishers)
47.	Joe Shairs	38:02
103.	John Gillis	42:14
240.	Glen Diamond	47:36
	Dave Jefska	59:37
	Cindy Diamond	1:14:08

NSS Pace Groups
by Neil (the snail) Bernstein - Jul 24, 2003 -

From my registration for the Marine Corps Marathon, I discovered Jeff Galloway's Pace Groups - a truly fabulous idea.

This type of program might significantly enhance the appeal and registration to some of our races, especially the Fall Marathon Tune-Up 30K. It will almost certainly also increase the club's visibility.

It should be easy enough to recruit Striders to act as pacers. I have paced numerous times, and I would be happy to do it at a slower than my own race pace. The pacers are not "competing." They commit to run at a pre-declared, constant pace and finish within seconds of that declared pace. They also take methodical breaks at every mile and/or water stop.

They do not run negative splits. They do, however, encourage the real competitors to feel free to do so.

If it works, we could offer it at some of the races that we, as a club host, particularly, the Dory Run, the Louise Rossetti 5K, and, as I mentioned above, the Fall Marathon Tune-Up 30K.

Waddaya think? - the snail

Lauren Wallace and Scott Fraser Honored by USATF-NE
by Mike Pelletier - Jul 22, 2003 -

In the Summer 2003 issue of Exchange Zone the magazine of USATF/NE, there is a section entitled, Special Thanks to All Our Sponsers, Generous Contributors and Supporters.

Lauren Wallace and Scot (Scott) Fraser are prominent among the 21 individuals singled out for praise by USATF-NE. Congratulations, Lauren and Scott! It is so nice to see you recognized for your kindness and generosity.

A funny thing happened on the way home
from the Feaster Five
by the Snail - Jul 22, 2003 -

Waiting for a blue moon

At last Thanksgiving's Feaster Five, I sprinted up the last hill and passed someone who seemed to be in my division. Indeed, that sprint gained me second place, just ahead of that runner, in the M5059 division in the 5K race. They don't give out the awards at the meet itself, but promise to mail the awards out.

Fast forward to March. I got tired of waiting, and I got tired of grumbling about it to fellow runners. I have been to the web site at least a half dozen times, trying to see if I missed something or misunderstood something. So, I copied the results from their web site (proof of my achievement, as it were), and complained about the lack of an award. The immediate reply promised to mail it out, promptly, with their apologies.

Fast forward, some more, to early June. Several more visits to the web site, and still no award. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, folks. So, I e-mailed again, slightly more tersely,
   "Was there any special reason that you asked for my mailing address back in
   March? Can I expect to hear back from you before November?"

The very perplexed reply comes back, again within a day. The representative can't understand it, since she distinctly remembers personally sending the second award. However, she is immediately sending another one, adding - "third time is the charm?!?!?!"

Within days I received the "award," together with a handwritten note asking me to confirm receipt, via e-mail. Then, it all became clear. I was slightly embarrassed (but, really, only slightly).

Separate story (or so I thought) ...

Some time ago, while going through a stack of junk mail (you never know if one of those stupid things is going to be something official that you really have to deal with!), I found that I had received a $20 gift certificate to the Outback Steakhouse. Nothing else was in the letter, just the gift certificate. "Huh," I ask myself? Nothing on the gift certificate makes sense to me:
    Purpose: FF
    Comments: Compl
    Charge to: 1234
    Manager Signature: (someone's scribble, almost as decipherable as my own)

The return address on the envelope is "Team DMSE," whoever they are, somewhere in North Andover, MA. The "Compl" might mean complementary, which sounds like a marketing gimmick. I am a vegetarian, and I have never eaten at the Outback Steakhouse (duh!). So, I assume that it is from some local promotional, and hand it over to a friend - with the comment, "Enjoy yourself."

Several months later, I receive another such "promotional" gift certificate from "Team DMSE," at which point I think to myself, "These guys are really slow!" To my friend, "Enjoy another chow-down at the Outback, at the expense of these jokers!"

I just received another letter, again from Team DMSE, again with a gift certificate. However, this one is the aforementioned letter asking for confirmation!

At this point, I went back to the Feaster Five website and piece it all together. "FF" must mean Feaster Five. Also, the North Andover address makes sense. There is no mention of what the award might be, so this could be it. The clincher was when I followed a link to the (infamous) "Dave McGillivray Sports Enterprises," where I found "DMSE, Inc." It's not exactly "Team DMSE," and after about several minutes, I gave up hoping of finding "Team DMSE" anywhere on the site, but, hey, even I could make the connection at that point.

Since then, DMSE has e-mailed me a letter that should have or may have been in the envelope, clearly stating that it was my race award. Without the letter, however, it was not so obvious.

My friend will have to get by without a third gift certificate, since I am returning this one.

Moral of this story

The moral of this story, for Team DMSE (whoever they are) and everyone else, is not to be so subtle or cryptic in your communications that the message gets lost along the way, among acronyms and marketing hype. In other words, KISS, which means, (for all of you uninitiated, non-marketing, non-political types), Keep It Simple, Stup...   Also, even the partially literate do not necessarily read the running rags. Heck, I barely know what races I have run in!

Respectfully submitted,
the Snail, North Shore Striders
(Real name withheld to protect the small slimy creatures. Name will be revealed to anyone presenting an FBI warrant or a free race entry. The inquisitive types can find the author's name by searching on the Feaster Five results from 2002 or by visiting the North Shore Striders.)

p.s. Joking aside, it is only fair to mention that Team DMSE events are among the most well-organized and well-run events around. I ran three DMSE events last year (Boston Marathon, Run for All Ages, and Feaster Five). I already ran Boston this year, I expect to run both others later this year, and expect to continue to do so in the future. I started running these events before I knew who Dave McGillivray was (cut me some slack, I'm an import). They're just great events.

p.p.s. If you don't know what a blue moon is, just ask me or look it up.

My Greenland Trip
by Dave Atchason - July 3-21, 2003 -

(Editor's note: Here's a good way to see pictures from Dave's trip)
"Our demon photographer and computer expert just notified us of his website with pictures. I would like to get this on NSS site so anybody who wishes can view our scenes. It is http://www.jork.com/. muchas gracias .Dave"

My trip to Greenland was an AMC major excursion. I found it in the AMC Boston chapter newsletter. Seven of us signed up for what was described as big mountain experience without the altitude. So in April we got together at Pinkham Notch with our two leaders, Francie & Jim for our crevasse rescue and snow travel training session in Tuckerman Ravine. We seemed like an adventurous and strong group. Not young, though all except Marcus the German were 50 or older.

On July 3rd we left Boston on a 9:30 PM flight and arrived in Reykjavik, Iceland at about 2:30 AM. I watched the sunrise out the plane window and thought "I'm not going to see darkness again until our return". This thought turned out to be absolutely true. I think it was about 6:30 AM when we arrived, settled into our guesthouse and soon went off to find something to eat. We found a local bakery with very good pastry & coffee. Expecting to point at things to get our food, it turned out that the shopkeepers spoke English. Actually, it gradually sank in that everybody in Iceland speaks English. Icelanders only speak Icelandic to other Icelanders. Iceland is a popular tourist destination so they have to be able to communicate with the rest of the world. The food is very expensive. Later on we went to a fish buffet for supper and that was $20 per person, although beer is about the same price as around here.

The next day we set off for Greenland from the domestic airport in Reykjavik, not the international airport at Keflavik. I expected some small bush plane, but actually it was a Fokker 50, a modern plane. After only an hour we first set eyes on Greenland. It was not green, however, but brown, with lots of sea ice everywhere. The runway was dirt, but smooth when we landed at Kulusuk, a small village. The weather was chilly, rainy and windy. The plane left and came back after a while to take us to Constable Point, sort of a hub for East Coast Greenland air travel. Air travel is run by the Danes as is everything in Greenland, although they have some sort of home rule for the Inuit. At Constable Point we ate supper in the cafeteria and then went out to the big dusty hangar to sort our gear and get packed for our hike to our campsite. Our two British guides had joined us in Reykjavik along with a British couple. So now we were 13. This trip was actually guided by a British guide service as most U.S. companies don't go to Greenland. That night we slept in the field behind the base. Now it was warm with a bright sun. Out in the grass we got acquainted with the Greenland mosquitoes. Some of us were using brand new tents, but you never saw people learn so fast to set up tents. We all said, "Why didn't they tell us to bring headnets?" Oh well, too late now. We dived into our tents, killed all the mosquitoes inside and then lay down to watch the hundreds of mosquitoes watch us through the screens. You wouldn't think this all was conducive to sleep, but we slept well. No problem. The midnight sun didn't seem to bother anybody.

Next morning we walked down to the fiord to get our boats to cross to where we would be hiking. There were supposed to be 2 boats, but one got caught in the ice or something, so 7 of us hopped in to the equivalent of a "Boston Whaler" and in ½ hour we landed on other side and commenced hiking. The guides insisted we bring plenty of food with us even though we were supposed to be supplied by helicopter at our destination. They said the helicopter might not make it on time. Such delays are common in Greenland, even in summer. The 6 others had to wait for the boat's second trip. We had to go about 9 miles, maybe more, but we were supposed to take 2 days. For the first two hours we slogged thru the tundra which featured humps of grass like wet sponges. This was annoying to walk through, and quickly our feet were wet, even with the Gore-Tex boots. The sopping wet tundra is completely normal in Greenland in the summer and was a permanent condition throughout our trip. After the tundra we hiked up the glacial valley. I have hiked glacial valleys before, but this was the worst. The terrain was much more rugged than anything I had encountered before with jumbled rocks of all different sizes mixed together. Many of the rocks were loose, to our dismay. Our packs were heavy with all that extra food, close to 50 lbs. And the walk was tiring and slow. At the halfway point where I thought we would be stopping, our guide, Dave Hamilton, decided to push on. Dave is a big, tall guy from Glasgow, Scotland who had just returned from leading a climb of Everest. He didn't seem to think Everest was really hard, so he certainly didn't think our trek was hard. Somewhere I remember us asking him about running and he said his best marathon time was 2:37, but he really didn't keep up with running. I believed him. Although the walking was difficult, at least we weren't going uphill. After about 9 ½ hours we arrived at our site in a nice sandy area with no mosquitoes.

Next day, the helicopter did arrive with our boxes of food and all our climbing gear, and after resting till noon we commenced to do our climbing. This valley had glaciers on both sides, but they were divided by our valley. The glaciers turned out to be stationary; they just sit there and melt, with these 3-4,000 foot mountains poking up through. Continuing up the valley for 10 miles would have brought us to the open ocean and when the wind came off the sea it got very chilly. The temperature was always between 35-60 degrees, even though the sun was out all the time. The glaciers turned out to be easy to walk on as they had a rough surface and no real crevasses, so we didn't really even need crampons to walk on them. We did rope up a few times but it was mostly for practice. The rocky peaks we climbed were similar to the peaks in the White Mountains. Except that the talus was steeper and the rocks much looser. Once again this was annoying, but not especially dangerous. So much for our "big mountain experience". This is what we did for 9 days. One day we walked down the valley to get as close to the sea as we could, and this was probably the only place we might have encountered a polar bear. [I'm sorry to disappoint Mike Pelletier who pictured me wrestling polar bears in Greenland.] There were really no animals around, just some birds, ptarmigan, ducks, etc. At Constable Point they gave us a rifle, a bolt action 30-06 which I thought was a World War I rifle. Apparently if you encounter a real polar bear, the policy is to shoot first. They are not as scared of you as you are of them, but I guess the ancient rifle gives them a more sporting chance. Well 9 days of this was like 9 days of Mt Madison in a row and I was getting a little tired of it, though most of the others seemed psyched, but not all. I did get much better at cooking with my MSR gasoline stove. All the food was British and the freeze dried stuff had no labels, so it was always a surprise. But most of it was common stuff like rice, noodles, cans of salmon & tuna, British crackers and very good cheese which we all ran out of.

On the 10th day we hiked out, our destination being a refuge shack on the shore of the fiord where the boats would pick us up. We all decided on a one day trip. The next group coming in behind us had turned out to be the slow group and they now took about 13 agonizing hours hiking back out. They were not happy campers that day. The helicopter eventually returned and took our excess gear and food so we were not quite as heavy going out. Still we had to take extra food as nothing is certain in Greenland. There was absolutely nobody else around where we were, but we did have a satellite phone, a rescue beacon and a radio. I thought we would be staying in the hut that served as a refuge shack. I was the first to arrive after a fun return trip through the tundra. Now the mosquitoes were out in full force, so no one could stop and rest. The Greenland mosquitoes drill right through your clothes, in fact they seem to prefer landing on your synthetic tee-shirt to anywhere else. Gore-Tex will stop them, but it was far too warm for that. At the hut I came to see the environmental values of the Inuit. Their practice is to throw the rubbish out the door and forget about it. There were old rusting oil drums in the stream bed, cans & bottles everywhere. There had been some attempt to burn some of the stuff, but the attempt was not successful from the looks of it. The inside of the shack was no better. The place had a remarkably weird smell. The other guide, Phil, said it smelled like cut-up seal. It probably was. There was a dead dog body out back. Plumbing in Greenland is different. Naturally there are no sewage systems, but the "facilities" are indoors in a separate little room. The facilities are essentially a big bucket with a toilet seat on top. In town they are lined with plastic bags and they do get emptied. Out in the shack the bucket just filled up and that was that. So when everybody arrived, they elected to set up tents away from the shack. The mosquitoes weren't quite so bad down near the fiord where there was a little breeze. Still, cooking was a chore as the bugs were always landing in your food. Back in the valley, the glacial streams are not clear but are very gray with silt and sand, so you get used to having sand in your food (you don't chew hard) and bugs which you stop bothering about.

The next day we were up early to wait for the two boats to pick us up. They showed up at 2:00pm. Apparently, they have a lot of difficulty with the pack ice and can't get out of their little harbor, wherever that is. We were prepared for a cold trip to the town of Ittoqqortoormiit (population 500) one of 3 towns on the east coast of Greenland. When the boats came they gave us all survival suits which are like big red freezer suits except they also float, at least for a while. It occurred to everyone that if you fell overboard, your chances of survival would be slim, even with these suits. The trip down the fiord was 1 ½ hours, and it was getting mighty cold even with the suits. Down in Scoresby Sound a 5 foot swell had come up, so when we pulled up alongside the pier it was an adventure getting off the boats. First we kept our fingers off the boat side while each wave slammed us up against the pier. Then as the boat rose to the top of the wave, we had to grab the ladder and hang on. Francie our leader just couldn't do it. I thought sure she was going to fall in, but after 10 tries she finally got it. Finally we got together and trudged up the path to the guesthouse followed by a dozen little kids. You can't really call these paths streets; they use ATV's to get around, along with a few FWD's. The guesthouse had 5 beds for the 13 of us, but that's what sleeping bags are for. Then off to the supermarket to get food for dinner. Everything is labeled in Danish but spaghetti still looks like spaghetti.

The next morning the Danish tourism coordinator and his wife take us around to see the sights. The jail is very nice, they have a Danish chief of police, but he is not very busy. We visited the weather station where they send up weather balloons of which we found 3 up in the valley. The weather doesn't come across the middle of Greenland but instead comes up the Atlantic. They said storms from North America go north and reach them in the winter. They also said they get about 10 meters of snow each winter. They have to dig tunnels to get through all that snow. Everybody has a yard full of sled dogs. There are so many sled dogs that they must outnumber the people. In the winter nearly everyone goes dog sledding. There really isn't much else to do in town; there are no real jobs. We were told that the Danish government subsidizes the Inuit by spending on average either $10,000 or $50,000 a year per person, probably closer to $50,000. There are a few Danes that live there permanently. The young tourism man invited us over to his place for dinner, though we had to pay for it. His wife made us musk ox, which tasted a lot like lamb. There were also dried cod & scallops, I think, which were very good. Mostly what we talked about was what to do with the Inuit for jobs. Tourism is always suggested but there's not exactly a lot to do in town that would attract tourists. The Inuit mayor (who looked like Wayne Newton) ran the only bar in town and that was only open on payday (whenever that is). However, he did open up one night for us gringos, but all there was to drink were cans of Tuborg beer at $5.50 a can.

We talked for hours about jobs for the Inuit. Most of the Inuit don't speak any English, but all the Danes in town do. There was a Japanese couple and a Dutch couple at the guesthouse and we all conversed in English. I learned much more about the Inuit than I thought possible. Inuit supposedly means "human being," while Eskimo means "eater of raw meat," or so we were told. The mayor says they are trying to teach the young Inuits to clean up after themselves, but their elders are pretty hopeless. The town is not especially clean. Not that I was bothered any by that. It's just the way it is. At least the guesthouse had hot showers so we were able to clean up after 11 days.

Next day a helicopter flew us back to Constable Point and we caught the plane back to Reykjavik, Iceland. We then spent a day in Reykjavik where most folks took a bus to something like the local Sturbridge Village, but I chose to take a long run along the harbor side. It was quite cool and cloudy there. At a final dinner at the oldest restaurant in the city, most of us had the fish buffet. Markus had whale steak which looked and tasted a lot like beef steak. The food was very good but the bill was over $600 for 13 of us and the house wine was about $48 a bottle. At least they don't expect tips in Iceland. The next day we began our 6 hour flight home, where we now await our reunion.

It was an enjoyable trip, largely because it was a great group, hardly a grumble the whole time by anybody. However, I don't feel a yearning to return to Greenland any time soon. The lure of the Arctic is different and the Greenland trip did give me a little taste of what it must be like to explore the Arctic, although I'm not sure that's on my agenda--yet.

Last Two Ironrunners Conquer Stowe 8 Miler
by Michael Pelletier - Jul 20, 2003 -

Sunday, July 20 was a fine day to run in Vermont. The temperature was 65-70 with sunshine and cool breezes for the 9 a.m. start. The racecourse itself was interesting. Racers started off on the Stowe 8-Miler, running along a flat stretch of Mountain Road headed toward Mount Mansfield before veering away to run a loop of rolling hills around the river valley that sits at the base of Mount Mansfield.

We ran through farmland and literally through the middle of one farm with the farmhouse on one side and the barns on the other side of the road. At one point we ran along a 1.5-mile section of dirt road. We also ran through downtown Stowe's commercial district.

The only disappointment was that the Strider "we" was barely that. Only Sal Genovese and I were able to get to Vermont for the fourth race of the USATF-NE Grand Prix.

Sal did a Roger Perham duathalon in Asbury Grove on Saturday morning before heading north by himself to camp Saturday night outside of Stowe. Meanwhile, back in Nahant, Liza and baby Mae awaited Sal's return.

The Wildwoman and I drove north early Saturday afternoon to Ye Olde English Inn in Stowe, accommodations it took her days to arrange. Four years ago I was crew chief of the Wildwoman's support crew when she was tearing up her age group in triathlons. This year she is returning the favor and being my traveling director, arranging lodging for us on the USATF-NE Grand Prix. All I have to do is give her the race tee shirt and feed her.

Sal and I met up on Sunday morning and warmed up together before the race. When the gun went off, I was able to keep Sal in sight going up the first hill in the first mile. My next sighting of Sal was at the finish where Sal and I ate the Stowe "Breakfast of Champions": Pepsi, bowls of ice cream, and draft beer, all before 11 a.m. I started off strong in the race, thanks to speed sessions with Coach Dave Jellerson. But, due to sheer lack of mileage on my part, from 5 miles on I was looking for the finish line. In the last three-quarters of a mile, I was passed by 4 or 5 runners while I myself passed one lone runner. I'm ashamed to admit to The Snail that I ran positive splits, a total of 48 seconds slower over the last 4 miles.

The Wildwoman, never one to rest quietly back in the hotel room, went roller-blading during the race and then joined Sal and me at the finish for a "post mortem." I wasn't really dead; I just felt that way for the last three miles of the race. But at least I made the top ten in my age group and scored another point or two in the Grand Prix.

Sal made camping out the night before sound so exciting that Anne spent the 3 1/2-hour drive home on Sunday planning a Strider camping trip to the Stowe 8-Miler for next year.

Her only disappointment was that the consignment shop in Stowe did not yield a ski-racing suit for next winter's slalom competitions.

Results at Stowe
223/770 41/99 M3039 55:27 6:56 Sal Genovese
338/770 10/42 M6069 60:42 7:36 Mike Pelletier

Another result from the same weekend:
The day before, on Saturday, July 19, Dave Jefska ran 21:07 in the Jason Hussey Memorial Road Race, a 5K in Greenland, NH. Dave's motto seems to be no mountain too high, no hill too steep. This course in Greenland supposedly has only one big hill which you run up in the first half of the race, then turn around and run down to the finish.

After whining last Tuesday about how Tracy Brady and I were running too fast when we were running repeat miles on the track at 7:07 pace, Dave averaged 6:46 per mile on the hills in Greenland as he finished 30/191 overall and 6^th Master.

It Takes Moxie to Run This Race
by Mary Stevens - July 12, 2003 -

What could be more sublime than the Moxie Days Festival, in Lisbon Falls, Maine? Only the Moxie Days 5K that goes with it!

So on July 12, I got up at an ungodly hour to make it to the starting line of the Moxie Days 5K in time for the 7:30 a.m. start. I clocked a non-embarrassing (for me) time of 24:52, got the shirt, and lived to write about it. Of course, if I'd had a Moxie beforehand, I would have run faster.

This 5K was not a Transformational, Life-Affirming Personal Journey. There was no PR at the end of the rainbow in this limping mill town; not even an age-group thing. But the race did bring my running career full circle.

I ran my first race ever, the mile, on the oval at Lisbon High School. As a freshwoman running for Boothbay Region High, I clocked 7:12, then promptly keeled over on the infield. That was 25 years ago. The track is a little weedy now, and I haven't run a 7:12 mile in several years. At least I don't keel over anymore. Well, not often.

I found some less-mystical reasons for really enjoying this race, too. Among other perks, Moxie Days 5K winners don't get trophies: They get a six-pack of this fine drink. In cans!

Even more wonderful, racers get a T-shirt that's bright orange, with "MOXIE" emblazoned across the front. This garment is vivid enough to hold its own against any shirt from any Lynn Woods Relay in the past decade. It's suitable for hunting season. I wore mine proudly to work last Monday, then "retired" it to my drawer of Collectors Items—it will be highly coveted on eBay someday.

This being Maine, you work for that shirt! The course 'undulates' like only New England side-roads can; sure, there're only two hills, but they comprise the entire distance. That said, I've never tromped down a steep half-mile to finish a race of any distance. It's a great way to end an event. The weather was perfect this year: overcast, temps in the high 50s. The way races should be.

Here's why other Striders might like this race: If you crave public acclaim but fail to earn any in the 5K, there's always the rest of the fest. Following an impressive parade, there's the Moxie recipe cook-off (all entries must have seven ingredients besides the drink), the ugliest-knees-in-a-kilt contest, the chicken-throwing competition, and more. A Moxie-drinking match is staged strategically close to the porta-potties.

Just be warned: This event is getting popular with a lot of folks "from away." And you're allowed to run the Moxie 5K even if you can't stand its namesake.

Some history

Moxie is an ornery soft drink with a storied past and an aftertaste that bites back when you drink it. Moxie originated in Maine and, like Coca-Cola, began life as a patent medicine. It delivers enough caffeine that if you drank it before a race, won the race, and then got drug-tested, you'd probably be banned from the sport for life. The packaging is bright orange, to warn off the uninitiated.

Moxie was very popular back when people liked bitter soda. Sadly, its odd flavor has fallen out of favor everywhere except New England. Maine allegedly has more Moxie drinkers than any other state in the nation, which is why the Moxie Days festival makes its home in the Pine Tree State.

I like Moxie, but understand it's an acquired taste that many people just never acquire. It has a devout (crazy) following among my family and many runners, since we're all a tad insane, anyway.

In fact, I can't think of a better reason to head to Lisbon Falls in early July. If you've got Moxie, this is the race for you.

Striders Sparkle at Firecracker 4 Mile
by Special Correspondent Thomas Jefferson - July 4, 2003 -

Carol Geis--Sometimes Walking is Faster

Photo courtesy of George Geis

In 2002, this Swampscott 4^th of July race was an inferno with temperatures and humidity both in the 90's. Only diehards like Dick Buchanan were willing to toe the line last year, while the fair-weather runners like George Geis and Mike Pelletier jogged around Marblehead neck and sipped lemonade on July 4, 2002.

At this year's Firecracker 4 Mile, lower temperatures and lower humidity were enough to coax Pelletier into returning to the race for the first time since 1998. Nobody cared except Dick Buchanan who saw his strangle hold on this race ended when Pelletier bested him by 16 seconds in winning the Male 60-99 age group with a time of 28:25. Dick Buchanan has owned the 60+ division in this race for the last 8 years.

Meanwhile, Maureen O'Reilly was 1^st Master Woman and 2^nd female overall. Neil Bernstein and Steve Keenholtz finished 1, 2 in the Male 50-59 group; Gail Sullivan won the Female 50-59 title; Rene Merritt was 2^nd Female 19-39; and Carol Geis was 3^rd Female 60 and over.

Times:
  6. Dean Phillips, 3^rd M 20-29, 24:20
  7. David Depew, 3^rd M40-49, 24:23
  9. Neil Bernstein, 1^st M 50-59, 24:32
12. Maureen O'Reilly, 1^st F 40-49, 25:06
13. Martin Spitzli, 4^th M 30-39, 25:09
14. Gary Freedman, 5^th M 40-49, 25:41
16. James Kraft, 6^th M 20-29, 25:52
20. Dave Sullivan, 7^th M 40-49, 26:44
23. Rene Merritt, 2^nd F 30-39, 26:57
24. Steve Keenholtz, 2^nd M 50-59, 27:16
33. Mike Pelletier, 1^st M 60-99, 28:25
37. Dick Buchanan, 2^nd M 60-99, 28:41
61. Gail Sullivan, 1^st F50-59, 31:10
99. Marci Omlor, 12^th F 30-39, 33:58
112. Dave Jellerson, 10^th M50-59, 35:19
127. Cindy Diamond, 19^th F 40-49, 37:13
159. Carol Geis, 3^rd F 60-99, 48:16

In other 4th of July news:

Mike Wade was 9^th M30-39, with a time of 41:53 in the very hilly 10K, at the North Andover Fourth of July 5k/10k. In the 5K edition, Mike DiMauro was 12^th overall and third among men 30-39, in 18:10.

Mary Stevens was the first adult female finisher in the West Beach 'Marathon'. (High tide shortened this 2-mile beach run to approximately 1.25 miles enough for three youngsters to spring away from her at the end.)

Strider affiliate John Ayers was first among 30-39-year-old men and third overall at the 36th Annual Lynnfield Social Club 5K Road Race, in 16:42. In the same race, Rich Tabbut was first men's master, in 19:24; Steve Kohanski was 7^th among men 60-69 in 28:43; and Louise Rossetti won the women's 80-99 division, in 40:59.

John Gillis led several more striders to the finish at the Jennifer Tinney Memorial 5-Miler, in Boxford. John was third overall, first among men 30-39, in a fast 28:26. Behind him, Strider affiliate Dan MacAlpine was sixth over all and second master in 29:42. Strider affiliate Tom Conlon was 10^th overall and 3rd among men 30-39 in 30:42. Strider affiliate Sue Tanona was the 3^rd woman overall and fastest master, clocking 34:27. Strider affiliate Len Femino was second among men 50-59 in 35:22. Sue Besse was third among women 30-39 in 35:51. Pat Michaud was fifth master, in 37:35. Darlene Prinz was 8^th among women 30-39 in 37:49, and Steve Weitzler clocked 40:33.

Striders Fizzle as Lions Sizzle
by Michael Pelletier - June 29, 2003 -

The Striders' Veterans team disintegrated just prior to the third race in the USATF/NE Grand Prix, the Lions Sizzler 20K in Bedford, NH. When the Veterans team disappeared, so too did the Striders' Open, Masters, and Seniors teams.

Veterans George Michaud and Joe Boudreau didn't have enough time after the Rhody 5K to up their distance to 12.4 miles. Neither did Steve Kohanski, another 5K specialist. George Geis had already committed to be out of the area with Carol that weekend.

Dave Atchason was preparing to leave for Scoresby Sound in Greenland to do some polar bear wrestling and hiking on a glacier, but generously agreed to go to Bedford, NH to run on the Veterans' team. After Dave and I ran 11 1/2 miles in training on the previous Sunday, Dave was confident he could finish 20 K on his feet.

Dick Buchanan was showing a lot of interest in being the third member of the team. However, with six days to go, he realized that he could place a lot higher with a lot less effort if he ran the Run for the Sun 5K in Beverly on Saturday, June 28.

At this point, I turned to Wally Kurz. For about a day and a half, Wally was interested in joining us. By Wednesday night, however, Wally realized he wasn't recovering well from winning his age group in the race up Mt. Washington. Maybe the cold he'd been fighting for over 2 weeks had something to do with his slow recovery; but whatever the reason he was forced to withdraw from the team, leaving the Veterans one runner shy.

On Saturday, Dave Jefska called to announce that his relative youth had allowed him to bounce back from the Mt. Washington race and that he was ready to run the 20K in Bedford. Dave said he'd tested his recovery from running up Mt. Washington on Saturday, June 21 by riding to the top of Mt. Washington on Thursday, June 26 and then hiking down. I didn't understand the logic behind this, but it made for one more Strider at the 20K.

Dave Jefska joined Dave Atchason and me for the ride to Bedford. We appointed professional trucker Dave Atchason as the driver. Atchason was a good choice because he helped me realize a long-time dream: to beat Fernando Braz. We easily passed Fernando on Route 93 with 20 miles to go and then held onto the lead until we emerged victorious by pulling into a parking space just before Fernando pulled into the adjacent space. Fernando was very gracious in defeat, even thanking us for leading him to such a fine parking space.

After registering we were standing in line for the bus that would take us to the start 12.4 miles away when Sal Genovese appeared. Unfortunately, Sal, the two Daves, and I were only 4/5 of an open team; the two Daves and I were only 3/5 of a Masters team; and Dave Atchason and I were only 2/3 of a Veterans team.

Left without a team, each of us set off over the hills of Amherst and Bedford on a personal quest. Sal was trying to complete another step towards Ironrunner status in the USATF/NE Gra