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Feature Articles - 2004

2002 2003

Dec 5: Mill Cities Relay 2004
Nov 9: Open Meeting - Sun, Nov 21, 5 pm
Oct 25: USATF Cross Country Race
Oct 20: Arthur Lydiard to Speak on Nov 10
Oct 12: 2005 Officers
Oct 9: Striders Shine at Hartford Marathon and Half-Marathon
Oct 3: Apple Harvest 5M
Sep 26: Two Personal Records & Motorcycle Crash at Clarence DeMar Marathon #16
Sep 6: Searching for Glory Around Cape Ann and Cape Ann Doesn't Disappoint
Aug 25: Golden Women Lead Way at Lynn Woods Relay
Aug 4: Walk to Run with the NSS
Aug 3: Prez Sets Strider Standard Pounding Pavement in Newburyport
Jun 30: WalkWell Orthotics
Jun 16: NSS Strikes Silver at Rossetti 5K
Jun 14: Uniforms - Get 'em while they're hot
May 30: The Green Mountain Boys and Girl at the Vermont City Marathon
May 31: Dory Run (brief)
May 2: 42nd Race of Champions Marathon 2004
Apr 19: NSS Volunteers Hydrated the Hordes at Mile 12
Apr 4: Striders Go '4^th' And Conquer
Mar 19: New NSS uniforms now available
Mar 18: Roy Benson to Speak
Feb 21: Greetings from Marathon Headquarters
Feb 18: Reebok to Sponsor North Shore Striders
Jan 31: Striders in Jerusalem
Jan 1: First Day, First Race

Mill Cities Relay 2004

by Mike Pelletier - Dec 5, 2004 -

Most of the Striders at Mill Cities

Photo courtesy of Wally Kurz

Female Veteran (1st place) & Senior (2nd Place)

Photo courtesy of Neil Bernstein

It is time to thank all the Striders who contributed so much to making the Mill Cities Relay the fun experience it was.

I want to thank the members of the women's open team: Sue Besse, Libby DeBoalt, Marci Omlor, Sue Quimby, and Lee Benton.

I want to thank the members of the men's open team: Sean Kay, Dennis Ryan, masters runners Dave Jefska and Kevin Counihan both of whom generously moved down an age group to help the younger guys, and senior master runner Neil Bernstein who moved down two age groups.

I want to thank the members of the men's master team: Bill MacDonald, Eric Rosengren, Steve Weitzler, Gary Freedman, and Rich Tabbut.

I want to thank the members of the men's senior team who displayed such team spirit that they agreeably rearranged their team at 6am on Sunday when Tom Lubas was a last-minute scratch due to family sickness. Super Sub Rick Bartlett came off the bench for the first time in a year, laced up his running shoes and turned in a solid outing. Jerry Young and Bob Holland stepped up to run longer legs than planned, while Tom McMahon and Pete Malinowski delivered their usual stellar performances.

I want to thank the members of the women's veteran team: Barbara Naeser, Ginger Love, and Judy Dalton for leaving it all on the road and running to a first place finish in their division. In the process they finished ahead of three women's senior teams filled with runners ten years their juniors. Barbara, Judy and Ginger also finished tied for 1st in the unofficial balloting for the award: Best Newcomers to the Mill Cities Relay.

I want to thank my teammates on the coed veteran team, Steve Kohanski and Nancy Wilson, for helping the team to a 3rd place finish in the division. At 7:15am Steve agreed to switch onto the team so that the coed veterans team could transfer Carol Geis to the women's senior team.

I want to thank Carol Geis for agreeing at 7:15 am in Nashua to move down onto the women's senior team when one member of that cancelled out on Saturday night. Joining Carol in the relay, Annajean McMahon smoked the competition on the 9.4 miles leg and Gail Sullivan cemented the team's 2nd place finish with another quality run.

I also want to thank the members of the coed master team for their incredible patience and courage as what had been a men's veteran team on Thursday morphed into first a coed senior team on Saturday and then into a coed master team on Sunday morning. Dick Buchanan, Joe Giannone, and George Geis were joined by two of the Strider Super Subs: the Wildwoman (Anne Pelletier) and the Strider PR Director, Mary Stevens. Mary agreed at 7:15am to come off the injured reserve list (arthroscopic knee surgery) and fast walk 2.5 miles for the team.

Special thanks must go to Marci Omlor, Mary Stevens and my soul-mate Anne for spending the better part of three weeks on the phone recruiting runners for the relay and in the process calling every Strider woman and most of the men one, two, or three times each.

Nancy Wilson, Carol Geis, and Steve Weitzler expended heroic efforts helping Anne and me try to find last minute replacements for some of the teams.

Finally, unable to run because of injury but more than willing to spend hours on the relay course on Sunday providing support were Dave Sullivan, Wally Kurz, Sarah Naugler, and Nancy Giannone. Thanks to them, everyone (well, almost everyone) was in position for the handoffs, cars were in position for runner pickups, water was distributed, and there was no Strider left behind.

As the poet laureate of the Striders once wrote, "Singlets do not a Strider make; nor running shoes a mate. They also serve who only stand and wait."

Results

Strider Team	Place in Division	Points Earned
Female Open	6	4
Male Open	9	3
Male Masters	9	3
Coed Masters	11	1
Female Seniors	2	4
Male Seniors	9	4
Female Veterans	1	1
Coed Veterans	3	1

In the final overall tally of points, the North Shore Striders finished 9th of the 14 clubs participating in this year's Mill Cities Relay.

Open Meeting - Sun, Nov 21, 5 pm
by Steve Weitzler and Mary Stevens - Nov 9, 2004 -

We would like to invite you to an Open Meeting of the North Shore Striders, at Steve's home in Middleton, on Sunday Nov 21, at 5pm. We have the Turkey Trot in Essex that morning, so we should have plenty of time between the two events. This club belongs to you, and we have a lot of things to go over, so participation is encouraged. Pizza and beer following the meeting.

Tentative agenda:
1. Review of current year.
2. Grand Prix for upcoming year.
3. Volunteering, for upcoming year.
4. Special events for upcoming year.
5. Other plans for upcoming year.
6. Nomination of Officers.

Please RSVP to me at 978-762-9751 or sweitzler@comcast.net.

Steve and Ellen Weitzler
3 Ingalls Way
Middleton, MA 01949
978-762-9751

Directions:
I-95 to exit 47 (Route 114).
West on Route 114 about 3.5 miles (about 1/2 mile past Middleton Town Hall).
Right on Essex Street for about 1 1/4 miles.
Left on Ingalls Way.

Arthur Lydiard to Speak on Nov 10
by Coach Tom Derderian - Oct , 2004 -

Arthur Lydiard from New Zealand sparked the boom in long distance running in America. In the early sixties American coach Bill Bowerman, one of the founders of Nike, learned about the value of running steady long distances from Lydiard. Lydiard and his ideas formed the basis for the explosion in American long distance running in the 1970s regardless of whether the runners knew of Lydiard or not.

Lydiard, now 87, is coming to the Boston area to speak on Nov 10th, at 7pm, at Regis College in Weston, MA in an auditorium in College Hall, #202. Admission is $20 adults and $10 students. Space is limited so reserve with Tom Derderian. This event is hosted by the Greater Boston Track Club.

[Attached is a flyer about the event.]

Here are some websites about Lydaird.

Please spread the word to others like yourself in the Boston area running community.

Thanks, this will be my one, only, and last chance to meet Arthur Lydiard who has influenced me so much.

USATF Cross Country Race
by Dan MacAlpine and Rich Tabbut - Oct 25, 2004 -

We (Dan McAlpine and Rich Tabbut) are looking for members interested in running for a Master's team at the USATF Master's 8k championship (Click on Cross Country on the menu), on November 7, 2004, at 10 am, at Franklin Park in Boston. The male team consists of 8 members, with the top 5 scoring and the women's team consists of 5 members, with the top 3 scoring.

You can find more in the discussions on the Forum (Oct 16 and Oct 18). Please post your availability to run on the Forum. If we get more than the maximum number of runners, we will try to have two teams (unlikely). We had a NSS masters team in 2000, the last time the national event was held in Boston.

The entry fee is $15 until November 1st, $25 for those entries postmarked after 11/1. You must join the USATF ($20 fee) to run the race. Conversely, if you join after 11/1, the membership covers also 2005. See more details on the USATF-NE web site (link above). By the way, the New England Open Women's and Men's championship races will be held following the master race.

2005 Officers
by Joe Shairs - Oct 12, 2004 -

Some of the club members may know already that almost all of the officer positions will be up for contention this year. This will include my position (President) Mike Page's position (VP) and Gary Freedman's position (VP). I can't speak for Steve Weitzler or Jill Page. Also there is a need for a club Treasurer. Our duties have included a myriad of events including but not limited to:
- All club attire (uniform purchases and all other clothing);
- All club races (selecting and organizing calendar);
- Managing income (picking timed events and organizing with race directors);
- All club paperwork with USAT&F;
- Summer coaching postions as well as payment schedule;
- All club sponsorship details (e.g., Reebok and N.E. Running Co.);
- All communications to website and email club notes;
- Organizing details of all relays (including Mill Cities, Lynn Woods-paperwork and entry fees).

This is a short list off the top of my head. This will give the incoming people an idea of what is expected of them.

Striders Shine at Hartford Marathon and Half-Marathon
by Michael Pelletier - Oct 9, 2004 -

Highlights

Pam Morin and Sue Besse led a Strider contingent to the Greater Hartford Marathon, Half Marathon and 5k and didn't disappoint as they each bagged a PR (Pam's was a post-Mom PR) and easily qualified for the Boston Marathon.
Also qualifying for Boston was Khouri Rice who led the male Striders by running an outstanding 3:09:00.
Dave Jefska ran his fastest marathon in 9 years.
Kevin Counihan completed his 9th marathon of the year.
Richard Norris finished his first ever marathon and
I faced reality and dropped out at 20 miles.
Annajean McMahon ran her first half-marathon ever and finished 4th of 58 women in her age group.

Pre-race
Annajean McMahon rode down to Hartford on Friday afternoon with me and my coach, the WildWoman. Sue Besse drove down by herself as did Dave Jefska who had to go by way of Worcester for work.

Annajean was staying at the Days Inn which was supposedly "right next door" to the Holiday Inn Express where we were staying. We were staying at the Holiday Inn Express which overlooks Bushnell Park in Hartford at the start and finish of the Marathon and Half Marathon. Unfortunately, the Days Inn is "right next door" to a different Holiday Inn Express which is 20 minutes away by interstate highways. By the time we got Annajean registered at the Days Inn near the airport and returned to the Holiday Inn at Bushnell Park, Sue and Dave had checked into their rooms and the five of us headed over to the Civic Center to pick up our race numbers.

While the other four of us were buying a few last minute essentials at the marathon expo, the WildWoman was scoping out possibilities for carbo loading. The first choice turned out to be too up-scale, i.e., expensive, for our tastes, but a few minutes walk turned up a perfect choice. Dave could get his spaghetti and meat balls and Annajean could get the pesto sauce that the WildWoman was recommending to maximize salt intake. Judging by the relative success that Annajean and I enjoyed the next day, I should have listened to the WildWoman.

We skipped desert at the restaurant and headed back to the Holiday Inn to share the "Hunka, Hunka Chocolate" cake that Sue had brought.

Over desert we got updates via cell phone that Richard Norris had flown in from Washington, D.C. and been picked up at the airport by his wife Linda who had driven down from Marblehead and that Pam Morin was marooned in a traffic jam on the interstate with her husband and two daughters. By this time Pam knew she'd have to pick up her number in the morning before meeting us in the hotel lobby at 7:30 am.

Race Day
Dave and Sue met in the lobby at 6am for race essentials: a breakfast sandwich from McDonald's for Dave, and Dunkin Donuts coffee and a bagel for Sue. Sue's second course was 3 pancakes at 7am. Once again, considering relative success, later I had to wonder about my breakfast choice of a banana and a quart of Gatorade.

By 7am Annajean had checked out of her hotel and driven back in my car to the Holiday Inn.

At 7:30, the WildWoman was trying to take a group photo, but as various people headed to the bathroom, she was never able to get more than 4 people in a photo. By the time our group got to the start, Pam, Sue, and I were standing together at the 3:30 pace sign and Annajean and Dave were several rows behind us at the 3:40 pace sign with each subgroup unaware of the other's presence.

We stood through 2 speeches about how great a day it was going to be: temperature in the 70's and sunny. Sue and I silently cursed the orators, but Pam was very vocal about how out of touch they were. As the gun went off, it was overcast and humid, but cool. Luckily, the cloud cover didn't disappear until around 11am. By noon, the bright sunshine had returned and those who were still running were really hit hard by the weather.

Pam, Sue and I had planned to run at 8:20 pace, but even with a slow first half mile because of the crowded start, we were 32:53 at 4 miles (8:13 pace). Shortly after 4 miles Sue fell out for a pit-stop behind a bush but quickly rejoined Pam and me. A mile later I fell out for a pit-stop behind another bush, but decided not to try to catch up to Sue and Pam. It's a good thing I didn't try to catch up because while I was running miles 5-8 in 33:00 (8:15 pace), they were picking up the pace 8:09 for 10 miles) and putting distance between us.

From 5.5 to 9.5 miles, the course is out along N. King Street to a turn around a cone and then back down N. King Street. This gives you a chance to see everyone before you and after you in the race.

The first Strider around the cone whom I recognized was Richard who was smiling and waving and having a grand time enjoying the first 11 miles of his first marathon. Next I greeted Pam and Sue at their 9.6 and my 9.4 miles. I turned the cone and headed back down N. King Street and said hello to Dave as I approached 10 miles.

By 12 miles I knew things weren't going well: I was working just as hard, but I had just run 34:19 (8:35 pace) for miles 9-12. About the same time, Sue Besse decided to ease off hammering the miles with Pam and slowed to 8:20 pace. By 17 miles, Sue caught Richard who was fading and ran with him for a mile, before finding new energy and picking up the pace again.

During miles 13 through 16 I considered the possibilities: struggle to finish in less than 4 hours or make this a 20-mile training run. I already had run a Boston qualifier in the last year and didn't need another. I thought I'd have to run near 3:40 to place in my age group (actually, 3rd M 60-64 ran 3:38 at Hartford) and that a mere 20 today would leave me ready to run 26.2 in another 3 or 4 weeks. By 16 when I saw that I had just run 34:53 (8:44) for the last 4 miles, I decided that 20 would be enough. (By the end of the day, I had decided that I'd be mentally ready to run 26.2 in another 6 months.)

Just before 19, I came upon Richard walking with another guy. When I said hello, he resumed running and asked how I was doing. I told him I was stopping at 20 because I was fading too much, too soon. Richard immediately dropped off my pace and I struggled along; a slight downhill at 19.5 felt like going down Heartbreak Hill. I knew my quads were shot with over 6 miles to go.

I crossed the timing mat at 20 miles, stopped my watch and began walking the ½ mile to my hotel. Richard pulled up beside me and urged me to run the last 6.2. I urged him to walk the last 6.2 because I thought he was using Hartford to train for the Marine Corps Marathon at the end of October.

Richard didn't take my advice, resumed running and finished the entire 26.2 miles. I didn't take Richard's advice: I stepped off the course and went to my room to get some dry clothes. My coach the WildWoman was waiting to discuss my 20-mile training run. While we were talking, Annajean came in to take a shower. She said she'd had a good race although her butt bothered her for the last 2 miles. Anne pointed out that Annajean hadn't run farther than 7 miles since the Cape Ann race on Labor Day when she'd gotten injured and that she'd done well just to run in Hartford. Later, we'd find out that Annajean's 1:46 was good for 4/58 in her age group.

Anne and I left the hotel to walk over to the finish. As we crossed the race course in front of the hotel we looked up to see a Strider bearing down on us. "Hey, Strider, what's your name, " called Anne. "Kevin Counihan," he replied, looking strong and confident.

Anne and I continued to the finish line. We got there just as Pam Morin crossed the line looking a lot better than I'm sure she felt after her post-mom PR of 3:33:16 which earned her third place in the F35-39 age group. Pam credits her PR to track workouts with the Striders on Tuesday nights and a massage on her balky hamstring by John Gillis the previous week.

Sue Besse finished 5 minutes later in 3:38:13 good for 9th in the same age group out of 90 competitors. Sue also credits Strider track workouts on Tuesday nights and massages by John Gillis. John is quickly becoming "massage therapist to the stars."

We didn't see Dave Jefska finish, because Sue, Pam and I got in line for a post-race massage while the WildWoman ran intervals to the food tent to fetch us food. Soon enough Dave found us and told us how at 16 miles he considered dropping out because he felt so bad , only to recover by 18-19 and go on to run his fastest marathon in 9 years. Dave is crediting his success to the breakfast sandwich at McDonalds and to avoiding long training runs which tend to tire him out.

While we were hanging out, first in the massage area and then in the beer garden, Richard finished in 3:58:45. After Richard took a shower at the hotel, his wife Linda drove Richard and Annajean back to Boston. [I had visions of Richard lying comatose in the back seat while Annajean and Linda chatted.] Instead, Richard hung tough all the way to Boston, staying awake, elevating his leg and putting ice on his ankle. Ever the gentleman, Richard even offered to carry Annajean's bag to her door. Luckily, Annajean refused his offer; luckily, because it would be a near-death experience for him to just get out of the car.

Postscript:
Sue, Dave, Anne and I went to the official post-race party at "In a Pig's Eye." I don't want to say Hartford is dull, but this official post-race party (from 6-9pm ) would make even a monthly meeting of the AARP seem raucous by comparison. After looking around at the estimated 20 revelers for 1 minute, we called it a night at 7pm and headed back to the hotel.

Summary

Marathon:
(Take note of Khouri's negative splits and Pam's metronome-like dead-even splits.)

	10-Mile Pace	20-Mile Pace	26.2-Mile Pace	Finish Time	Place
Khouri Rice	7:18	7:12	7:13	3:09:00
Pam Morin	8:09	8:09	8:09	3:33:16	3/90
Sue Besse	8:09	8:22	8:20	3:38:13	9/90
Dave Jefska	8:25	8:45	8:54	3:53:16
Richard Norris	7:57	8:37	9:07	3:58:45
Kevin Counihan	9:38	10:14	10:50	4:45:13
Mike Pelletier	8:15	8:33		DNF

Half-Marathon:
Annajean McMahon1:46:47 (4th of 58 F50-54)

Apple Harvest 5M
by Mary Stevens - Oct 3, 2004 -

APPLE HARVEST 5M, W.Newbury, Oct. 3

1. Joe Shairs, 26:22 (winner)
3. John Gillis, 28:48 (1st, men 40-49)
12. Gary Freedman, 31:08 (4th, men 40-49)
13. Neil Bernstein, 31:35 (1st, men 50-59)
17. Rich Tabbut, 32:37 (7th, men 40-49)
19. Bill MacDonald, 33:06 (9th, men 40-49)
23. Layce Alves, 33:53 (2nd, women 20-29)
29. George Geis, 35:22 (2nd, men 60-69)
32. Dennis Ryan, 35:56 (7th, men 30-39)
38. Sue Besse, 36:19 (4th, women 30-39)
39. Lanse Stover, 36:19 (3rd, men 50-59)
55. Mike Pelletier, 37:30 (4th, men 60-69)
62. Richard Buchanan, 38:00 (5th, men 60-69)
64. Annajean McMahon, 38:06 (1st, women 50-59)
70. Jacqueline Regan, 38:23 (2nd, women 40-49)
72. Dave Jefska, 38:26
75. Sue Quimby, 38:37 (7th, women 30-39)
78. Steve Weitzler, 38:44
86. Tom McMahon, 39:22 (8th, men 50-59)
91. Bob Holland, 39:34 (9th, men 50-59)
116. Gail Sullivan, 40:49 (3rd, women 50-59)
137. Kevin Counhian, 42:50
155. Marci Omlor, 44:02
244. Maureen Regan, 55:03 (9th, girls 12-15)
253. Anne Pelletier, 56:30 (8th, women, 50-59)
256. Scott Fraser, 59:17
257. Carol Geis, 59:49 (3rd, women 60-69)
258. Nancy Wilson, 1:02:40 (4th, women 60-69)

Results courtesy of Granite State Race Services and Cool Running

Two Personal Records & Motorcycle Crash at Clarence DeMar Marathon #16 by Kevin D. Counihan - Sep 26, 2004 -

102 people left [still candidates] for Ironrunner [--with 2 more races still to go]
USATF-NE Grand Prix 2004

New PR 8 Marathons
(breaks my current record of 7 from 2003 and will be 12 at end of 2004)
PR Time 4:30:31 pace 10:20
(breaks my current record from Maine 2003 by 1:30)
no chips watch time 4:29:55 Half split 2:15:00

Eight a.m., Keene, New Hampshire at Clarence DeMar Marathon. It's 42 degrees and foggy. I make my way to the back of the 300 runner pack and try not to pass out. I've had no sleep in 3 days due to poison ivy on right eyelid. I've concealed the swollen, half closed, golf ball eye behind dark sunglasses. I'm ready for a nap, or a marathon. The first 5 miles are slow as the legs are stiff and tight from 2 hour car ride. I ran 5 miles before Cape Ann and couldn't get loose until mile 5. The hills are similar to Cape Ann, long and fast as opposed to Stowe, VT tall and steep. I hit the first long fast downhill I floor it, the adrenaline and endorphins kick in for the first time in 3 days I'm alive again.

After the down hill we ease back to goal pace so as to not blow the engine before the half way point. After a shaky start I hit the half at 2:15:00. With the lack of sleep and itching behind me I'm starting to believe I might pull this out and get a personal record.

By mile 15 it's becoming a little obvious (even for a blind man) there are 2 young ladies in their 30's using me to pace their first marathon. This would turn into quite the cat and mouse game throughout the rest of the race. As advertised there is quite the long tall hill at 18.5 miles, the rookies sprinted up the hill with reckless abandon. I went up the hill at half pace and passed them as they walked up to the top exhausted. From this point on I had 2 clones mirroring my every move. By mile 24 they shot ahead out of sight thank god.

Around mile 24 I'm running along the bike lane on rt 101 with another guy . The officer 100 feet ahead signals a van to stop to let someone cross the street. The van stops short and skids right. Six motorcycles, 2 across, are behind van. Everyone's going about 40 mph. The back 4 stop fine. The 2 front motorcycles, a man on left one is looking sideways talking to girlfriend on other motorcycle. She stops and skids. The guy is still looking at her and bang he hits the van. The girlfriend goes over shakes the guy and says you ok . The officer says does he need an ambulance. She says how the hell do I know I'm not a doctor. Look what he did to my bike I'm going to kill him.

By mile 25 I caught one of the rookies who slowed to see what happened to me. The other kid finished a minute ahead of us. She thanked me for being her pacing coach.

Next week 10/03/04 doubleheader
Mcourt 5 mile S. Boston 10 am and Apple Harvest 5 mile 12:30 pm
10/9/04 Hartford Marathon
10/31/04 Cape Cod Marathon
11/7/04 NYC Marathon
12/19/04 Jacksonville Marathon
1/9/05 Disney Marathon
1/30/05 Miami Marathon
2005 Boston Marathon 25th overall

See you soon on the marathon trail
- Kevin

P.S. Lots of pix and pr lists soon

Searching for Glory Around Cape Ann
and
Cape Ann Doesn't Disappoint
by Mike Pelletier and Mary Stevens - Sep 6, 2004 -

Searching for Glory Around Cape Ann
by Mike Pelletier

1st Place Annajean McMahon
in her first ever 25K!

Photo courtesy of Neil Bernstein

Last fall, the Wildwoman recruited Annajean McMahon to the Striders' Senior Women's team for the Mill Cities Relay. Annajean has led the Senior Women's team to a number of impressive victories this year and has also become a fixture at Thursday night runs at Flynnie's and Sunday morning runs at the Anchor.

On Labor Day, after I told her a month ago that "There's no glory in the Goose," Annajean agreed to run the Around Cape Ann 25K (her previous long run was 14 miles) and finished 1st Senior Woman in a time of 2:13:36.

A bunch of us started off together after Mario Fagone risked getting trampled to take pictures of us on the starting line.

When the gun went off, Sue Tanona, Sue Besse, and Richard Norris quickly sped away and were soon out of sight. Annajean, Dave Jefska (who had just climbed Mt. Washington the day before), and I tried to go out more conservatively. But when our first mile split was a minute faster than planned, we knew we were not sticking to that plan.

We caught up to Eric Rosengren and formed a group of four until Dave and I stopped and walked to drink at a water stop. Annajean and Eric started congratulating themselves on how they'd dropped us so early in the race. They suddenly dropped that subject when Dave and I quickly rejoined them.

Around 6 miles I caught sight of a grey-haired runner I was sure was in my age group. It took until we were entering downtown Rockport for me to overtake him. I passed him just as Dave and Annajean were catching up to me at the bottom of a downhill.

In the center of Rockport we met Super Support Person John Gillis who ran along with us while passing us bottles of Gatorade and water. John told us how Sue Besse and Richard Norris had taken Gatorade from him and immediately picked up the pace while running uphill. We tried to do the same, but by 9 miles, Dave and Annajean were ready to slow up a bit. Dave's hip was protesting climbing Mt. Washington and racing 25K on successive days. Annajean was experiencing a pain in her ass and today it was real, instead of figurative: on Sunday Annajean had to spend all day doing plumbing repairs. By Monday morning her body was in revolt.

As Annajean and Dave slowed, I sped up, trying to catch the age-group runner who had passed me again at the 9-mile water stop. It took me over a mile to overtake him at which point I caught sight of Roger Perham. When I caught up to Roger we ran together until 12 miles at which point I thought I saw my age group competition right behind me.

I picked up the pace again and held on until the fourteenth mile when I slowed slightly on the nasty little hill leading away from the fish piers. Once I was at the top, I picked up the pace again for the last 1.5 miles running at 7:27 pace until the finish. It felt like the last 1-2 mile repeat on the Beverly track each Tuesday night and I could hear in my mind Coach Dave Jellerson's advice to hold form and pace until the end. Track workouts had made it so much easier to run Neil Bernstein's "negative splits" and to do nothing over the last 5½ miles of the race except to pass other runners.

Close behind me at the finish was Roger Perham, followed by Eric, Annajean, and then Dave.

As Annajean was running the final straight away, I got a chance to thank John Gillis for his Gatorade and say hello to Joe Shairs who was basking in the glow of an overall third place finish and a time under the USATF guidelines.

Shortly thereafter, the sweat began running into my eyes and I couldn't see. As I was stumbling around, getting ready to scream, "Blind runner needs help," I literally bumped into Gail Sullivan who took pity on me and gave me two paper towels to wipe the sweat from my eyes.

As soon as I could see, I spied Dave Jefska who told me how slowing down and running on the other side of the road had let his hip stop hurting. Then I met Tom McMahon who pronounced himself pleased that he'd run faster than he had thought he would. (Tom was another Strider who had taken to heart the dictum, "There's no glory in the Goose.")

When I turned, there was Neil Bernstein helping a very battered Annajean to a seat on a wall; not only was her pain-in-the-ass getting worse, but she was feeling light-headed. I thought of the coach who said, "Don't kill Annajean" and how I'd replied, "Don't worry; she's from East Boston; she's tough." Now, I began to doubt myself. But later when they had the awards ceremony, Annajean managed to pull herself together enough to shuffle forward with only a moderate limp and, supported by Gail Sullivan, receive the award for 1st Senior woman.

Despite claims to the contrary, at the 8K Run the Goose award ceremony there were lots of Strider recipients achieving glory. Leading all [female] Striders was Sue Quimby who was 3rd woman overall.

Finishing 1st in their respective divisions were Rich Tabbut (40-49), Lance Stover (50-59), and George Geis (60-69). Rich, Lance, and George were 6, 7, and 9 respectively in the overall top ten males. (Because Run the Goose is so hilly and a lot longer than his favorite distance of 5K, George has been diligently running an 8-mile hilly route in Marblehead every Thursday with the crowd from Flynnie's on the theory that Marblehead hills make champions: Tyler Hamilton, Shalane Flanagan, and now George Geis.)

Finishing 2nd in their respective divisions were Carol Geis (60-69), Dick Buchanan (60-69), Gail Sullivan (50-59), and Maureen Appleyard (30-39). It looks like trail running near her new country estate really agrees with Maureen.

3rd in the 60-69 age group was Nancy Wilson.

4th and 5th in the (40-49) age group were Jayne Sexton and Vicky Yee.

Scott Fraser was 5th Male (30-39) and the Wildwoman was 7th Female (50-59). (The Wildwoman was trying out a new training regimen wherein she not only eschews all running between races, but tapers her cross-training to the point where she rests for 14 days before competition.)

...and from another vantage point (by Mary Stevens)...

Cape Ann Doesn't Disappoint
by Mary Stevens

September 6 was another payoff day for everyone who sweated through the muggy weather of July and August. Thirty-seven Striders took advantage of the day, none faster than Joe Shairs, who earned an USATF asterisk time for the second year in a row while taking third in the race.

Tom Conlon was second Strider over the line, and the club's first master, in 1:42:37. Mike Wade was third NSS finisher, second in the Strider men's open division, in 1:45 flat; Gary Freedman at 1:46:43,was second club master. Bill MacDonald rounded out the club's top three men in the open division with a 1:50:34. Third male master for the club was Dave Jefska, in 2:15:03.

About 6:30 separated three winners in the NSS age-group contests. Neil Bernstein was top Strider senior man in 1:53:16; Sue Besse was first Strider woman overall and first in the club's open division, in 1:59:22; and Sue Tanona, the first club master, was next, clocking 2:00:45. Layce Alves was second NSS open finisher in 2:01:36; Marci Omlor was third in the division, in 2:43:21. In the women's masters contest, newcomer Deb Berger (2:27:44) was runner-up.

Roger Perham was NSS' second senior, in 2:08:28, ahead of Tom McMahon, in 2:18:42.

Mike Pelletier was NSS' first and only veteran finisher, in 2:07:22. AnnaJean McMahon, alone in the club's senior women age group, was also the first women's 50-59 finisher overall!

A Shorter Migration

The Striders put 16 more "geese" into the 8K event, most of whom flew to top-10 age-group performances. Sixth-place finisher Rich Tabbut led all NSS short-hill racers, clocking 30:39 as first master. Lanse Stover clocked 33:15 for eighth overall, first among men 50-59; and top veteran George Geis was two spots back, at 33:40. The fourth Strider finisher, Sue Quimby, led all women age 30-39, running 35:47. Behind her were Maureen Appleyard, in 37:19; and the club's first female master, Jayne Sexton, in 38:22. Gail Sullivan was the first NSS Senior, in 40:23, ahead of Anne Pelletier, who clocked 53:26 . Carol Geis took top club honors among veterans, edging Nancy Wilson, 38:22 to 39:14.

25K Results

  3 Joe Shairs 1:27:54 3rd Overall
30 Thomas Conlon 1:42:37
54 Mike Wade 1:45:00 22nd (30-39)
66 Gary Freedman 1:46:43 20th (40-49)
93 William Macdonald 1:50:34
118 Neil Bernstein 1:53:16 13th (50-59)
167 Sue Besse 1:59:22 6th (30-39)
184 Sue Tanona 2:00:14 5th (40-49)
188 Sal Genovese 2:01:00
196 Layce Alves 2:01:36 13th (20-29)
233 Richard Norris 2:05:28
250 Mike Pelletier 2:07:22 5th (60-69)
261 Roger Perham 2:08:28
294 Sean Kay 2:10:16
296 Eric Rosengren 2:10:24
336 Dennis Ryan 2:12:56
345 Annajean McMahon 2:13:36 1st (50-59)
356 Dave Jefska 2:15:03
399 Tom McMahon 2:18:42
429 Kevin Counihan 2:21:12
466 Deb Berger 2:27:44
510 Bob Holland 2:33:58
519 Bob Brady 2:35:24
571 Marci Omlor 2:43:21

8K Results

  6 Richard Tabbut 30:39 1st (40-49)
  8 Lance Stover 33:15 1st (50-59)
10 George Geis 33:40 1st (60-69)
20 Sue Quimby 35:47 3rd Woman Overall
28 Richard Buchanan 36:48 2nd (60-69)
30 Maureen Appleyard 37:19 2nd (30-39)
35 Jayne Sexton 38:22 4th (40-49)
41 Vicky Yee 39:14 5th (40-49)
44 Tom Lima 39:44 3rd (50-59)
50 Gail Sullivan 40:23 2nd (50-59)
107 Anne Pelletier 53:26 7th (50-59)
110 Scott Fraser 56:29 6th (30-39)
111 Carol Geis 57:16 2nd (60-69)
112 Nancy Wilson 57:18 3rd (60-69)

Results courtesy of Granite State Race Services and Cool Running

Golden Women Lead Way at Lynn Woods Relay
by Mike Pelletier - Aug 25, 2004 -

Start of Lynn Woods Relay

Photo courtesy of Neil Bernstein

The Lynn Woods Relay for 2004 took place on Wednesday, August 25th at 6:00. North Shore Striders Women's Masters "A" team of Pat Michaud -Captain, Anna Jean McMahon, Gail Sullivan, and Kathy Petronzio brought home the "gold" when they were awarded gold medals for finishing first in their division at the Lynn Woods Relay. 1st place brings a team trophy in addition to the individual medals. The team trophy is now being displayed at Dick Buchanan's shop, RJ's Coins and Gold Jewelry at Pickering wharf in Salem. The members of the Women's Masters "A" team invite all Striders to stop by RJ's and admire their new trophy.

Inspired by their sisters' performances, the Men's Senior "A" team raced to a 2nd place finish in their division and were awarded silver medals. Mike Pelletier -Captain, Wally Kurtz, Neil Bernstein, and George Geis comprised this year's Senior "A" team.

Meanwhile the "kids" on the Men's Open team, named the Thyroid Express in honor of John Ayers, finished 3rd in the toughest division of them all. The team consisted of Joe Shairs -Captain, Dennis Floyd, Jim Brady, and John Ayers.

The Striders also fielded two other Men's Open teams. The "B" Team of Sal Genovese, Sean Kay, Mike Page, and Khourri Rice finished 8th in their division, while the "C" team of Dave Depew, Joe Shairs, Joe O'Neil, and Dave Jefska finished 13 of the 24 teams in the open division.

Just out of the medals was the Strider Masters "A" team of Rich Tabbutt, Glenn Diamond, W.F. Newhall, and Pete Malinowski. The GBTC Masters team out-kicked them on the last straightaway to win by 3 seconds.

The NSS team of Sue Besse, Tracey Brady, Marci Omlor, and Sue Sheldon finished 6th in the Women's Open division.

The Masters "B" team of Tom McMahon, Bob Holland, Dick Buchanan, and Dave Jefska also finished 6th in their division.

Walk to Run with the NSS
by Lee Benton and Neil Bernstein - Aug 4, 2004 -

On Tuesday, August 10, at long last, the North Shore Striders will initiate its Walk to Run with the NSS program. This program starts out easy and ramps up according to the participant's capabilities. Under the able and experienced guidance provided by our coach, Dave Jellerson, and the program coordinator, new Strider Lee Benton, Walk to Run participants will find this to be a flexible but nonetheless serious program.

A similar program at the Melrose Running Club has graduated approximately 200 Walk-to-Runners over the past 5 years. Invite your family and friends to come out and join us on Tuesday evenings, at the track in Beverly.

Prez Sets Strider Standard Pounding Pavement in Newburyport
by Michael Pelletier - Aug 3, 2004 -

The Newburyport 10 Mile and 5K races served as the fourth stop on the 2004 NSS Grand Prix. On a typically (for Newburyport) hot and very humid night, President Joe Shairs led the way by finishing 10th overall and 1st in the M35-39 age group.

Other firsts in their respective age groups were won by George Geis (M60-64), Wally Kurz (M65-69), and Neil Bernstein (M50-54). Finishing second in the F50-54 age group was Annajean McMahon in her first ever 10-mile race. Glenn Diamond was 3rd M45-49. Newburyport has an interesting approach to age group awards: runners who earn prize money in the various 10-year age groups are then not eligible for further awards in the 5-year age groups.

Competing in the accompanying 5K, Carol Geis and Nancy Wilson finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the F60&over amateur category after a woman named Fitz Winslow earned the prize money.

In the TEAM COMPETITION, the NSS Women's team of Sue Besse, Pam Morin, Sue Tanona, Layce Alves, and Annajean McMahon finished 6th of 13 teams. The NSS Men's team of Joe Shairs, Khouri Rice, Gary Freedman, Glenn Diamond, and Thomas Conlon finished 7th of 13 teams.

Weather conditions at the start of the race were tough: 84 degrees and high humidity. A cloud cover moved in at 5:30 to shield runners from direct sunlight, but that seemed to drive up the humidity. The lightest of rain showers spit moisture onto the roads for the first 4 miles, but that only made it feel like a steam bath, with waves of hot moist air constantly rising from the road and enveloping all. After the first 2 miles, the gentle tail wind became a gentle head wind offering only an occasional mild relief.

For most of the 1456 runners in the 10 Miler and 943 in the 5K, it was a matter of running on the edge of heat exhaustion while avoiding crossing the line into disaster. All of the North Shore Striders who ran managed to avoid such trouble. Although they didn't always look pretty (Jim Rhoades' photos were proof positive of this), they ran well.

In the ACCOMPANYING 5K at Newburyport, which started 5 minutes before the 10 mile race, Carol Geis and Nancy Wilson achieved a 1-2 sweep of the Women's Veteran Division.

Elsewhere in the 5k, in the Senior Division, Anne Pelletier, the Wildwoman, was running her third race of the year on her fourth day of running in 2004 and managing to beat four other women in her age group who actually train to race.

10Mile Results
  10. JOE SHAIRS, 54:45 (2nd, men 35-39)
  76. KHOURI RICE, 1:04:03
  86. GARY FREEDMAN, 1:04:46
  87. GLENN DIAMOND, 1:04:48 (5th, men 45-49)
  96. THOMAS CONLON, 40, 1:05:31
131. NEIL BERNSTEIN, 1:07:32 (3rd, men 50-54)
205. WILLIAM MACDONALD, 1:11:02
228. PETER MALINOWSKI, 1:11:40
339. SUE BESSE, 1:15:50 (9th, women 35-39)
349. GEORGE GEIS, 1:16:00 (3rd, men 60-64)
370. PAM MORIN, 38, 1:16:34
373. SUSAN TANONA, 1:16:42
439. DAVID DEPEW, 1:18:15
448. MICHAEL PELLETIER, 1:18:31 (7th, men 60-64)
456. STEVEN KEENHOLTZ, 1:18:42
473. ROGER PERHAM, 1:19:08
474. WALLY KURZ, 1:19:08 (1st, men 65-69)
476. LAYCE ALVES, 1:19:15
501. DAVE JEFSKA, 1:19:42
546. SEAN KAY, 1:20:45
556. ANNAJEAN MCMAHON, 1:20:59 (6th, women 50-54)
617. MARTIN SPITZLI, 1:22:32
709. ERIC ROSENGREN, 44, 1:24:10
780. RICHARD BUCHANAN, 1:25:39 (3rd, men 65-69)
909. MAUREEN APPLEYARD, 1:28:38
935. TOM MCMAHON, 1:29:14
993. KEVIN COUNIHAN, 1:30:58
1067. GAIL SULLIVAN, 1:33:14
1083. ROBERT HOLLAND, 1:33:54
1094. JOHN ROUSH, 39, 1:34:08
1118. VICKY YEE, 1:35:04
1244. CINDY DIAMOND, 1:39:19
1272. MARCI OMLOR, 1:40:29
1338. BONNIE HALLINAN, 1:44:12
1443. MARTHA BRANDT, 2:01:51

5K Results
471. LEE BENTON, 43, 28:27
588. CAROL MALINOWSKI, 51, 29:59 (10th, women 50-54)
820. ANNE PELLETIER, 34:09
905. CAROL GEIS, 38:58 (1st, women 60&over)
910. NANCY WILSON, 39:36 (2nd, women 60&over)

WalkWell Orthotics
by Joe Shairs - Jun 30, 2004 -

WalkWell Orthotics

WalkWell Orthotics, (290 Essex St., Beverly, (978) 524-0755) offers big discount for Striders. Walkwell Orthotics is a custom foot orthotic business servicing North Shore runners for the past 7 years. Chris Dukarski performs a complete biomechanical evaluation to determine proper shoe and foot orthotic needs. If any runner is in need of a replacement orthotic from Sid Rubinstein, Chris will see you within 1 week. Walkwell will issue the exact same orthotic for a special Strider price of $65! A custom orthotic can be fabricated within an hour for $70-$110. I recently met with the owner of this new running store in Beverly. I want everybody to know that there is a better option for those who want personal service just for runners.

Chris's business card is posted on our Links page.

NSS Strikes Silver at Rossetti 5K
by Mary Stevens - Jun 16, 2004 -

Louise Rossetti, at the finish

Photo courtesy of Neil Bernstein

256 women braved the elements in the 11th annual Louise Rossetti 5K Run. At a more leisurely pace, others walked the course. Lots of pictures in the Gallery. [Webmaster]

As Ray Frost put it, "the annual Rossetti storm" held off. So did the stifling humidity that greets this event fairly often. The result was the best evening for running this race has seen in several years.

Team NSS capitalized, scooting into second place in the team competition, a scant 5:30 behind Whirlaway RC, perennial winners at this event. Five teams participated.

The top 50 individual finishers had medal-worthy nights as well. Among them, new Strider Milouda Aidur was the fastest club member, second overall in the race in 18:50, and one second ahead of Masters winner Maureen O'Reilly. Sue Besse was 16th, and fourth among women 30-49.

Layce Alves continues to throttle ahead from knee troubles, clocking 21:31 and finishing fourth among women 19-29. AnnaJean McMahon was next across the line for NSS, taking third in the 50-59 division, ahead of master Tracey Brady's 22:01. Vicky Yee was NSS' third master, in 24:15. Gail Sullivan, fifth among women 50-59, was the club's second senior, in 25:44, seven second up on Bonnie Hallinan.

Among the Veterans, Nancy Wilson was the club's top finisher, in 36:00; Carol Geis was second for NSS, in 36:36. Louise Rossetti rounded out the Vet scoring in 48:20.

Race director Mike Page headed a classy cadre of NSS volunteers, who put in stellar performances of their own, and we salute the sponsors who helped keep this a race that people come back to.

Louise Rossetti 5K, Beverly, June 16

2. Milouda Aidour, 23, 18:50 (1st, women 19-29)
3. Maureen O'Reilly, 18:51 (1st, women 40-49)
16. Sue Besse, 20:58 (4th, women 30-39)
23. Layce Alves, 21:31 (4th, women 19-29)
25. AnnaJean McMahon, 21:51 (3rd, women 50-59)
28. Tracey Brady, 22:01
48. Kate Rubchinuk, 23:33
58. Vicky Yee, 24:15
59. Maureen Appleyard, 24:18
60. Lee Benton, 24:32
79. Gail Sullivan, 25:44 (5th, women 50-59)
81. Bonnie Hallinan, 25:51 (6th, women 50-59
93. Marci Omlor, 26:35
125. Pattie Lowell, 49, 27:54
140. Cindy Diamond, 28:22
149. Mary McKee, 54, 28:37
166. Liza Genovese, 35, 29:26
198. Anne Pelletier, 30:53
201. Kristen Kozlosky, 31:07
222. Martha Brandt, 33:11
232. Nancy Giannone, 58, 34:46
236. Kim Baker, 30, 35:50
237. Nancy Wilson, 36:00
242. Carol Geis, 36:36
256. Judi Counihan, 45, 39:02
264. Mary Stevens, 43:04
265. Louise Rossetti, 48:20 (1st, women 80+)

Teams (5 teams competed)

2. NSS -- Aidour, O'Reilly, Besse, Alves, McMahon, (Brady, Yee): 1:42:01

NSS Strikes Silver at Rossetti 5K Results courtesy of NSS and Cool Running

Uniforms - Get 'em while they're hot
by Joe Shairs - Jun 14, 2004 -

New NSS uniform

Picture courtesy of Joe Shairs

As of Monday night June 13 the new uniforms for the club are in. If any club member ordered a uniform they can be picked up at The New England Running Company starting Monday night.

If you did not order a uniform you can contact me and I can see if we have his or her size.

Because we didn't want to be carrying any inventory the club decided to purchase only a few extra. Also, since this is not through the store you will have to pay in cash or check made out to North Shore Striders.

For those women who needed an extra-small, Reebok could only give us one out of the three we ordered. We have an order in for smalls if you think you can do with that instead.

The Green Mountain Boys and Girl at the Vermont City Marathon
by Mike Pelletier - May 30, 2004 -

The Vermont City Marathon. in Burlington Vermont is the much smaller alternative to the Boston Marathon, held 6 weeks after Boston.

It's smaller size (less competition in the age groups) and later date (more time to train) was a big part of its appeal for me - that and Linda Scannell's enthusiastic promoting of what had been her first and favorite marathon. She and Dave Jefska - who'd run VCM twice before - finally convinced me and Dave Sullivan to apply back in December. Steve and Ellen Weitzler also entered VCM, but an injury in training forced them out by the end of March.

Dave Sullivan lasted only slightly longer. Dave was training diligently through the end of February. But on the first Saturday of March, Linda and I began what would eventually move Dave from marathon participant to support crew chief. That day we set out together on a long run. Linda was already up to 18 miles; Dave Sullivan was ready to increase his long run from 10 to 18 in a single day; and I, cautiously, was willing to increase my long run from 10 to 13 miles.

Five weeks later I took Dave on what was supposed to be a 17-mile long run through Salem. Shaken by five close encounters with crazed tourists in cars trying to run over him, Dave cut off his run at 15 miles.

Eight days later, Vicky Yee was the rabbit for the first 11 miles for Dave, Linda, and me. Linda and I then led Dave over to Salem to finish off the planned 19 mile run. Unfortunately, we finished off Dave instead: he took a right turn at Salem Common and we never saw him again that day. By the end of April, Dave had resigned himself to being chief of our support crew because of nagging injuries, aggravated by an overly ambitious training program.

Meanwhile, Dave Jefska was training by himself, doing his long runs as multiple loops around the lake in Wakefield. Dave was insistent about avoiding letting Linda and me set the pace on long runs. We promised we'd let him lead, but only once did he chance doing a long run with us. True to our word, we let him set the pace for 19 miles.

Marathon Weekend, Pre-race

At the marathon expo, tee shirts were a big point of discussion. Dave Jefska pronounced the shirt given to each marathoner as ugly and a mere marketing ploy to get people to spend $15 for a different, attractive VCM shirt. Linda volunteered that it was the "retro" look. I agreed: I got the same style tee shirt - white with colored band at neck and sleeves - at the Foxboro Marathon in 1979.

On Saturday afternoon, the Wild Woman decided a 4-hour bike ride would be the perfect tune-up for Sunday's marathon. I politely declined; so she went by herself. I took a nap.

On Saturday night, we skipped the official pasta dinner and went to a great Italian restaurant where Linda had pasta-ed up three years ago. We needed two tables, one for Linda, her long-term squeeze Denny, and their parents and relatives and another table for Dave Jefska, Dave Sullivan, Gary DiBlasio, Anne, and me. Over dinner, Anne proclaimed herself a fierce competitor, but a lousy spectator. When she announced that she wouldn't watch the marathon the next day, but would time her arrival at the finish line to take care of me, Gary had for the first time in his life found someone else who'd rather have a root canal than sit there watching other people run.

On Sunday, Anne slept in, got up at 10am, leisurely ate breakfast and then set out for the finish line. Pressed for time, she decided not to roller blade to the finish but to hitch-hike. When no one would pick her up because hitch-hiking is illegal in Vermont, Anne had no choice but to run the 2 miles to the finish. She was too late to see me finish, but just in time to find me sprawled in the hospitality tent. This was Anne's first run since the Mill Cities Relay in February, and, combined with Saturday's bike trek, left her in as much pain on Monday as any marathoner.

Race Day

Sunday started out with temperatures in the mid-fifties under perfectly clear skies with a dry North West wind. I took a shuttle bus from my hotel to the start. Actually the bus dropped me off at the bottom of a 150 foot hill, a half mile from the start which was at the top of the hill. As I hiked up the hill, my knee started to hurt - not a good sign. Dave Jefska was already there, doing foot care on himself. Dave Sullivan was there to direct us and to report Linda sightings. Even with Dave Sullivan managing our pre-race preparations, Dave Jefska and I only made it to the starting line with less than a minute to spare.

We pushed into the starting crowd and then I looked up to see an official sign for "10:30 Pace." With over 3,000 runners jammed in together, there was no way we could move up. The gun went off and over 2 minutes later we shuffled across the starting line. From the starting line to the first mile marker took 9:58 and people were walking up a hill at less than a mile into the race. We did so much weaving around slower runners in the first 3.5 miles that Dave Jefska's GPS had us running 26.5 miles instead of 26.2.

Dave Jefska and I had made a pact to run together until one of us decided to either take off or fall out the back. At the first water stop at 2.7 miles, I thought Dave had dropped me. We turned a corner and suddenly there was a water stop. Manning the Gatorade table were 2 brothers, 9 and 10, handing out cups that their mother was filling from a 2-quart pitcher. I grabbed a half cup from one boy and then had to come to a complete stop as I tried to wrestle another half-cup from his brother. The kid had a death grip on the cup: it seemed to take minutes to pry it from his fingers. When I got running again, I couldn't find Dave. I hadn't expected that our pact would end before 3 miles. Finally, a couple of miles later, Dave came running out of an open-air porta-grass-plot by the side of the road and the pact was back in effect.

By this time we were running on the second loop of the four-leaf-clover-shaped course. This second loop on the Northern Connector is an out and back 5.4 miles of divided highway, closed to traffic. We got to see the leaders and thousands of other runners including, most importantly, Linda Scannell. This was the only time all day I actually saw Linda.

At the beginning and end of this loop I also saw and heard the ubiquitous Dave Sullivan. At the end of the third loop and beginning of the fourth loop at the Battery Park hill, there he was again with an encouraging word. The Battery Park hill at 15 miles rises 150 feet in less than ½ mile and is the toughest hill on the course. Helping get runners up the hill were a troupe of Tyco drummers and spectators like Dave Sullivan and Jim and Rose Scannell. The North West wind was in our faces running up the hill, but I was able to shamelessly draught behind Dave Jefska and conserve energy.

Three miles later, I was complaining to Dave how much I was hurting at that point and how the hurt was convincing me I would have to do more training before running another marathon - if I ever ran another one. Dave showed no sympathy, but in another 2 miles he was asking to back off the pace a bit because he was going through a bad patch.

At 21.5 miles, there was a short, steep downhill: Dave said he was going to ease down the hill because his hamstring was starting to go. I slowed up at the bottom of the hill to let Dave catch up to me; but when he did, he said that he couldn't push the pace any longer because of his hamstring and that I should run my own race.

I picked up the pace as I entered the bike path which was the final 4.5 mile run, southwesterly into the finish. Almost immediately, I found myself running beside a young woman with 6-foot-long legs. Since I have 30-inch legs, my leg turnover to keep up with her must have had me looking like the Road Runner. After we ran uphill for an entire mile, she told me she was running only the last 5.3 mile leg of the marathon relay. Mercifully, the 23rd and 25th miles were gradual down hills sandwiched around a flat 24th mile and I was able to stay with her.

The finish is a ¼ mile button hook with footing which changes from pavement to a board-walk to grass and then back to pavement. Before the 26 mile mark, my anonymous female running companion asked, "Do you have a finishing kick left in you?" I replied honestly, "I don't know." "Let's see," she said. She surged; I surged. She sprinted; I sprinted. Along the board walk we were even, but my short legs were a definite advantage going around the final hair-pin turn on the grass and I beat her to the finish line - in severe oxygen debt. The combination of testosterone and 10,000 cheering spectators making a tunnel of noise had been enough.

Epilog

At the finish, Gary DiBlasio joined Dave Sullivan, the Scannells, Denny and his mom and his various relatives and 9,990 other spectators to cheer us across the finish line. Dave was awarded a "high five" by Linda at 3 miles and a kiss at the finish. Dave claims he was so inspired by hearing each of our names announced over the P.A. system at the finish and by seeing how good all three of us looked in the finish area that he's resolved to train for a comeback as a marathoner.

Dave Jefska finished 4 minutes behind me with his hamstring distressed, but still intact. His first thought was to get out of the sun and into the hospitality tent. There he sat for at least an hour, as first I and then Anne brought him food and drink. Dave passed on the free massage; but when Anne finally turned up, she sprang into action and signed me up for one. By the time I was finished with the massage, Dave had hoisted himself off the chair in the tent and headed back to his hotel to focus on his next and favorite race: the run up Mt. Washington on June 19th.

Linda Scannell pronounced herself thrilled with her performance and so happy that she had brought her marathon time back down and had again run a Boston qualifier. (Last September, Linda ran the Air Force Marathon in 3:47:42 on a Saturday, after being deathly ill on Thursday and flying to Ohio on Friday.) Physically Linda was really beat up by this marathon: her right leg was a real problem for the last 10 miles. Even the post marathon massage didn't seem to help that much. But as a true marathon crazy, she's now hard at work selecting her next 26-miler.

Speaking of marathon madmen, Hong Zhang ran Boston in, for him, a disappointing 3:14:52 and then went to Vermont 6 weeks later to post a very impressive 2:59:49. Topping Hong's marathon double with a marathon triple was Kevin Counihan who followed up a 5:24:06 at Boston with a 4:40:47 at Holyoke two weeks later and then a 4:55:20 at the Vermont City Marathon.

Maureen Appleyard competed in the VCM as well, but did so in the relay division. She was part of a family team for the second year in a row, running the second leg - 5.8 miles. The Appleyards were proud better than your average marathon-relay family, just barely though, in finishing 28th out of 60 family relay teams. Maureen strongly recommends the relay to anyone who wants to build family camaraderie!

Dory Run (brief)
by Webmaster - May 31, 2004 -

Kids' "Prep School" Races

Photo courtesy of Sue Sheldon

5K Winner Terry McNatt

Photo courtesy of Sue Sheldon

The Dory Run was a great success, with good weather and lots of runners. Congratulations to winner Terry McNatt and all the other 5K runners. Again this year, the Dory Run featured a special and popular event for children - The Prep School Races, in which the children had to Prep (prepare) for going to school. The children had to run about 20 yards, put on an oversized shirt, a belt, a hat and gloves, and then run back to the start. This may sound easy, but, under pressure, it is quite a bit harder, especially for the youngest division - 3 years and under.

Other races for the children included short races on the football field, relay races on the track and an all-comer race one time around the track. After their own races, the children refreshed themselves with drinks, fruit, bagels and snacks. Then, many stayed around to either watch or run the 5K race. We look forward to seeing everyone next year.

42nd Race of Champions Marathon 2004
by Kevin D. Counihan - May 2, 2004 -

Race of Champions Marathon — Time 4:40:47. Pace 10:43. 65 Degrees overcast. 79 out of about 200, 94 finishers, although I saw #249 on a guy in the race?

From April 2003 - April 2004 plus 2 days I've just ripped off 12 Marathons.

This one starts and finishes on Mt. Tom at the old ski resort (boarded up and burnt out remains). Strictly no frills, like the Wakefield Marathon. The medal is also similar but center is yellow. 2 hour drive out. 5th fastest marathon ever, after a brutal, awful Boston Marathon. Degree of difficulty, 2nd hardest marathon course thus far. The Hardest Stowe Marathon still #1. Cape Cod Marathon falls to third, #4 Boston, #5 Maine, #6 Disney, and the flat pancakes (Hyannis, Wakefield, Buffalo, Bay State, Jacksonville, and Miami).

The first 10 miles are pretty easy on dirt and gravel around a well-shaded reservoir. The next 11 miles are rolling hills on paved roads. At this point I was headed toward an easy personal record running free and easy. The last 5 miles head back up the mountain. You know this ahead of time, but knowing something and experiencing it, are two vastly different entities. At first it's a very slight slope you only notice after 2 miles, as the Connecticut River was at ground level but now is quite a distance below you. The closer to the end you get the steeper it gets. The last mile is almost straight up.

I'll use this race as my Boston peace of mind getaway. The people are really nice and for a small event it is well run. If anyone goes next year, don't ask the guy at the card table (on the top of the mountain) where the registration building is. You're looking at it.

NSS Volunteers Hydrated the Hordes at Mile 12
by Mary Stevens - Apr 19, 2004 -

Handing liquid to sweaty runners is not a glamorous way to experience a marathon. With sticky Gator-Aid spills, dust-storms and exploding Gu packs, you couldn't even call the 2004 edition "good clean fun."

Nevertheless, 10 Striders answered call for 2004 Boston Marathon volunteers, adding needed expertise to the cup brigades at Mile 12. Newcomers Marci Omlor and Vicky Yee reinforced veteran water-stoppers Rick Bartlett, Mario Fagone, Scott Fraser, Bob Holland, John Holland (former Strider), Wally Kurz, Bill MacDonald and Mary Stevens. Mario's daughter, Nell, came along and made sure Mario behaved himself.

An equal number of Wampanoag Road Runners invaded Mile 12 this year, but we staked a claim on the "North" side of the road, leaving the "South" side to the Wampanoag gang, who are based south of Boston.

Avoiding a running-club rumble wasn't the only challenge we faced.

There were far more walkers, and much earlier in the afternoon, than we usually get. Apparently, all the runners took hydration seriously, which was really good to see, but it kept the volunteers at a frantic pace for about two and half hours.

The good news: We saw many Striders — including Gary Freedman, Mike Wade, Neil Bernstein, Steve Keenholtz, Sue Besse, Sue Sheldon, Cindy Diamond, Jill Page and Linda Jenkins — who would normally speed by unrecognized. Congratulations to the clubmembers we didn't see, who nonetheless gutted it out to the end.

Happily, the wind was mostly at runners' backs, but it really messed up the water-stop assembly and the post-horde cleanup. In calmer years, we set out a bunch of cups and fill them up. With the wind already kicking up at 10:30 a.m., we had to set out one cup at a time, fill it, and guard it until it had enough neighbors to stand up to the gusts.

Normally, runners drink from those cups, then toss them on the road, where they (the cups) get trampled flat and stay put. Then it's relatively easy to rake them up. But Monday's scirocco scattered cups and almost everything else that wasn't taped down. Some cups ended up in trees; others tumbled down embankments into Wellesley's poison ivy groves. Despite our best efforts, we weren't done corralling cups when Route 16 re-opened to traffic.

That said… every Strider who got the 2004 volunteer jacket should wear it with pride, because you all earned it! Every runner who finished the race should get a solid-gold medal. Those were the toughest race-day conditions I've ever seen.

And finally, here's my annual plug: Anyone who's ever run Boston should volunteer for this race at least once. It doesn't matter what you do — there are scads of other jobs if you don't want to be a waterer. Keep an eye on the BAA's Web site, or the NSS site, for information about Boston '05.

Striders Go '4^th' And Conquer
by Mary Stevens - Apr 4, 2004 -

At the Winner's Circle April Fool's 4M, held on April 4^th this year, 32 Striders turned in hot times on a raw day as the NSS 2004 Grand prix series got under way.

Up front, Joe Shairs was the first club member, 7^th overall, and first among men 30-39, in 21 minutes flat. Behind him, John Gillis celebrated his new Master status with a 22:02, good for second in the division. On his heels was John Ayers, who ran 22:08 (3^rd, men 30-39) the day after he won a 5K in Manchester. Mike DiMauro clocked 23:02 and Mike Wade looked Marathon-ready in 23:45. Neil Bernstein also looked ready to conquer Boston, winning the men's 50-59 competition in 24:00 flat. .

Gary Freedman clocked in at 24:45, second NSS Master, ahead of Pete Malinowski in 26:51. Steve Keenholtz, at 27:23, was second Senior on the day (and for the club); Lanse Stover was third Strider Senior and fifth in the age group, at 28:27. Wally Kurz led all Strider Vets in 28:02, second in the men 60-69 division. George Geis ran a 28:57 to take fourth in the same category, and Richard Buchanan's 29:39 was good for fifth in the division. .

Sue Besse was the first Strider female finisher, taking third among women 30-39. Newcomer Anna Jean McMahon was the club's second woman, and second in the women's 50-59 age group, in 29:16. Sue Sheldon was third NSS woman, and eighth among women 30-39, in 30:18. Vicky Yee was first and only NSS Master, seventh in that age group, in 31:35. .

Maureen Appleyard was third NSS 30-39 finisher, in 33:09. Behind her, Gail Sullivan and Bonnie Hallinan rounded out the top three NSS Senior women, clocking 33:48 and 34:43, respectively. Carol Geis was the club's top Veteran, and second in the division, in 45:50, ahead of fourth-placer Nancy Wilson, who ran 47:35

Ray Frost, 84, started early, finished with a smile and provided some inspiration, clocking 1:14:02 and beating the field.

April Fool's 4M, April 4, Salisbury

  7. Joe Shairs, 21:00 (1^st, men 30-39)
12. John Gillis, 22:02 (2^nd, men 40-49)
15. John Ayers, 22:08 (3^rd, men 30-39)
20. Mike DiMauro, 23:02 (4^th, men 30-39)
26. Mike Wade, 23:45 (8^th, men 30-39)
28. Neil Bernstein, 24:00 (1^st, men 50-59)
34. Gary Freedman, 24:45 (9^th, men 40-49)
43. Peter Malinowski, 26:51           ^.
51. Steve Keenholtz, 27:23 (2^nd, men 50-59)
54. Sue Besse, 27:39 (3^rd, women 30-39)
58. Wally Kurz, 28:02 (2^nd, men 60-69)
68. Lanse Stover, 28:27 (5^th, men 50-59)
73. George Geis, 28:57 (4^th, men 60-69)
75. Anna Jean McMahon, 29:16 (2^nd, women 50-59)
86. Dave Jefska, 29:37           ^.
88. Richard Buchanan, 29:39 (5^th, men 60-69)
100. Sue Sheldon, 30:18 (8^th, women 30-39)
109. Mike Pelletier, 30:39 (10^th, men 60-69)
126. Vicky Yee, 31:35 (7^th, women 40-49)
130. Tom McMahon, 31:48           ^.
135. Kevin Counihan, 31:58           ^.
164. Maureen Appleyard, 33:09           ^.
165. Bob Holland, 33:11           ^.
180. Gail Sullivan, 33:48 (3^rd, women 50-59)
193. Bonnie Hallinan, 34:43 (5^th, women 50-59)
217. Marci Omlor, 36:20           ^.
256. Steve Kohanski, 38:30           ^.
276. Kristen Kozloski 40:43          ^.
302. Carol Geis, 45:50 (3^rd, women 60-69)
303. Scot Fraser, 46:10           ^.
307. Nancy Wilson, 47:35 (4^th, women 60-69)
320. Ray Frost, 18:31 (4^th, men 70-99)
Results courtesy of Winners Circle and Cool Running

New NSS uniforms now available>
by Joe Shairs - Mar 19, 2004 -

New NSS uniform

Picture courtesy of Joe Shairs

Striders, here is a mock-up of the Reebok uniform. Club members can go to New England Running Co. to try all this on. Club members will also be able to place an order for these uniforms, starting on Saturday. The cost for the entire set will be $60. Navy shorts, navy jacket, white singlet. The color may be a bit off on the jpeg file.

Pants can be bought, but we couldn't decide on which style so it's up to the buyer. The club will only be purchasing a few uniforms for new members that join throughout the year so don't wait to place an order.

Mar 18: Roy Benson to Speak
by Joe Shairs - Mar 18, 2004 -

MEET ROY BENSON AT NEW ENGLAND RUNNING COMPANY ON THURSDAY EVENING MARCH 18TH FROM 7-8:30PM

Roy Benson (former track/cross-country coach at the University of Florida) will be the guest speaker discussing the merits of heart-rate monitors. He will also be available to discuss any training questions you might have. Limited seating is available so call ahead if you plan to attend. Refreshments will be available. Roy Benson's visit is courtesy of Nike. Hope to see you on the 18th!!

Greetings from Marathon Headquarters
by Kevin D. Counihan - Feb 21, 2004 -

Ultimate Marathoner

Photo courtesy of Kevin D. Counihan

There are goal-chasers, and then there are goal-chasers - webmaster.

For the last 2 weeks I've been trying to piece together a schedule for 2004. Basically there will be 12 marathons, The USTFNE Grand Prix, and NSS Grand Prix. The hard part has been getting firm accurate dates for some events. Coolrunning and Metro Sports Boston have Around The Lake Marathon in Wakefield, MA as Friday August 13, 2004. The web site at SRR still has last year posted.

Miami was 77 degrees humid and wet. But will get to that another time. The medal is gold 4 inches weighs 6 oz. and the middle rotates like a globe. It has to be seen to be appreciated. The design and quality is of Olympic proportions. This was one of the best marathon operations I've ever seen. Miami and Boston are now on my 25 in a row list. Over 100 runners from Massachusetts.

February 29, 2004 Hyannis Marathon 10 am (next week). Bill Rogers is guest speaker Sat nite and will run Half Marathon. My friend Annie did this one in snow, sleet ,and rain a couple of years ago. The worst race experience of her life.
      March 14, 2004 Mass Law Enf. Half Marathon, Wakefield, Ma.
      March 21, 2004 New Bedford Half Marathon
      March 28, 2004 Olesk Lumber Half Marathon, Westfield, Ma.
Picture of Disney Marathon 2004 hopefully tomorrow [received, see above - webmaster] and 3 from Miami coming soon.

April, rest a little. The April Fools Race falls day after my final 20 miler for Boston. That should be interesting.
      April 19, 2004 Boston Marathon (a sub 4:30 should net 1st MI [mobility impaired] Div)
      May 2, 2004 Race of Champions Marathon West Springfield ,Ma

The last seven are probably Buffalo, Around The Lake in Wakefield, Clarence De Mar, Hartford, Cape Cod, Jacksonville, and either Stowe, New York, or Philadelphia.

2004 Hyannis Marathon

Time 4:33:54, Pace 10:27, 181 out of 300

The 2nd fastest marathon of my life and I had no clue I was 2 minutes away from a record. 35 degrees at 10 am start, 50 degrees at finish. Just perfect weather, I couldn't get a tan in 3 trips to Florida, but I got one in February on the alleged frigid Cape.

The first 13.1 miles went smooth in 2:09:08. The Hyannis Marathon is two loops of the Half Marathon course. The course is mostly flat but last 3 miles are up hill at about a 20 percent grade.

I had to stop for 5-10 minutes at the mile 16 water stop to ice the old 1965 lawnmower battered foot. After the long pit stop, the time was bad, so I turned off the watch. The only goal was to finish. I just ran, had fun, the pain went away, I picked up the pace, passed some people - next thing I know I'm at mile 24. Climb the last of the hills, turn the corner the clock reads 4 hours 30 something.

Bill Rodgers, 4 time Boston Marathon winner was the guest speaker at the dinner the night before. It was mostly question and answers with the audience. He has the same basic routines that I have. The only time he hasn't run was last fall when he broke his leg, his first major injury. He feels like I do that if you maintain a high level of endurance training year round the less chance you have for injury. Injuries usually occur after a lay off at the start of a new season when you build mileage from zero to 70-100 miles a week.

He was signing my poster after the dinner and he wanted to know if Kevin from Beverly was going to run 2004 Boston Marathon. I told him who I was and hoped to finish between 4:30:00 and 5:00:00. He's doing the television broadcast for channel 5. He thinks the broadcast ends at 4 pm, but he'll look for me. I might have a new fan here, he gave me a big smile and shook his head 11 marathons in 18 months, and a lawnmower took off part of your foot in 1965.

Hyannis Marathon results
Kevin Counihan
4th place mobility impaired division
2003 Boston Marathon
Hoping for 1st place 2004

Reebok to Sponsor North Shore Striders

by Joe Shairs - Feb 18, 2004 -

With the help of the New England Running Company, the North Shore Striders will now be sponsored by Reebok.

Since the banquet, Steve Ave, of Reebok, has been working to outfit the club with Reebok racing uniforms, as well as warm-up jackets and pants. The uniforms and warmups will be priced at a substantial discount to club members.

Along with the uniforms, club members can also purchase Reebok training shoes and racing shoes at a 25% discount. We will be setting up some days and nights where club members can go to New England Running Company and have a fitting to try the new gear on. (when the samples are in we will post details here).

We will be putting together order forms and dates and times when the samples will be available.

NSS members with questions can either call me (978-536-9038) or e-mail me - Joe.

3/7/04 update from Joe:
We are currently working with New England Running Company and Reebok to come up with some nice racing and training uniforms for the club. When we finally work out some details we will have the clothes at the store for people to try on for size. This is going slower than we had hoped so if we end up with new uniforms halfway through the year then so be it.

Striders in Jerusalem
by David J. Meyer - Jan 31, 2004 - Pictures from Jerusalem

Israeli Equivalent of "Anchor Run"

Photo courtesy of Neil Bernstein

"Ten measures of beauty came down to earth; nine were taken by Jerusalem and one by the rest of the world." – (Talmud)

Several weeks ago, when Neil (The Snail) Bernstein and I realized that, coincidentally, we would both be in Jerusalem at the same time, we decided to seek out together the opportunity for what Runner's World magazine would call a "Rave Run." Understanding that I would arrive in Jerusalem a few days before Neil, I agreed to do the advance "leg-work".

An Internet search turned up the website of a group called "Ha'Solelim Yerushalayim", The Jerusalem Running Club. So upon my arrival to the Capital city of both King David's Biblical kingdom and the modern, democratic state, I put in a call to one of the Club's officers. In my rusty Hebrew, I spoke with a fellow named Ya'akov to see if and when and where we might be able to join a group run. In typical Israeli fashion, I received a warm invitation, including an offer to pick me up at my hotel. I explained to Ya'akov that another friend with a car (that would be Neil, o'course) would be joining us, and that we would meet them at their starting point on Saturday morning - the entrance to the National Cemetery on Mt. Herzl (which contains, among thousands of others, the grave of the late, Prime Minister, Yitzchak Rabin).

Before ending our call, Ya'akov asked me (in Hebrew), "Are you in kosher?" It took me a moment to understand his question, and I know that he wasn't wondering about my dietary practices. In Hebrew, the word "kosher" really means "fit" or "proper", and I realized that he was asking me, "Are you in good shape?" I answered truthfully "Nireh" ("We'll find out!")

As I would learn Saturday, he wasn't asking just to make casual conversation! The City of Jerusalem is built in and around the hills of Judea - it's a mountain town. In fact, every couple of years, they get a few inches of snow! And as we began our run on the western side of the city, from the cemetery gates of Mt. Herzl, one of the dozen or so runners advised us, "Don't go out too fast. There are about three really tough hills on our route."

We descended for about a mile or so, and from our vantage point, still rather high among the hills, we could see the valleys filled with early morning fog. We then began a long and arduous route ascending upward to Moshav (collective settlement) Ora. Soon, we passed through the moshav and into the Jerusalem Forest.

As we worked our way along the soft, dirt paths that hug the sides of the hills among acres of Alepo Pine, Jerusalem Pine, and Evergreen Oak trees, we had a few minutes to learn a bit more about our fellow runners and their club. This Saturday morning run was, in essence, their "Anchor Run", and the members represented a variety of professions, hometowns, and ideologies. But soon the conversation slowed, as the slightly muddy path snaked its way further up the mountain. By my count, the top represented the second of the promised three hills, but when we hit the paved road ahead, and took a sharp left-hand turn, one of the fellows (Ian) announced, "OK, here comes the first hill!"

And what a climb it was, all the way to one of the highest points in Jerusalem, known as "Yad Kennedy", the magnificent memorial to President John F. Kennedy. It was then that I realized the full impact of Ya'akov's question to me a couple of days ago, "Are you in good shape?" And I could discern a measure of surprise that these two American tourists had been able to keep up the entire way. (In fact, Neil added some serious boosts of speed at precisely the most challenging spots, catching up with the leading pack with impressive ease!)

The ascent to the memorial marked the half-way point of our 18K journey, and after a quick drink of water, a stretch, and re-gathering of the group, we continued back down and around, up and down again the back side of the mountain. Soon enough, we met up again with the familiar road that now presented a long and winding uphill return to our starting point at Mt. Herzl.

It took five or six minutes for the group to re-assemble, and amid the expected stairway stretching and exchanges of "Aych hayah -- How'd it go?" the regulars prepared a mini-Chaflah (feast) - from their cars, they brought out packages of dried figs, bananas and dates, fresh nuts and cold beer. For nearly an hour or so, everyone enjoyed some quiet, Sabbath day socializing. (I should also add that this gave Neil the perfect opportunity to hold forth, in fluent Hebrew, on the intricacies of Negative-Split Running Theory...)

As we prepared to depart, the club members asked us to be certain to extend their invitation to all of the North Shore Striders to take in a run with them whenever the opportunity might arise. And perhaps in the next few years, we might see for the first time representation from our club in the Tiberias (Sea of the Galilee) Marathon (which is mostly in Hebrew, but should still understandable) held each winter in early January.

My advice, however, is that if you want to make the trip, just be sure that you're in kosher!

First Day, First Race
by Mike Pelletier - Jan 1, 2004 -

A lot of Striders who were definitely not nursing hangovers turned up in Salisbury on January 1, 2004 for the Hangover Classic. This year for the first time in 3 or 4 years the race was located at Salisbury Beach instead of at the Winner's Circle. And this year's return to the beach was much better than that initial attempt. This time there was food (to be purchased for sure, but at least there was something) and free beer as well as two fully-stocked bars with bartenders. In another nice touch, race organizers gave special sweatshirts with a race logo and no ads to each of the top 3 in each age group in lieu of trophies. The sweatshirt was so nice that I'm starting to agree with Wally Kurz (sick with a sinus infection on race day) and Sue Tanona that some awards are actually better than trophies.
Among the group of Striders present in Salisbury was Bob Holland who agreed to sacrifice his own race to be the rabbit for Neil Bernstein. After leading Neil through an opening 1/4 mile in 1:32, Bob dropped off the pace and settled into a 60:06 10K. Neil meanwhile was trying to complete a rare double: win the 50-59 age group of the 10K and the "chug a beer at 3 miles" contest. Neil completed the latter, but the time lost drinking the beer knocked him down to 3rd in his age group in the 10K.
Julie Peterson, a long time friend of the Striders and the invited speaker at last January's Awards Banquet, turned up to run and ended up running away with 1st Woman Overall as well as 1st Master Woman. Another winner was Louise Rossetti who pocketed 1st in her age group.
Other solid performances were turned in by Pete Malinowski, Sue Tanona, Steve Keenholtz, and Vicky Yee in the 10K.

In the accompanying 5K, Sue Besse led the way by finishing as 5th Woman Overall and 2nd in her age group. Sue's niece, Libby DeBoalt finished 1st Woman under 19 and Gary Freedman was 1st Master. New Strider Annajean McMahon was 2nd Senior Woman and Carol Geis was 2nd Veteran Woman. George Geis finished as 2nd Veteran Man, 1 second behind the winner after George was passed in the last yards of the race. For my part, I finished as 3rd Veteran Man, 3 seconds ahead of the 4th Veteran whom I was able to overtake in the last 200 yards.

Note: I owe my fastest 5k in several years to George Geis who on Tuesday, two days before the race, showed me his secret 5 mile hill workout wherein he sprints up not one, but two humungous hills. On Tuesday, George would have none of my plans to taper for Thursday's Hangover Classic. On race day, he was proven correct: a 3 mile sprint on the flats of Salisbury was like nothing after those killer hills in Marblehead.

Other notable performances in the 5K were turned in by Steve Weitzler, Dave Atchason who had just returned from 3 days of winter hiking on Mt. Washington and environs, George Michaud who'd been on injured reserve for 7 weeks since the Run For All Ages 5K, and Carol Malinowski, who along with Marie Flint, never ceases to cheer us on Sunday mornings.

A special mention needs to be made of Gary Freedman and Dave Atchason who completed the ultimate crazy New Year tradition by plunging into the frigid waters of Salisbury Beach to win a beer mug. Way to go, guys!

10K Results (342 Finishers)

Place

Name

Class