It was a picture-perfect night for a race along the coast in Gloucester. A gentle sea breeze kept things cool, and some rolling hills and ocean views kept things interesting. The Striders had a great showing among a really fast field, with many top 3 award winners!
Bill Kobus bested his former 5-mile PR by 30 seconds to finish 3rd in the M60-69 age group, seconds behind Neil Bernstein in 2nd. The unstoppable Kay family runners showed their skill once again with Sean and Aidan in 1st and 2nd place in their division, and speedy sister Alexandra striding to 2nd place in hers. Mike Pelletier proved he is back from the road to recovery, running 43:05 to finish 2nd place in the M70-79 age group, with Armand Claveau taking 3rd. The Nimble Lindas (Fitzpatrick and Desjardins) placed 2nd and 3rd in the F60-69 division, and Sue Quimby powered her way through a competitive F30-39 division to earn 2nd place. Jayne Sexton, on a super-fast winning streak threw down yet another solid 1st place in the F50-59 division, and Martin Tighe took 2nd in the M50-59 division.
Other honorable mentions include Rosie Kyes, who ran the race in 44:28 just 5 days after running a half marathon in 2 hours on the same hilly streets of Gloucester and Rockport. Last year’s “Most Improved Strider” award recipient, Denise Young ran a 5-mile PR of 46 minutes even – smashing her former 5-mile PR by 2 minutes. Incidentally, she also shaved over 2 minutes per mile off of her time on the same course in 2011! Did anyone else earn a PR or just have a great race they want to tell about? Please share! All runners should be proud to have done so well, particularly in a race that draws such fierce competition. To see the full results, go to coolrunning.com, or check out the updated Striders Grand Prix standings.
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