Eighth Annual Miles Over the Moon

– Salem, MA, July 13, 2018 – By Linda Desjardins –

It was not your typical Midsummer Night. That idea conjures up memories of evening races bogged down in heat and humidity. No, instead the Miles Over the Moon race featured very moderate temperatures and a delightful cooling breeze that refreshed rather than impeded runners. The course was not a difficult one – just about flat all the way – and all agreed it was a very pleasant one. There was an initial two-mile loop which brought us back to the starting line (and where some of us could watch the race winners cross the finish line while we navigated Mile Two), and then another two-mile loop covering different terrain. We had colorful sunset views, areas where the trees provided a lovely almost enchanting canopy, water views, downtown views, a run through a park, neighborhood views, turns and twists and great volunteers pointing out the way at every juncture. Running from twilight into darkness is a novel concept for a race and Friday the 13th was the perfect day for it.

North Shore Striders gave the race a try and we all navigated the course well, scoring some bling. There were welcome post-race refreshments, Koozies for all, and a very congenial atmosphere as our friends from Wicked showed us they, too, know how to put on a winning race.

356 Finishers

OA Place		Place in Age Group	Age Group	Time	Pace
32	Sal Genovese	2nd/36	M5059	27:18.6	6:50
50	Arthur Clay	8th/26	M4049	29:04.8	7:17
67	Lauren Hamilton	2nd/33	F5059	30:04.6	7:32
90	Jennifer O’Neil	4th/33	F5059	31:58.6	8:00
93	Gary Freedman	14th/36	M5059	32:04.2	8:02
132	Jill Page	7th/33	F5059	33:49.1	8:28
185	Mariellen Hayward	3rd/11	F6069	36:26.7	9:07
193	Siobhan Stoney	35th/73	F3039	36:41.8	9:11
199	Michael Pelletier	2nd/3	M7099	37:12.1	9:18
249	Linda Desjardins	2nd/3	F7099	40:13.0	10:04

Note: A special congratulations to Sal for first place among the Striders and second place within his age group!

One more little footnote: Miles over the Moon winner Dan Vasallo was 10th overall at this year’s Boston marathon, so we were running against some serious competition.