– Writeup by Linda Desjardins.
The New England Over 65 Runners offered up the 17th edition of their 5K race around Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield. The North Shore Striders have run it in the past and it’s a delightful race with a slight bit of advantage for the older runners. There are 5 year age groups after age 60 and age graded top results are awarded in addition to the traditional overall winners, 3 deep in all age groups. Runners over 80 do not pay entry feels. It’s usually a festive, celebratory race.
Not so much today, though, as Mother Nature had interfering plans. There were downpours from midnight on and another one drenched us from 9-10 am; however, the rain let up a bit just before the start making running much more palatable than running in a gully washer. On the other hand, the rain left flooding and puddles so deep, yardsticks could be used to measure depth. We started off running through a parking lot and trying to agilely avoid the deeper puddles though that became futile. We all had sopping wet shoes and socks within the first quarter mile. When the whole driveway was flooded over we took to the grassy area and navigated that puddle and mud mess. The roadway out was under at least 9 inches of water, but we could avoid most of it by hopping on to the sidewalk. It being autumn, the sidewalk was covered in leaves. Slippery wet leaves. We muddled through. This is the first time I saw absolutely NO ONE stop at the water stop. When we got to the finish line, many runners went to their cars for a change of clothes and many others looked on wishing they had. The post-race food and awards were held inside the garage so there was some shelter. Not too many folks hung around to participate in the awards ceremony. By 11am, many runners were shivering in their wet garb and with the seemingly endless wait for the announcer to begin, a lot of runners chose to leave. The thought of a warm car was enticing.
Five Striders braved the weather, and only 117 of the 197 registered runners finished the race. But those who ran did themselves justice. Unfortunately for some of us hoping to score bling, the race does draw the cream of the senior runners crop and their accomplishments reminded us to stay humble.
The Striders and their results:
| Lauren Hamilton | 3rd/W50-59 | 24:16 |
| Adrienne Gordon | 3rd/W70-74 | 29:05 |
| Linda Desjardins | 4th/W70-74 | 30:27 |
| Cheryl Welsh | 7th/W60-64 | 31:06 |
| Dave Newhall | 12th/M75-79 | 34:47 |
| Place by
Age-Graded Results for all Runners 40+ |
Name | Time | Age-Graded
% for a single year Age-Group |
| 10th/40 Women | Adrienne Gordon | 29:05 | 76.62% |
| 15th /40 Women | Linda Desjardins | 30:28 | 73.13% |
| 17th/40 Women | Lauren Hamilton | 24:16 | 72.71% |
| 30th/40 Women | Cheryl Welsh | 31:10 | 61.55% |
| 47th/62 Men | David Newhall | 34:52 | 53.58% |
| Age-graded
Percentage |
Equivalent
Rating |
| 100% | World Record |
| 90-99% | World Class |
| 80-89% | National Class |
| 70-79% | Regional Class |
| 60-69% | Local Class |
Leave a Reply