Craft NH10 – Manchester NH, August 25, 2018 – USATF 10 Mile Championship – By Linda Desjardins.
The art of the spin. The race description said, “This picturesque and challenging route around Lake Massabesic features stunning lake views!” It was a very pleasant run but the lake views were quite limited as we ran on back roads near the lake. Except for the start and finish and one spot on the course, you’d never know there was a lake nearby. Let’s call this oversell. On the other hand, the word “challenging” was undersell. There were some major sucker hills on this course with the highest coming just after mile 7 and another breath “taking” hill presented itself at mile 9. Okay, the run to the finish was downhill, and everyone appreciated that. The post-race venue had a convenient set-up with several refreshment tents, computerized results, first aid and massages with music in the background and the always-enjoyable camaraderie that accompanies the satisfaction of having shared a run on a fair but tough course. We earned our post-race joy.
North Shore Striders let their presence be known in this race. In a field of nearly 1300 finishers, seven Striders made their way across the finish line. Two, Cheryl and Allie, were competing in the USATF Iron Runner series; one, Dave Newhall, was running his first ten-miler; one, Mike, was looking to maintain his standing in USATF rankings in his age group; one, Dave Jefska, was taking advantage of a race which had a promise of lower temperatures than we’ve been experiencing; one, Linda, was running her third race in 9 days; one, Sally Fowler, wanted to spread her engaging smile along a 10 mile route, and all had run Lynn Woods 60 hours earlier. We ran very close times, mostly in the 1:40’s. Here’s how we finished. Note, Cheryl is running/walking coming off torn meniscus surgery and together with Dave Newhall, STILL came in under 2 hours!
| Place
in USATF/NE Age Group |
USATF/NE GP
Age Group |
||
| Allie Vered | 32nd | F45-49 | 1:43:42 |
| Sally Fowler | 15th | F55-59 | 1:45:32 |
| Linda Desjardins | 1st | F70+ | 1:47:26 |
| Mike Pelletier | 3rd | M75-79 | 1:48:29 |
| Dave Jefska | 11th | M60-64 | 1:49:08 |
| Cheryl Welsh | 12th | F60-64 | 1:58:37 |
| Dave Newhall | 8th | M70-74 | 1:58:37 |
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