Frank KJ wins the First Annual Mini Pony Cup competiton in dramatic fashion

Well, it's official. After a wild ride in the final month, an official audit by accounting firm Dewey, Cheatum and Howe has confirmed that Frank KJ is the official winner of the First Annual Mini Pony Cup! Big big congrats to Frank.

And Frankly, it couldn't have gone to a more deserving participant. Frank completed 12 of the official categories (listed below), outpacing Eminem, Jerry and Chris Smith who all scored in 11 of the categories. But beyond that, he does a LOT for NETT in terms of organizing teams, tracking triathlon series points, he and Tina open their home regularly for brunch runs and more.

Here's Frank's officially approved list:

Road race under 1/2M: Stow 5K, 5K in Lexington in June, Lincoln July 4th
Road race over 1/2M: Stu's 30K
Track Race: BU Indoor Meet
XC Race: Mt Hood
Team XC Race: Topsfield, Andover
Team relay event: Sudbury triathlon with Tina and Nicholas
Duathlon: 2 x Wrentham (short), Black Bear (long - another point?)
Triathlon under 1/2Iron: Old Colony, Barrington, TDD
Triathlon 1/2 and over: Firmman, Patriot
Volunteer at race: Jerry's race for ALS
Host a social event: Brunch runs, Skellig's, New Year's Party
Organize a workout: Multi-brick workouts, trail runs

Please join us all in congratulating him in winning this prestiguous award.

Putting the first "T" in NETT

A trio of Ponyettes took to the BU track this weekend to run their first-ever track race(s) while Frank KJ took what looks to be the final lead in the Mini-Pony Cup. And Chris Smith just seemed to like it so much he came back for his second track race in as many decades!


Here's Karyn's report:
"Not sure which would be easier--an afternoon of water-boarding or another 1-mile track race. But at least I can say I now have at least one of those under my belt.
We had a great NETT showing today. Tina and Frank showed the greatest courage, running BOTH the 1-mile and the 800. Chris and I "specialized" in the mile. And Chrissy showed up about an hour after the registration table had been removed (noonish) and sweet-talked her way into the 800!

After Frank and Chris battled it out in the mile, with Frank edging out Chris by a few seconds in the end (finishing in about 5:13 and 5:16 respectively), eventually it was time for the 8th heat of the mile. Tina and I lined up side by side. She claimed she would be 'slow,' and proceeded to take off so quickly that I didn't see her again until the finish line. She finished in 6:18 to my 6:55.

In the 800 meters, Frank finished in 2:25; Tina in 2:53; and Chrissy in 3:13.
Of course, I should mention that Little Skittles kicked Tina's and my collective Mini-Pony butts in the mile (he actually lapped his beloved mother as you can see in this pic) finishing in 5:55; and also beat Chrissy and Tina in the 800 meter race (finishing, I think, in 2:41)."

Are there no ends to a mother's love?

After his last-minute point-grabbing in the MiniPony Cup, Frank says: "Oh, the mini-pony cup. Hmmm, in the end we all know that Crazy was uncontested; afterall that's why he's called Crazy! I did hear Karyn mentioning something about racing Iditarod next year though so Crazy might need to consider doing an Ironman!"

NETT loses one of our favorite masots

The NETT News Room got some sad news this week. Bertram Pants Winther, aka Bert the Pug, has left us at the ripe old age of 14. Bert was an avid running fan and supportive of NETT from its inception. As you can see here, he was at the barefoot mile race, he was a frequent volunteer and greeter at the Chamberas Cross Country Race and loved to attend social events. He was a very very good dog and will be missed. Have fun in Carrot Heaven Bertie Pants. You earned it.

NETT shows up all over the ENTRS standings

Once again, big congrats to Marshall Randolph for his winning the Eastern New England Trail Race Series this year and Jack Burke for placing second overall. In addition to Marshall and Jack, NETT had members in the top three in a host of age groups. Here's a quick look at the standings:

Men Overall:
Place Name Age Town Team Races Points
1. Marshall Randolph 60 Wellesley, MA NETT/ CSU 14 1109.70
2. John Burke 43 Cambridge, MA NETT 15 1095.09
3. Rob MacDonald 30 Rowley, MA 10 648.49

Women 30 to 39:
3. Adrienne Cyruilik 35 Belmont, MA NETT 4 349.12
Men 30 to 39:
2. Dave Hannon 38 West Roxbury, MA NETT 6 542.15

Women 40 to 49:
1. Kristin Hall 42 Arlington, MA NETT 4 755.03

Men 40 to 49:
1. John Burke 43 Cambridge, MA NETT 15 1095.09 (Second overall)

Men 60 to 69:
1. Marshall Randolph 61 Wellesley, MA CSU/ NETT 14 1109.70

Breaking News: Last minute push planned for Mini Pony Cup points

This tip just into the NETT Newsroom: Reliable, but unnamed sources have told NETT News there will be some very interesting faces showing up at the BU track meet on Saturday, which could have a significant impact on the standings in the Mini Pony Cup.

While we're not at libery to provide names or events under the threat of very specific legal action and threat of very specific bodily harm, it does look like the leaderboard could see a major shakeup in the last full week of competition. Be sure to check back for details or even better, head down to the BU indoor track to watch it firsthand and report on it here (since the NETT News Team may well be on the road this weekend).

Smith's track attack creates three-way tie in Mini Pony Cup

HHHEEERRRREEESSS CHRIS!
By running his first track race since high school, Chris Smith scored an extremely valuable point in the Mini Pony Cup this weekend, crashing his way into a three-way tie for first with Jerry and Frank KJ.

The last-minute push by Smith comes after last week's scandalous exit of Crazy Dave and Jennifer Shultis. Just to be sure he was counted for his track meet, Chris ran both the mile and the 400 at BU this weekend, clocking 5:16 and 70 respectively. Not bad for a guy who hasn't raced on the boards since Reagan was president!

With only a week and a half to go, it looks very unlikely any of these three competitors will add points, but there is one more BU meet to score at which either Jerry or Frank could pony up to. And there are plenty of dark horses such as Eminem, who hosted a brunch in an effort to fatten up the rest of the competitors (or get them lost in a snowbank!) and Eri, who quietely has snuck into the top five.

Ironically, the original rules to the MPC stated:
"In the event of a tie, the judges (Crazy Dave, Frank KJ, Paul Miller and Jerry D) will make a ruling based on the person who moved the furthest outside their comfort zone. As with everything we do here at NETT, this is a fun, informal, low-key “challenge” and not a cutthroat competition."

However, since two of the judges are involved in the tie, and a third has been disqualified from the competition in a recent scandal, the NETT elders will appeal to Dr. Miller to break any such ties (I'm sure he can come up with a physics equation to figure it all out, right?)

More to come....

Even the worst of weather can't keep NETT from its waffles

Big thanks to Eminem for hosting the Holiday Brunch again this year. Karyn says "here are some photos of those brave, intrepid souls who forced themselves to eat waffle after waffle for the good of the team. What a courageous bunch they were!"

Scandal deepens as Shultis withdraws from Mini Pony Cup in protest and disgust

The NETT News Team received word this morning that NETT’s most decorated member, adventure racing and multisport specialist Jennifer Shultis, was so disgusted by the recent revelations about Crazy Dave that she has withdrawn from the Mini Pony Cup only days before its ever-more dramatic close.

In a statement provided to the NETT News Team by her communications representative, Shultis said the following:

“I had supported this event and enjoyed competing head to head with all of the competitors in the Mini Pony Cup, but the recent revelations and pending criminal case against Crazy Dave have led me to make the painful decision that I must withdraw from the Mini Pony Cup, as I no longer feel this event is in keeping with my personal goals and aspirations. I would appreciate an appropriate level of privacy for myself and my family to allow us to heal during this very painful period.”

However, NETT News has learned that less than 24 hours prior to issuing the carefully crafted statement, Shultis was reportedly furious about the situation, and blasted Mini Pony Cup organizers not only about Crazy Dave’s behavior but also about a minor scoring oversight (in which organizers failed to count close to a dozen of Shultis' qualifying events, effectively eliminating her from the competition).

“Front runner, my a$$!” Shultis raged in an expletive-filled tirade on the Mini Pony Cup’s email list earlier this week. “This friggin’ thing was rigged from the start! Where am I on this pansy-ass list? I won a snowshoe marathon, I did Seven Sisters in a skirt for Christs’ sake (no need to mention that I was still beaten by a pregnant woman), I won Sea to Summit (of the two women entered). I'm the God-damned 2009 US Masters Champion in adventure racing, I was third in the American Zofingen (yes, that is really the name) and I did a little thing called an IRONMAN! I command some F-ing respect now!"

(As this photo from November 2007 shows, the tension between Shultis and Crazy Dave has been boiling for some time.) Shutlis’ credentials are certainly head and shoulders above most of the other competitors in the Cup, but her decision last year to relocate to a small cabin in Northwest Labrador and train soley in purple sneakers did lead many Cup competitors to question her commitment to NETT. “I have a coyote tattooed on my heart,” she told the NETT News Team when questioned about the move.

Where will this story go next? Check back on Go Mini Ponies for the latest developments in this ongoing story as they come available to the NETT News Team.