Chamberas XC Race a Success on All Levels

Despite the fact that Mother Nature was not cooperating, the 7th Annual Thomas Chamberas 6K XC Race was a rousing success this year, with record entries, record times and a record donation for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

First off, a huge thank you to the team of volunteers this year, coming out in the rain to help at registration, course marshalling, course set up and take down, water stop detail and all the other things required to make this race such a success. We really would be up a creek without such a crack team of experienced volunteers who know where they need to be and when.

Secondly, a massive thanks to all the runners that came out. We had about 160 finishers, and even more registrants so the numbers were as good as we've ever had. We had everything from Olympic athletes to first-time XC racers, from kids under 10 to folks over 70! It really is a "people's race" and we want to keep it that way. Open to any and all.

In terms of performance, we have to highlight the stunning run from the top two men. Olympic triathlete and BAA runner Jarrod Shoemaker showed up and just flew across the mud and puddles to set a mind-boggling course record of 17:27. And matching Jarrod nearly stride for stride was second-place finisher Brian Harvey in an equally impressive 17:29. As the person who designed this course and ran it in the morning to see all the puddles out there, I am simply dumbfounded by that pace--astonished. Also impressive in the men's race was the GBTC team taking places 3-6 all in very fast times, especially given the conditions.

The women's race was also very close at the finish, with Esther Erb outkicking Amelia Bishop for the win by a hair in an outstanding 21:15.

On the team front, huge thanks to GBTC, MVS, SISU Project, Naval Academy Prep,and all the others that brought members out.

I'd also like to highlight our 70-plus finishers John Parker and Jonathan MacKenzie, both finishing under 33 minutes on a rainy tough course!

And of course, thank you to our sponsors including: Adidas, Mizuno, La Sportiva, Reebok, Sporthill, Asics, CitySports, Marathon Sports, Darn Tough Vermont, Welch's, and all the others I may have forgotten. Also thanks to the organizers of the USATF-NE XC Series and the Eastern New England Trail Race Series for including our race in their series.

Photos available here, courtesy of the mighty Jim Rhoades.