NETT women defend title at Andover, men 3rd

The NETT Mini Ponyettes bravely defended their team title at the Andover Country Club XC Race today, while the men's team could only muster up a third-place team finish in a competitive field.

The ladies got the job done with an extremely low score of 13 in the race, outpacing five other women's teams. Kristen Hall led the charge in 23:11 over the 3.5(ish) mile course, finishing second in the female masters divison. From master to youth, it was Katherine De Zutter scoring next for the NETT women's team in 25:13, second in her age group. She was followed by Tina Wang (25:56), Karyn Miller-Medzon (26:53) and Chrissy Durden who somehow got shuffled into the men's category.

But not that the men were complaining about having Chrissy on their squad, as they could use all the help they could get. With the Central Mass Striders nabbing 2-3-4-5 in a heated men's race with CRC, it was tough sledding for NETT, who put their best foot forward for a third-place team finish. It came down to the Andover stalwarts for NETT, Paul Miller, Crazy Dave, Dave Mingori, Frank KJ and Toledo Joe the scoring five with Jim De Zutter toughing it out to be our fallback member. These are familiar names for NETT at Andover, as Paul, Dave and Joe were scoring members in the first-ever NETT race at Andover back in 2002, and Dave M and Frank KJ have certainly been regulars in recent years.

(The men's plaque is small, but the ladies assured us size doesn't really matter.)



Despite some construction (what else is new, right?), the slightly altered Andover course lived up to its reputation for rolling hills and the post-race celebration remains the best around. Did I mention the free beer? Didn't take Andy long to catch on!

Turkey Day Results include Marathon effort!

Well this Thanksgiving had the usual batch of race results for NETT members racing around in various Turkey Day races. Out in at the Stow Gobbler 5K it was Crazy Dave, Frank KJ, Toledo Joe and the three DZs (Jerry, Katherine and Jim De Zutter) ripping it up. The Miller-Medzon clan headed up to Andover and saw Daniel (21:10) and Noah (23:10) scorching the 5K while mom Eminem braved the crowds in the five miler (37:49). And I'm SURE there were plenty of other folks that had good performances on Thursday morning.

But there was one runner that outdid us all.

NETT newbie John Grainge ran the Atlanta Marathon in 3:15 on Thanksgiving Day to finish 41st overall! Wow, don't we all feel like whimps now! Big Congrats Gino....You da man!

Update on Mini Pony Cup

Here's an update on the Mini Pony Cup standings. Let me know if they look accurate. MiniPonyCup-fgk

Big Ben busts it out clean in Philly

Big congrats to Big Ben Winther for uncorking a very speedy 3:02 at the Philadelphia Marathon this weekend. Here's his always amusing report:

"I went out a little fast because Crazy wasn't there to tug the back of my shirt, 6:50ish, tried to hold back a little through thefirst 8, but, you know me, kept right at the pace, and was doing 6:40s into the half, as the half approached I passed a chick that had crapped herself, and I decided right then and there, there was no way I was going to lose to a woman covered in her own fecal matter. I ran for a while next to another young woman who was pretty snotty and obnoxious so she made the list too, but at least she was not covered in her own mess. She was being paced by a guy and kept talking shit about the people around her that they all obviously went out too fast and would never hit the times they were currently on pace for....I didn't like her, swore I'd beat her too. But at least she didn't stink to high heavens of pooh.

I got swept into a pack of guys at about 16 miles, and I went with them, notching it down to 6:30ish pace for a while, then we hit a very small hill, and I fell off hard. But for the record, at no point did I lose control of my bodily functions.

I dropped back to 7 min pace at 18 and just never recovered, eventually going as slow as 8:20 a couple miles. There wasn't a piano on my back, but a very good sized Casio keyboard. I tried to pick it up a bit when I began to thinkg I could get in under three hours, but my legs didn't have it. I was passed by the mad crapper at mile 23 in a blaze of excrement, and never caught that other douche. My calves strarted to cramp up at mile 24, probably should've pumped more fluids, but I was actually cold all day, as it was around 40 when I started, 50 when I finished, but hands were cold the whole time.

Final time by my watch, 3:02.05. Not a PR, but at the end of the day, I'll take a 3:02 with no poop over a 2:59 covered in my own crap any day."

NETT men chug through the Edaville Rail Run

It was the best of times it was the wettest of times. No.

You win some, you lose some, you get soaked at some. Uh uh.

When it rains it pours. And when it pours the wind blows. And when the wind and rain are both at their worst, NETT is usually running. Yeah, that's the one.

It was a wet and wild day for a few of the hearty Mini Ponies that braved the Edaville Rail Run, held Saturday in the midst of the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Weather aside, it was a fun, well organized race, a five-miler on a pancake flat course winding its way around cranberry bogs in Carver, Mass. Pretty much all dirt paths, so the rain made it a big sloppy.

NETT men showed pretty strong regults: Crazy Dave (second) Youngstah (sixth) and Marshall (35th) all won their age groups while Marshall and Jack Burke both piled more points onto their 1-2 places in the ENTRS.

NETT pal Jim DeSisto did extremely well also running only his second-ever race in 8-minute pace in blazing rain and wind.

Turns out we're all nuts!

It turns out that Chris Smith isn't the lunatic after all. The results of the latest NETT poll show that the overwhelming majority of respondents said "you guys are all twisted. Get some help." Of course, it begs the question, who among is responding saying we're all twisted, but is not so twisted? Let he who has not run two races in one weekend cast the first stone!
And be sure to take our latest poll on the Andover XC race!

Mary cracks top 10 in women's-only Maine Coast Half-Marathon

Well it was a weekend for the NETT kids to crack top 10 in competitive races. The same day Dave Molk was turning heads at the Stone Cat Marathon, Mary Smith was up in Maine, cracking the top 10 at the Maine Coast Half-Marathon for Women (and one lucky guy!).

Mary tells the NETT Newsroom the "One Lucky Guy was chosen through a lottery and he told me that he only found out that he had won Oct 18th. I ran for about 5 minutes with the Lucky Guy and chatted with him, but then he took off & I ran the majority of the race alone (passing people here & there). I almost caught back up to the Lucky Guy at the finish - if I had another 1/2 mile I would've gotten him. I tried my best to catch him in a sprint to the finish - but he just had more left in the tank. However, it's important to note that due to "chip timing" I actually beat the One Lucky Guy, and came in 10th out of about 850 runners. More importantly I beat one of my co-workers (who's a pretty good runner). The best part is that she had no idea I was gunning for her!!"

But true to the NETT code of ethics, Mary finished the race and then backtracked for about 1.5 miles to meet up with her friend to pace her into the finishas well. "That was my secret training for the day," she says.

Mary calls it a "a false flat" course because it seemed flat, but there were a lot of gradual grades plus it ran along the Maine Coast, so the wind was always hitting you in the face.

"It was a great day to run...perfect temperature, sunshine and ocean view."

Here's the link to the race website:
http://www.locorunning.com/mainecoasthalf.html

Molk top 10 in debut marathon at Stone Cat

Big congrats to Dave Molk who finished 10th place at Stone Cat Trail Marathon, his first marathon ever! Dave had his sites on this race for a long time and definitely did his homework. At least once he did double-secret training on a long run (means he showed up to secret training having already run!) and it clearly paid off in his 3:44.

Dave says, "Yes, I rocked the Mini Ponies race top at Stone Cat. Unfortunately, it was pretty cold, so it remained under my jacket, but it was there. I had a blast and am stoked with my 10th place finish, as I didn't really know what I was doing (other than my predominant race strategy of 'don't twist or break anything'). Karen and Dima were both looking good when I left."

Karen Ringheiser dropped down to the marathon and did her third (I think--I have lost track) marathon this fall!.

Dima Feinhaus completed the 50 mile and says "not much to report."I felt pretty beaten up after 3-4 miles. Just to much heavy duty stuff in the last month I guess. 15 min behind last year schedule after 25 miles, but quickly deteriorating. Regrouped, stopped competing and turned it into an endurance training. Second 25 run evenly but slow. Everyone and their grandmother passed me. I finished 40th in 9:20. This is always a great event though. Very well organized. There were a bunch of mountain bikers insisted on using same trails. Scary. The most amazing part of my race was when I came across a girl I was trading places with from 33 to 44. She got a vision problem during the race but wanted to finish any way. She was stumbling. Loosing the trail. Checking the path with her hands And falling down. "

Women take 2nd place team at Genesis Battlegreen race

Three women run the Genesis Battle Green race and all three PRed at the 12K distance. Of course none of them KNEW they'd be running 12K.

Apparently it was a weekend for course mishaps, as the NETT team of Tina Wang, Deb Robertson and Chrissy Bures (yes, Bures) got a little "secret racing" distance in on their way to the second place team overall.

Congrats!

Drama, intrigue at the Busa Bushwhack

Well, for the NETTers looking to experience the true drama and intrigue that trail running has to offer, they found it at this year's Busa Bushwhack in Framingham on Sunday. This is always a special race, because it honors a true running legend, Rich Busa. But this year was particularly special because it came only a day after Rich's 80th birthday. As always, he was the consumate host, greeting runners with a smile, a pat on the back and encouraging words.

Right from the start, there was drama at this year's Bushwhack. While we all stood and chatted at the starting line until well past 9 a.m., someone pointed out--Did it still start at the same spot? Did we miss the start? No, we were early it turns out. The footing on the course was particularly challenging with so many leaves and acorns this year. There were definitely more spills than normal for a course of this difficulty.

But there was even more drama! Due to a couple slight miscues by some overwhelmed course marshals, a good number of runners were sent off-course in this race, including many of the NETT congingent. Nonethless, the Ponies persevered and showed up all over the results in both the 10 and 5 mile races.

Here's a rundown:

In the 10 miler:
6 153 Hannon Dave West Roxbury 38 1:06:35 6:40:00 M30-39 5
12 67 Smith Christopher Woburn 43 1:11:22 7:08:00 M40-49 1
31 163 Feinhaus Dima Newton 46 1:15:44 7:34:00 M40-49 10
33 88 Verter Erol Somerville 24 1:15:56 7:36:00 M20-29 7
37 69 Randolph Marshall Wellesley 61 1:17:16 7:44:00 M60-69 1
45 189 Cyrulik Adrienne Belmont 35 1:19:36 7:58:00 F30-39 3
86 111 Burke John Cambridge 43 1:31:53 9:11:00 M40-49 25

And in the 5.3 miler:
17 356 DeZutter Katherine Shrewsbury 14 0:43:10 8:09:00 F0-19 1
71 353 DeZutter Jim Shrewsbury 47 0:57:25 10:50:00 M40-49 7

Of particular note at the Bushwhack:
-In his first long trail race, Eri Verter continued to prove he can pretty much handle whatever we can throw at him with a cool head.
-Kathereine De Zutter continues to shoot up the results page (she was 35th at this race a year ago, 17th this year in a more competitive field!) And her experience is growing as well, saying she knew when a course marshall tried to direct her to the 10-miler. This kid's trophy closest is growing faster than Crazy Dave's list of PWs!
-Marshall's daughter, Hannah, and her friend also brought the exuberence of youth to the race, dealing with unique race conditions easily, finishing in 47:38. All the while expressing deep concerns about the race's impact on the area's insect population (where's George??)

All in all, a fun day at a great race with good company. And of course, the chance to honor the "Johnny Kelley of Trail Running" as one person put it yesterday.

Happy Birthday Richie!