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.

Breaking News: Scandal strikes Mini Pony cup, opening up the competition

This just into the NETT newsroom. Crazy Dave, previously the frontrunner and odds-on favorite to win the Mini Pony Cup competiton, has been disqualified from the competition amid a deepening scandal that has rocked both the athlete and the Mini Pony Cup to its core.

Early Tuesday morning around 2 a.m., police were called to Crazy Dave's home where they found him lying on the front lawn in single-digit temperatures with his fiancee Doris holding a bloddy running shoe above his head. Police investigators saidCrazy Dave had apparently been sneaking out in the middle of the night to run extra miles while his fiancee slept. But when Doris woke Tuesday morning to find him creeping in the front door all sweaty in his running tights, she allegedly lost her s--t and bashed Crazy Dave senseless.

TMZ.com is reporting today that in addition to the "secret miles", Crazy Dave has also been running routinely with clubs other than NETT, including GBTC and the Parkway Running Club. TMZ.com also claims to have photos of the bloodied competitor, who is suing the website not to publish them.

While in police custody, a toxicology test found Crazy Dave tested positive for 13 banned and illegal substances including EPO, anabolic steroids, horse tranquilizers, Quaaludes, model glue, magic mushrooms and roughly 25 times the normal dose of caffeine intake for an adult male, which officially disqualified him from the Mini Pony Cup.

When asked by the NETT News Team to respond to the allegations, Crazy Dave simply replied "Get a job you blood-sucking parasites I hope you die in a painful sex accident" and spat repeatedly at reporters.

The scandal has not only shamed Crazy Dave, but it also breaks the competition in the Mini Pony Cup wide open with only two weeks left. With Crazy Dave out of the running, Frank and Jerry stand tied atop the leader board with 11 points, while Eri, Karyn MM and Chris Smith are all one point back with 10.

Frank 11
Jerry 11
Eri 10
Karyn MM 10
Chris Smith 10
Jack 9
Bogie 9
Martin 9
Jim D 8
Katherine 8
Chrissy 7
Mary 6

(Send any recent scoring updates to the NETT Newsroom at Ttroll71@aol.com)Valuable points are available in the track competition this weekend at the BU Mini Meets as well as in the snowshoe competition in coming weeks. All races must be completed by Dec. 31 to qualify.

NETT cobbles together patchwork teams for Assualt on Mt. Hood

Big big thanks go out to Frank and Tina and Kristen and Andy for showing up on game day for the Assault on Mt. Hood XC Race in Melrose, on a day when a slew of Mini Ponies opted to stay in the stables. And a special thanks to Jack's better half Jenn, for coming through in the clutch...we owe her big time! Here' Frank's report:

Despite being haunted by cancellations leading up to the race, NETT still managed to do well in the team competition at Mt Hood. Tina, NETT’s recruiter extradionaire, recruited Jack's better half Jenn Levatino for the women’s race as well as longtime trail runner Mike Menovich for the men’s race just minutes before the race. This was Mike’s first race in ages but with his help Andy, Frank and Mike secured 3rd place for the men. And Jenn likewise helped the women take 3rd. The awards were some seasonally inspired Nutcracker – pretty neat.""

Again, big thanks to these folks for coming out and representing NETT when Murphy's Law pretty much over-ran our team plans yet again. Tina for recruiting like a pro, Jenn for stepping up and Kristen and Andy for being rock-steady lately. At least this time Andy had to work for his beer!

For more pics, vist the race site here.

Big congrats to Marhsall and Jack

Huge congrats to Marshall Randolph on winning the Eastern New England Trail Race Series (ENTRS) at the age of 61 years old and Jack Burke for toughing it out head to head with Marshall to finish second overall.

While the "official" results of the series have not yet been posted, ENTRS officials have confirmed to the NETT news room that Marshall and Jack will be 1-2 in the stnadings and each will win their age groups.

It was a long slog for both these trail monsters, beginning way back in April at the Merrimack River Trail Race (Marshall was a spry 60 back then!) continuing all srping summer and fall until the final race this past weekend at Bogie's Fells Trail Race. They raced more than a dozen races each, everywhere from Northern New Hampshire to Southern Rhode Island. They braved a rain and wind storm at the Edaville race, both knowing that precious points were on the line.

Despite being locked in a heated battle over the past 8 months, these two guys showed their class throughout and ran the Fells race together (although Marhsall points out it was pure strategy on his part thinking if he got lost on the course Jack could squeek past, so keep your friends close and competitors closer!)

We'll do a longer interview with both of these guys here as soon as we can get them to sit still for five minutes (after that much racing around New England, these guys are due for a long winter's nap, but don't bet on it!) But for now, please join NETT in congratulating these two trail warriors for a job well done!