Thomas Chamberas XC Race A Big Success on All Levels

Well it was another impressive showing at the 8th Annual Thomas Chamberas XC Race this year, with 150 runners coming out to run a great, challenging XC race and help raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The weather was nearly perfect--bright sun and warm temperatures after a cool morning. We were treated to a very special pre-race ceremony, courtesy of XC superfan Michael Mahon. Mike talked a bit about Cystic Fibrosis and encouraged everyone to donate to the cause. He also gave a moving tribute to local running legend Larry Olsen, who passed away this year. He belted out the national anthem like only he can (see the video here) and lastly, he unveiled the jersey of his favorite team--the Montreal Alouettes (this guy's got two passions--cross country and Canadian football).

New dad Ryan Carrara became a three-time winner of the race, trouncing the course in 18:07. Amelia Lanberg won the women's race in 20:54. The Greater Boston Track Club won both the men's and women's team titles. The Greater Framingham Running Club had an absolute ton of people out for the race as well so BIG thanks to them for their support, as well as the Greater Lowell Road Runners who brought some of their youth runners decked out in funky tie-dyes. And the Naval Academy Prep School that brought men and women's teams again this year. Also thanks to the Eastern New England Trail Race Series for including our race again this year--loyalty is what helps small races like ours keep on every year.

Other race notes:
-We had four men over the age of 70 finish the race that deserve special mention: Jonathan McKenzie, John Parker, Edward Ginsberg and John Shane.
-We probably broke the "furthest traveled" this year with a couple from Lebanon in the race.
-We had two pregnant volunteerts (that we know of!)
-Thanks to some generous donations and a successful raffle we likely raised more money for the CF Foundation this year than ever before.

As always, our army of volunteers were just perfect. Thanks to all of you who helped volunteer (you know who you are and how much we appreciate it). It really is one of the things that makes this race work. Special thanks to Joe Hardin, Paul Young and Ben and Cindy Winther for their LOOOONG support on the volunteer side. They have been there every year, going back to our days when we first put this race in Rhode Island as a XC relay.

Special thanks to our sponsors:
aLoft Hotel in Lexington, Mass.
Asics
La Sportiva
Vibram
Nathan
Darn Tough Socks
Road ID
City Sports
Marathon Sports
The Run Smart Project
Apofacy Solutions
Ryan Miller, yoga instructor
And any others we've missed.

And thanks to all the runners and other supporters. Got feedback, good or bad, email me at Ttroll71@aol.com with comments.

(Photos courtesy of Frank Georges, JimRhoades.com)

Thomas Chamberas 6K XC Race brings in speedsters, donations

Another successful edition of the Thomas Chamberas 6K XC Race is in the books, thanks to the hard work of our organizers, volunteers and the runners who participated.

First and foremost the race raised upwards of $2500 in donations for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, so thank you to all who entered, donated or volunteered.

After an uplanned but rousing version of the national anthem courtesy of Michael Mahone, the Can Man, the race was off. This year’s race saw some of the steepest competition yet at the front of both the men’s and women’s races. NB Boston’s Ryan Carrara successfully defended his title in Carlisle this year by outkicking Aaron Price of the BAA to win by a mere three seconds in 18:02. But man oh man, what a deep field up front. As part of the USATF-NE XC Series the Chamberas race drew runners from several of the top clubs in New England and as you review the names in the top 25 or so finishers, you see a lot of very well known names on the list, an indication of how competitive this race was.

The same holds true on the women’s side, where Lara Johnson kept the women’s overall title with the BAA winning in 20:38, good for 29th overall. But Johnson certainly had to work for it with the likes of SISU’s Caitlyn Clark, Emily Kroshs, NB Boston’s Christy Mae Carrara and always impressive GBTC’s women’s squad in hot pursuit.
We’ll hold off on posting team scores to avoid any confusion, as there may be minor differences between our race’s team scores and those in the USATF series (series scoring requires USATF membership).

Thanks to the sponsors: Greater Boston Running Co., Etonic, Brooks, Asics, Reebok, CitySports, DarnTough Vermont, Eastern Mountain Sports, La Sportiva, Welchs, the Boston Athletic Association.

As always, huge thanks to our crew of volunteers this year including: Ben, Cindy, Ted and Elsa Winther, Paul Young, Doris Chow, Karyn Miller-Medzon, Dima Feinhaus, Karen Ringheiser, Mary Smith, Michelle Lang, Adrienne Cyrulik, Joe Hardin, Frank and Maggie White, Jack Burke, Eric Bucher, Chris Smith, Bill Newsham, and the myriad others I forgot. A special thanks to the Chamberas family who always shows up in droves for the event, including Thomas himself who took part in his first of many races on foot (as opposed to the baby jogger where he normally races).

Special thanks to Jim Rhoades for another batch of top-notch race photos posted here.

For another race review courtesy of Jim Johnson of MVS, click here.