Wang Dynasty Minus Two takes to the streets of Marlboro

Tina was missing her two teammates this past weekend but toughed it out and did the Lions Spring Sprint Triathlon solo. Her hard efforts got her a 1:02, good for fourth in her division and 75th overall. NOTE: She did have the fastest run split for her divison.

The secret to her success? It was clearly her "unintentional taper" at the Bentley workout on Wednesday.

"You guys did a second set? I thought the workout was over and went home!"

Nice work.

Big Ben, Crazy Dave and Eminem play the MODEL role

Last week, Big Ben, Crazy Dave and Karyn "Eminem" Miller-Medzon got the call from CitySports to be included as models in their exclusive photo shoot along the Chaaahles Rivah. After many long hours of negotiating with agents and several calls to Miley Cyrus, the NETT trio donned the CS branded running gear.

While there were many many of the city's most gorgeous runners scampering around in front of the lens at the shoot, CitySports clearly has taste and chose to feature a shot of Big Ben Crazy Dave and a slightly (okay more than slightly) obscured Eminem striding along the river.

Here's the result. Let us know what YOU THINK.

De Zutter WINS HOPKINTON DUATHLON

This just into the NETT newsroom: Jerry De Zutter won the Hopkinton Duathlon this weekend in convincing fashion in 1:01. He laid down the fastest splits for run1 and the bike leg and cruised in more than a minute in front. Here's Jerry's report:

A beautiful morning at Hopkinton State Park. Ran into
Dave Guertin before the race who was to get in the
chilly water in the concurrently running triathlon.
Dave did well in his season opening tri despite having
to take a breather on the swim and some technical
difficulties on the bike. A unique twist, we
started the duathlon at the same time the gun went off
for the triathlon and we began by running on a sandy
path across the back of the beach from which the
triathletes were launching. I don't think the
spectators knew which way to look. I
semi-reluctantly took the lead on the first 2mile run
after an energetic young lady had it for ~30sec. Had a
small advantage when we got to T1 but then got caught
by a couple guys coming out of transition/very early
on the bike. I think they blew themselves up trying to
catch up and I passed them back fairly quickly and
rode pretty solid to the transition with ~1:30 lead.
2nd run, 5K, was a little more interesting as early
on, I was debating with myself how hard/easy I could
run and still win. Not a good way to be thinking. A
short out-back stretch during that run revealed that
some of the other athletes had obviously made up some
ground on me which gave me incentive to stop debating
and run harder to the finish. I was happy to win but
didn't feel like I had any more gears if I had been
more seriously challenged.

Dave Guertin ran tough for an early season opener for 9th in his age group and 54th
overall

Mini-massage, decent food and beverages and
complimentary red bull(s) made for a pretty good
post-race too.


-Jerry

Wang Dynasty Takes Second at the Sudbury Triathlon

Frank KJ, Tina and Tina's son Nicholas as a family took second place relay team at the Subury Sprint Triathlon this weekend and judging by the results, it might be something we see more of! Here's Frank's report:

"The Wang dynasty ruled Sudbury today. We came in second and had a blast doing this as a family relay. Nicholas was seeded to swim 5:40 and finished on the dot. He passed the chip on to yours truly who posted a respectable split and finally Tina, as always, surpassed herself running 6:40 min/mile pace. To put things a bit in perspective, Nicholas had the 56th best swim time out of 400+ (this race appeals to swimmers); Frank had the 6th best bike time; and Tina had the 22nd best run time (including the men) and 2nd fastest of all the women."

(Nicholas gets the chip to Frank on their way to a seond place finish).

Talk about a fit household! Congrats!

NETT trail runners attack the Wapack MorFun run

Well our crew of trail runners certainly put the last "T" in Track & Trail this weekend, with some top finishes at a couple of the longest, toughest trail runs around.

First off, the trio of Dima Feinhaus, Jennifer Shultis and Karen Ringheiser took on the MorFUn Wapack Trail Run of 21 or 50 very rugged miles on the Wapack Trail.

Dima reports that: "Weather was great, trails were dry, and all I ended up being second in a very competitive race with 4:09 (official time are a few minutes off). 6th at 1st aid station -- it's a longer story -- but guy # 3 and I left 3rd (last) aid station virtually at the same time and were killing each other up to the finish line.

"Jennifer was 2nd female if I'm not mistaken, it's hard to read the results. I was too out of it at the finish line to remember who came when.
Karen was 4th female (out of 7), which is really good for her, as she did Boston just a few weeks ago and definitely does not like the long rocky sections that were prevalent out there."

Young cracks top 10 at 7 Sisters, Eminem and Little Skittles take on the Great Bear

As the rain poured down on Sunday morning, Paul Young was bravely toeing the line for what's unanimously considered the most difficult trail race in New England, the 7 Sisters Trail Race in Amherst, Mass. Paul's a veteran of the course and a very strong runner on technical and downhill trails, so it's no surprise that he managed yet another top-10 finish this year by hurtling himself down the sharp jagged rocks that line the last quarter mile of the course.

"It wasn't a PR year, but I ran with Keith Schmitt again this year and we did some real damage on the field on the way back, picking off a lot of runners and managing to finsih in the top 10 in 2:02," Paul said.

Results are not yet available online, but a look at some past years' results shows a LOT of NETT names near the top of the list of the years (namely De Zutter, Young, Hannon, Mingori and at least one Drozdov and a Shirokov).

And in the "Son Spanks Mom" department, Karyn M-M(aka Eminem) reports that her 10-year old son Noah (aka Little Skittles) not only won his age division at the Great Bear 5K in a stunning PR of 21:40 but dusted his mom by a soild minute. Let me repeat that in case you missed it: He's 10 and he ran 21:40 for 5K. Whew!

Karyn says "His slow-moving Canadiens-loving mother had a less impressive finish of 22:40 (4th in age group), resulting in no bling whatsoever."

Note: Little Skittles is a Bruins fan, while Eminem, a native of Quebec, is a Montreal Candiens fan. So we know the good guys won out in this race!

NETT takes 3 of top 7 at Blue Hills, makes strong Masters showing at the James Joyce Ramble

As I was thinking about how to review all of the NETT-related events going on this past weekend, I thought it would be easiest to do it in the first person—as me, Dave, rather than as the third-person reporter I usually cover our events in. With that said…

So, Saturday morning kicked off well with a nice warmup run on the Battle Road trails before meeting up with Frank KJ, Youngstah, Mary Smith and Tina for a long run from the Battle Road Farm condo plex in Lincoln. As always, Frank dazzled us with his internal map function and took us from his house, by the Sandy Pond reservoir, around Walden and a host of other trails until right when we were starting to think we’d never get home again, we “popped right out” at the end of the Battle Road Trail. Don’t ask me how. I can’t explain it. But a great run followed by bagels and coffee, courtesy of the Wang-Kjaarsgaards. Muchas Gracias!

Sunday, it was what will likely be my shortest race commute of the year, driving the 10 miles or so to Milton for the Blue Hills 10 Mile Trail Race . Quite eventful. Before the race, I meet up with Paul Young, Chris Smith and Rob Smith for a nice easy warmup jog. The legs are definitely a little flat from the long run the day before, but other than, ready to mix it up. Just prior to the race, I catch Ben Nephew and Jim Pawlicki hammering down a hill on the trail and I’m thinking “man, that has got to be the fastest warmup I’ve ever seen!”

Okay, time to toe the line. Looking around, Rob points out a guy that we might want to keep an eye on (he was eventual 3-mile winner Aaron Price). False start and we’re off like bats from hell, but it’s hard to keep track of who’s where, since the 3-miler starts with the 10milers. After a half-mile or so, me, Chris, Paul and Rob are grouped nicely (“Geez, Paul, if you wore your white NETT shirt like me and Chris, it would make a great photo!”) and we look up to see Nephew and Pawlicki on the sidelines cheering.

Dave: What the hell are you guys doing?
Ben: We didn’t know you had to pre-register.
Dave: We all just moved up two places, guys!

At the split for the three-milers, it’s impossible to know what places we’re in, but me, Paul and Rob run close for a while. We do an out-and-back section on the course, and it doesn’t look like there’s anyone else in front of us. A bit later we see the CMS twins again cheering us on loudly and I ask what place we’re in. “I think you’re the leaders” comes the reply. “Okay boys…things just got interesting,” I shout over my shoulder to two of the top masters trail runners in New England and crank the pace up a bit.

I really crank it up on a long uphill just before 6 miles and for the first time in about 40 minutes I don’t hear footsteps behind me. But with two very experienced guys keeping chase, I have to keep the foot on the gas.

At about 8 miles, I get the bad news, as I come through a check point and hear one of the volunteers say “Great work. You’re number 2.” Number 2? First off, no one likes to be called “number 2” but secondly, where did number one come from? Well, long story short, it looks like the first-place finisher was so far ahead that maybe a couple folks didn’t even notice him. So me, Paul and Rob finish 2-3-4 and Chris only a bit back in 7th. Talk about a SOLID masters field!


UPDATE: For photos of the Blue Hills race, courtesy of the host Colonial Road Runners, click here.

Okay, fast forward to the drive home. I know the James Joyce Ramble is clogging up the streets of Dedham, which sits smack between Blue Hills and West-Roxbury, so I’m not surprised when I get stuck at a closed street crossing. However, as I watch some of the runners flying past my eyes pop out when I catch that all-too-familiar coyote image on the front of a shirt! It’s Karen Ringheiser blasting through the 10K on her way to a FOURTH MASTER finish in 41:13. And of course if Karen’s there, Dima Feinhaus is there as well and he too battled a tough masters field to finish 41st overall, 12th master in 38:19.

WHEW! Busy busy. Check back for photos, details.

Dave Mingori is half of winning team at Tuckerman's Inferno

Never one to take the easy route, rather than run Boston or du the du at Wrentham, Dave Mingori chose to compete as half of a two-man team at the very challenging Tuckerman's Inferno race this past weekend. For those who don't know about the race, it's an adventure/multisport race that starts with a hilly road run, goes to a kayak and then a bike, then it's a hike up the side of Mt. Washington and then a ski down Tuckerman's Ravine. You can do it as a full team, two-person relay, or individual. Dave was part of a a two-person team, handling the run, hike/climb and ski. Here's his report:


So, I'm alive, and we won the 2-person division of the Inferno (plus some wonderful bonus skiing in Gulf of Slides on Sunday).

Executive summary:

1) Mark and I were 13th overall (1st place in the duo division) out of 90 total teams.
2) I split 53:02 for the 8.4 mile run (8th fastest run).
3) I split 52:30 for the 3.1 mile hike from Pinkham into the bowl (also 8th fastest split; ~2000' elevation gain).
4) I then proceeded to become seriously dehydrated and cramped horribly in the transition to ski, the ski climb and the ski down.

Here's the details for those who are interested:

After our final planning strategy, my teamate and I decided to drive my car to Pinkham Friday night and leave it, which turned out to be a VERY smart move. Out of the condo at 6:15, dropped off Mark's kayak then over to Storyland for the start. I finished the 8.4 mile run just over 53 minutes (either the 7th or 8th fastest run - quite a competitive run field this year). My support vehicle (ie the parents) then drove me to Pinkham to get geared up for the hike. Meanwhile, my sherpa had already started up with boots, skis and pack.

Mark put in an exceptional kayak, ending up with the 5th or 6th fastest time on the water. A solid bike (what we thought would be our weakest section) brought him to Pinkham and we're top 10. I maintained our position on the hike. Made it to Hermit Lake in 35 minutes, putting me right on pace for my goal of 45-47 minutes. Unfortunately the crowds made it REALLY tough on the final narrow stretch and I also got taken down by a dog!

Yes, a dog came out of nowhere, clipped me right below the knee and sent me sliding off the trail down into the bushes. Just a few scrapes, but lost time there. Made it to the base of left gully in 52 minutes (ended up also being the 8th fastest hike). So now for the ugly part. I knew I was getting dehydrated so I took some extra time to down a couple waters. My right quad was beginning to cramp a bit (no thanks to the dog and my fall). I finally get my boots and skis on when a buckle breaks. My first thought is forget it and go, but then I realize I can fix it. Overall though wasted way too much time in the transition. I was figuring on 4-5 minutes but it ended up being over 10. The climb up Left Gully, usually my favorite, was pure torture. The ski down even worse. Quads cramping every other turn. 40 minutes later I cross the finish (last year when I did just the ski I went up and down in 24!)

I crossed the line, fell over and then literally had both quads seize up. I could not bend my knees for the next 5 minutes or so, just laid in the snow guzzling gatorade and water.

But.... it was all worth it as we won the 2-man division in just over 4:30. Interesting in that we had figured a "best case" time of 4:15, and had I not had my issues we'd have been real close.

Rick's take on the Boston Marathon

As always, our roving reporter, Rick Cleary, has provided his own unique take on his 31st--YES 31st Boston Marathon start:


Hi Running Pals:

So here are a collection of thoughts and scenes from my 31st Boston marathon start, 29th same day finish:

The basic question: HOW'D YA DO?
Pretty good! I ran 3:37:02 to crack the top 8500 of almost 22000 finishers. I was 900th male 50 - 59, but one of the first 899 was Fast Eddie Sandier, so call me Fat Ricky for at least another year. The good news was that it was my fastest Boston marathon since 2002 (what a coincidence that my son Eddie was born in March, 2003!), the bad news is that to officially requalify for my age group I needed a 3:35:59 so I missed by 63 seconds. I hope to take advantage of my upcoming sabbatical, actually our upcoming sabbaticals since Ann has one too, to get in slightly better shape and run a good time somewhere in the fall.

The follow-up: WOW, 63 SECONDS SHORT OF RE-QUALIFYING ... WHERE COULD YOU HAVE MADE THAT UP?
Well, the obvious place would have been to reach down and run the last couple of miles hard. At 24 miles I was 3:16:05 on my watch with 2.2 miles to go, and my recent miles had been about 9:30 each. A modest pick-up to under nines would do the trick. But I'm just not a reach down kind of guy. I like to think that the same failure to stress myself to make up those 63 seconds accounts for the fact that I've been running for 35 years without injury.

Related story #1: I saw two guys earlier in the race wearing t-shirts that said, "Pain is temporary, quitting is forever!" I didn't want to waste energy in a debate but I immediately thought to myself, "No, no, no! Quit and try again next year; but hurt yourself seriously and you might never run again." This will all be explained in my upcoming book, "The Mediocrity Manifesto: How Doing Your Best is Killing You."

Related story #2: Two weeks before the marathon I went Marathon Sports in Wellesley and bought a new pair of shoes for the race. The eager twenty-something waiting on me said, "If you go outside and run along the sidewalk we'll do a stride analysis and we'll know if you need a stability shoe and..." I said, "I've been running for 35 years, never been hurt, and I almost always buy the second cheapest Asics. Get me a pair of these in 11."

Some other places I might have made up that 63 seconds to requalify:
-I did need to stop briefly in the woods by the railroad tracks near the 15K mark in Natick, and in my modesty I probably went farther off Route 135 than was really necessary given the circumstances. Let's call that 30 seconds lost.
-Mugging for a picture taken by Sunday AM running pal Jeff Dosdall at the Natick/Wellesley line. Maybe five seconds.
-High fiving the family and friends at Wellesley College ... another 15 seconds.
-Shouting to spectators with radios on to get Red Sox score updates ... maybe three times at five seconds each time.
There, that's 65 seconds. OK, I've convinced myself and I'm strong enough to run the time I need if I focus better!

Experienced runners would ask: DID YOU RUN EVEN SPLITS?
Well, no. Fast Eddie ran impressively negative splits, running the second half faster which is something I've managed only twice 78 marathons. I ran the first half in a little over 1:42; (7:50/mile) the second half a little under 1:55 (8:45/mile) so a minute per mile slower the second half. So should have I gone out slower? I'm not so sure. I know as a coach and as a rational math professor that everything in the literature would suggest even pacing is better. But I get really tired of running after two hours or so. I did my 20 mile training run in March at about 8:30 pace for the first 14 and I was still so tired I slowed way down and was well over 10 minute pace the last couple of miles. I think picking it up can work if you're generally fit but for those of us living on the margin getting time in the bank might not be a crazy strategy. Steady splits also require great mental focus and toughness, which (as previously noted) is not my long suit. At least this year the decline in splits was linear, not exponential!


And everybody asks: HOW WAS THE WEATHER?
Close to ideal. Sixty or so, sun came out just as we started. I'm glad I wore a tee shirt under my BAA singlet, as I saw a lot of badly sunburned shoulders after the race! I got slightly burned on the right (south facing) arm.

Other little moments from the day:

-My number of 14024 (the zip code of Bliss, NY, near Geneseo) put me in the first corral, right near the starting line, in the second wave. This was great, as it only took about 30 seconds to get across the line and I was running comfortably within the first mile. The earlier start and two wave starts are both huge improvements in the whole process.

-There's always those people you keep trading back and forth with ... For me this year the most memorable was a women whose entire uniform was an ad for Aquaphor ointment. I spent more time than usual worried about chafing.

-It's astonishing to me that in a race with water and Gatorade every mile there are people carrying enormous amounts of their favorite foods and beverages in various tummy packs, fanny packs, camelbacks ... I expect to soon see people pulling small carts with their preferred refreshments. This is especially annoying for those of us who weigh a little more than we'd like to and would run better if we were a bit lighter; seeing these people deciding to carry a few extra pounds just seems crazy to me!

And the thank yous:

-Ann, Eddie and Tommy for training encouragement, race day logistics and excellent cheering.

-My Wellesley College fan club, whose support really encouraged me to get into this year's race using my membership in the Quarter Century Club. One of the reasons I run the first half faster is to get to see everybody there!

-Martha and Bob Collins for the super service ride to Hopkinton; and the rest of the Sunday morning training group for their encouragement.

-My colleagues Dave Carhart and Erl Sorensen for their excellent cheering by Dave's house near mile 2, and the traditional complicated math sign with a code for my goal time. (This year's sign: 3^3+4^3+5^3-(Sum n=1 to infinity of 1/2^n)
Note that's 215, and 3:35 is 215 minutes.)

OK, time to rest up and get 63 seconds faster... I'd love to speed up enough to get my qualifying time back toward an Eastern NY zip code ...

Rick

NETT puts its best feet forward at Boston, Wrentham

Well if you were a runner, running fan or just a sports fan in Boston, this might have been your dream weekend.

While many of us were out watching Deena Kastor provide a tutorial on how to stalk like a Big Cat at the Women's U.S. Olympic Trials on Sunday, a few NETTers were out multisporting it up at the annual multisport kickoff event, the Wrentham Duathlon. Always a perrenial favorite at this event (spring or fall), Paul Miller had his work cut out for him this year, as he threw down a very solid 55-minute time for a third-place overall finish, behind two professional (or semi-pro) athletes. Most of us could only hope for such results.

And true to form, NETT had a couple of the top masters in Frank KJ notching a PR at Wrentham to slip in the top 10 overall (second master) in 59 minutes, while Toledo Joe pulled out the old Ganges Surprise to finish 1:01 and fourth in his age group. As always, great work.

And of course, Monday was the big day for that Fun Run from Hopkinton to Boston. As a specator home watching on TV, it was one of the most exciting races I can remember. Women's race right down to the wire and men's race was yet another clinic by a man possesed.
(Note the NETT on the back of the shirt which says "Congratulations! You've just been chicked by a Mini Pony!")

There were more than a few of the extended NETT family taking part. We'll be getting more details in dribs and drabs, but here's a roundup of folks' times that I can dig up:

Frank White 2:50:05
Tina Wang 3:32:22
Karen Mahoney-Ringheiser 3:20:32
Dima Feinhaus 2:58:39 (PR?)
Rick Cleary 3:37:02
Vlad Luppov 3:06:24
Ben Spiess 2:57:59
Chrissy Durden 4:24:27

For Dima Feinhaus, it was a marathon PR by over a minute and a 9-minute improvement over Boston last year. “I might have overhydrated on Sunday, because in the morning I was 3 lbs over my usual weight and I don't recall ever being so nervous before a race,” Dima reports. (Some of the overhydrated are executing their plan at mile 1--photo courtesy of JimRhoades.com)

For Karen Ringheiser, it was a PR on the Boston course even though she felt the sun was a bit hotter than she expected.

“I had so much fun!” exclaims Chrissy Durden about her run. “I had a bit of a rocky start due to some stomach issues, so once I realized I wouldn’t be able to make up enough time I decided to just have fun with it; and as strange as that may sound, I had a blast!”

Okay, I'm sure I missed a few, but that's a start....if you've got some pics or personal stories out on the course, send them along and I'm happy to post. Or if anyone has a picture of a Montreal Candiens shirt in flames, we can post that too.

(Tina says: "Uh oh...the Coke isn't that bad, but I think I should have skipped the burrito at mile 18!")

Also, for those running geeks that JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH of it all, I recommend checking out the Flocasts site for post-race interviews with elite athletes from the women's Olympic trials including Deena Kastor and Crazy Dave's pal Yolanda Flamino. Very cool stuff.

NETT runs the Rivah!

Despite some gloomy-looking skies early on, NETT was out in force at the 17th Annual Merrimack River Trail Race (the RIVAH) in Andover, Mass on Saturday.

Overall, NETT was third in team scoring. On the men’s side, Paul Young ran a rare PR on the wet course to finish 12th overall in 1:05:30. John Kinnee (although registered to CMS—BOO!!!) finished in 1:08, and the pair of Big Ben Winther and Crazy Dave Hannon chugged in together in 1:17. Also out on the course were NETT pals Pat Dwyer completing his first trail race in an impressive 1:07 and Brodie Miles clocking a 1:11.

The ladies had a fine showing with trail expert Adrienne Cyrulik finishing fifth woman in 1:25. Karyn Miller-Medzon (Eminem) slim-shadied her way to a 1:36 and Laura Wieland was just behind in 1:38, both running in their first longer trail race.

As usual, the race was well-organized by Dave Dunham and Steve Peterson, and Petey gets the most enthusiastic race director award! (“He gets a t-shirt and SKITTTLES!!!”) Funds raised by the race support the Thomas Chamberas Memorial Runners Scholarship.

To see a video of the race CLICK HERE

NETT goes South at Northern Nipmuck, Ringheiser tops at Crowleys, Frank KJ at Upton

Some days you feel great. Some days you feel crappy. Some days your feel so crappy that 1/4 into the race you pull the plug and turn it into a training run. And SOME DAYS, you find out your teammate did the same!

Such was the case for the Daves (Hannon and Mingori) at the Northern Nipmuck trail race this weekend. DaveH felt the woes of a hefty training schedule early on and by the first aid station had shifted gears from race pace to training pace, thinking when Dave M caught up with him, he'd try to push it up again. But Dave M never came, having his own troubles, struggling through what he called a general lack of zip.

End result: Dave H a personal worst 2:23 and Dave M in at 2:39. And just to add insult to injury, NETT's Dmitry Drozdov's former course record was smashed as well, with race winner Josh Ferenc running a blistering 1:59.

But all was not lost for NETT this weekend and several other members rallied to save our reputation. Karen Ringheiser won the women's division at the RJ Crowley's 3 mile race in Newton. Karen finished 16th overall in 3-mile race in 19:08, a mere 10 seconds in front of the the second place woman (16 years her junior!). Congrats Karen. Honorable mention goes to Dima Feinhaus' son, Isaac, who took second in the males 0-19 age group in 22:56.

And our other Karyn (Miller-Medzon, or Eminem, as she's known on the streets of Belmont), took a top 30 and FOURTH MASTERS women's place at the Marathon Sports City Run 5 Miler in Cambridge. Rumor has it she danced around after her 38:30, singing "I'm the real Shady, all you other Miller-Medzons are just imitateys" (okay, I'm not up on my hip hop lyrics).

Also, in the "Saving our Face" category, Frank KJ put in a strong run at the Upton 15K on Saturday, finishing 14th overall in 58:53. If you can believe it, he was 8th master with that finish--a very competitive master's field!

APRIL FOOLS!!! Meb Keflezighi to run for NETT

FOR THOSE WHO DID NOT FIGURE IT OUT YET, THIS WAS DAVE'S PATHETIC ATTEMPT AT AN APRIL FOOL'S JOKE. A COUPLE PEOPLE DID BITE ON IT!

Yes, it’s true! Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi is moving to Boston for the summer to train and plans train regularly with NETT, so get in shape!

After running the Boston Marathon in 2006, Meb found he really liked the area, especially the Newton/Wellesely and Metrowest area of Boston. And he has two siblings that go to Boston-area schools. So he wanted to move here for a summer and train and began looking for a running club that focuses on trail running in the area who could show him the best off-road spots to run. Plus, his sponsor, Nike, has no ties to any local clubs here. Hence, NETT!

Now, we’ve been very clear that we’re not runners near his caliber but he is fully aware of that but says, “I really am looking to do some very easy long runs (7 mpm) on soft trails in the area, and you guys are the only group that seem to specialize in that around Boston.”

And yes, he said he’s open to running a couple races for us wearing the NETT colors!

While he’s still working out the details of his arrival and housing, plan on being in tip-top shape in the beginning of June!

New "Eastern New England" Trail Race Series Announced

Good news for the trail runner who's tired of driving all the way out to the Berkshires or Connecticut to get their trail running fix. This year will be the innaugural year for the Eastern New England Trail Race Series, sponsored by the North Medford Club.

Modeled after the successful Grand Tree series put on by the Western Mass Athletic Club, the Eastern New England series will include 20 races at distances from 3 miles to 17 miles, most in Massachusetts (and a couple in RI).

The series kicks off April 12 at the Merrimack River Trail Race and runs all the way until the final event Nov. 23, the Lil Rhody Runaround.

For more info on the series contact Rene Lavoie at NorthMedfordClub@verizon.net

Battle Road Runs in Full Swing

For the uninitiated, one of the staples in the NETT run repertoire is the Monday night Battle Road Trail run. We do them every Monday, 6 p.m. and now that it's light out and there's no ice we can park at the lot at the end of the trail (Corner of Old Mass Ave and Wood Street in Lexington) instead of across 2A.

Come one, come all!

Great Southie Irish Showdown Overshadowed

It was setting up to be a great duel between two, not yetintip-topshapebut desperatelyreadyforarace MiniPonies. That was, until, someone else--a woman, no less--stole the show.

Jerry the Tick and Frank KJ toed the line at the South Boston St. Patrick's Day 5K yesterday in full spirits. Jerry, a half-Irish/half Dutchmen felt a sense of pride swelling--or was that Guinness--in his gut, as the gun went off and he started up his battle with the "Great Dane", who was still bouncing back from his penile implant surgery. Two aging but fearless multisporters. One 5K road race for all the marbles amidst thousands of screaming drunken fans. Bragging rights would last right through until the Thanksgiving Day race. And somehow, it all went unnoticed.

While the details are still unclear, what IS clear from the finish times, that it was an epic battle between these two. The Tick edged the Dane by a mere two seconds. Two seconds. It took you that long to read the words--two seconds.

BUT BOTH WERE 40 SECONDS BEHIND THE OVERALL WINNER--A WOMAN.

Yes, GBTC's Alison McCabe stole the show by outlegging ALL the boys and winning in a very impressive 17:46 and made what should have been one of the road running world's most dyanmic finishes a mere afterthought.

Anyways....

In other racing action this weekend, the team of Karen and Karyn took to the streets. K-- Miller-Medzon scurried through the Ras Na Heireann USA in Somerville in 22:10, and took 5th in her age group! And K--- Ringheiser put on her "Away Uniform" and sped through the New Bedford Half Marathon in 1:31, yes sub-7 pace for those of you keeping score at home. And Dima Feinhaus had his "away uniform" on and ran a PR of 1:24. I'm sure he'd have run a 1:22 with a Coyote on his chest!

Congrats to all. As always, Go Mini Ponies.

NETT has All-Americans!

The USA Triathlon and Duathlon Rankings for 2007 have been posted and NETT had some very impressive results.

Duathlon: Congratulations to Paul Miller and Jerry de Zutter for taking All American honors placing 3rd respectively 6th in their age groups. Joe Hardin received Honorable Mention for placing 25th; Frank KJ placed 42nd. On the women’s side Tina placed 28th in her age group for duathlon.

Triathlon: Frank KJ, Jerry and Frank W all received Honorable Mention in the Men’s 40-44.

Complete rankings at THIS WEBSITE and sorry if we overlooked anyone. Send your own results to Dave and he'll post them up here.

Ticks at Stus, Oona at the Claddagh

It was a fairly quiet racing weekend for the MiniPonies, but Jerry the Tick and Anthony were out mixing it up.

"Oona" and Thomas Chamberas took to the streets of Lawrence in the Claddah Pub 4 Miler finishing up in 33 minutes. The Claddah is a family event for Oona in a number of ways. First off, his cousin is the race director. Secondly, it's a Greek guy running an Irish pub race (ironic because our Greek Streak married himself a full-on Irish lass). And most of all, the product of that Greek-Irish lovefest, Thomas, is already at consistent participant in the race.

(Photo courtesy JimRhoades.com)


Meanwhile on Sunday, Jerry the Tick De Zutter churned out 7:12 miles at the always challenging Stu's 30K race on Sunday.

41 2:14:25.34 De Zutter, Jerry Hudson, MA M 43 7.13

Jerry said of his performance: "Stu's 30K today was a good effor ton my part. I'm well undertained (my last race was Andover CC) and I did way too much socializing along the way but was pleased to run the pace I did (7:13 pace)."

NETT-Etonic Teams Dominate Hyannis Marathon Relay

The NETT-Etonic mens team took home top honors at the Hyannis Marathon Relay while the NETT-Etonic women's teams nabbed 2nd and 6th in the women's race. The men's team of PaulM, Chris Smith, DaveH and DaveM finished up the race in 2:33, a full 20 minutes in front of the next relay team. The women's teams had a bit more competition with a very strong women's filed (top women's relay team was third overall and only a minute out of 2nd!). But the team of Tina, Claire, Deb and Mary threw down a 3:06 good for ninth place overall (out of 70 teams) and 2nd women's team. The other team of Jennifer, Emily, KarynM and ChrissyD averaged under 8 min pace for a very strong 3:28, 6th in the women's division and 22nd overall.


And our non-relayer, Mr. Young, won the Master's title in the 10K, a pretty much annual even for him now. Our pals at Etonic provided us all with new shoes, new shirts and a home base at the race Expo, which was extremely helpful in organizing the relay teams (Thanks Pete!). Special thanks to team photographer Frank KJ out there taking all these great pics and to the folks who made an extra effor to run the race--Claire coming all the way from DC, Chrissy for jumping into the fray, PMiller racing down with minutes to spare at the start, and all the other folks. It's not easy to get three teams organized and down to a race 90 minutes away

NETT gives a "thumbs down" to Spirit of the Marathon

Overall, the NETT gang gave collective "thumbs down" to the Spirit of the Marathon movie.

The highlights included a bit of local flare with Tom Dederian making an appearance, as well as New England greats Bill Rodgers and Joan Benoit Samuelson. And Greater Lowell's Casey Moulton gets a LOT of screen time running along next to, in front of, behind Deena Kastor. Sadly, no shots of Big Ben who ran one of his best races at Chicago that year.

But all in all, the film was a bit heavy on the "human interest" angles and not heavy enough on the "Spirit of the Marathon" itself.

Vlad, who originally pointed it out to us, said, "Well, the "Spirit of the Marathon" is not the best movie I have watched. Sorry for the mislead.
I hope this one is better: http://www.borntorunfilm.com/Trailer%20.html"

Big Ben said, "I didn’t really like the movie, was pretty let down. It was like I was sitting in cross between a weight watchers presentation and a Chicago Marathon promo. There was way too little action, way too little intrigue. They missed golden opportunities to really catch the mystique of the race. They didn’t even explain the relation between Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley and their amazing race. Figures like Emil Zatopec were shown running but their real accomplishments weren’t put into perspective. Y’know, they went so far in the beginning of the movie to explain how the race is about pushing the limits and they didn’t really get to the meat of the subject. I felt they concentrated way too much on the back of the pack, and way too little on the folks who’re really striving at working to be at the front of the pack. What the hell do I care about some fat jackass that hurt his knee and can’t run. In my opinion, they failed at really capturing the spirit of the marathon."

Frank KJ summed up his thoughts by saying, "Movie Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars. Three out of the five people followed get injured training for the marathon. Moral of the story: Don't run. Instead on Patriot's Day go to Fenway and watch the Red Sox, then go out and see suffering people limp their injured bodies towards Boston. And if you still really want to run after that, then come out to Lincoln woods and hit the trails with NETT."

Winter is Cherry Picking Season for NETT Snowshoe contingent

It was a weekend for Cherry Picking for the NETT Snowshoe squad and they picked well!

For the uninitiated, here's a few simple rules to follow for successful winter cherry picking. First find a very small minimally promoted race, preferably fewer than 15 people. Next, confirm they are giving prizes out in various divisions. Feel free to invite friends, but be sure they are friends you can outrun (say, for example, they've been busy traveling for work non-stop before their very pregnant wife gives birth). And running most of a walking race helps too.

The cherry harvest began on Saturday, when the trio of Big Ben, Crazy Dave and Sherpa Doris all hit the first annaul Shaker 3K Snowshoe Race in Canterbury, NH and put the cherry picking strategy to the test. With Cindy (and Baby Jenkins) cheering them on and snapping these great pics, the cherry picking was, well, fruitful. Crazy Dave and Big Ben finished 1-2 and Sherpa Doris snagged a win in the open women's category. Okay, there were 15 people in the race and only one person besides our trio had "running" snowshoes, but that's the point of cherry picking, right? For their trouble, Dave got a brand new pair of Crescent Moon snowshoes, and Ben and Doris both won gift certificates to visit the Shaker Village. Crazy Dave was even interviewed by a local radio station about his victory (hereby giving new meaning to the term "slow news day").

All joking aside, this was a very nice, small-town event. The folks organizing it were very nice, the scenery was gorgeous and the course well-marked. The organizers had prizes and finisher certificates for all participants. They are planning on hosting a XC running race in May, so we'll be sure to head back up there for that. And the foursome (okay, fivesome with Jenkins in utero) enjoyed a great lunch at the Shaker Table restaurant at the Shaker village--fantastic food and service with a sense of humor (Our wisecracking waiter told Ben that "Berries are like fruit, but smaller"). What more could you ask for?

And on Sunday, the winter cherry picking continued, as Crazy Dave and Sherpa Doris headed up to the Horse Hill Snowshoe Race in Merrimack, NH. And this time it was Doris that came away with the biggest cherries (or so to speak), as she cleanly trounced the competition in the 4K race (okay, fitness walk), winning it outright (see her here at the awards ceremony, photo courtesy of Virginia Amarello, more photos here). Not the women's division, not her age group, but won the 4K outright. Can I get a hell yeah? HELL YEAH!


Dave struggled to a second place finish in the 6K race, but seriously, who cares about that? Today was clearly Doris' day, wowing the crowd at the award ceremony with her one liners like "Is there any more coffee left?" and "Oooohhh...donuts."

Again, kidding aside, Mike Amarello put on a very nice, low-key race here which was superbly marked by using discarded campgaign signs (Ron Paul would be horrified to know how many people he "sent left"!). He was a great host and made sure to include as many participants as possible in the awards.

All in all, I think these winter cherry pickers are in no rush to see spring come!

Ponies play at Frosty's Dash

At the Frosty's Dash 5K Snowshoe race in Atkinson, NH, another NETTer got his snowshoeing baptism. Janos "The Hungarian Landshark" tooks to the snow like a shark to water--or something like that. In his first race on the big shoes, he finished 7th (? results not yet posted) in a strong 21:54.

"I enjoyed my first race, but found it much tougher than I thought," Janos said afterward. "I went out fairly hard, because I figured it was going to be a short race. But between the hills, and the traction, and the effects from the Bradford race the day before [A romantic shark at heart, Janos ran a 31:48 at the Bradford Valentines Day race on Saturday] I found it tough to maintain a high rate of speed."

Doris made a good showing at Frostys to support the cause (it was a fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) and completed it with flying colors! (She's no novice, having done several snowshoe events in the past, including one where she beat Dave!)And Crazy Dave finished up fourth at Frosty's Dash in 20:20.

Jennifer's NPR interview, snowshoe racing story in the NY Times

If you haven't heard it yet, you can listen to Jennifer Shultis's interview on NPR's Here and Now (produced by our own Karyn Miller-Medzon) at this site:

HERE AND NOW ARCHIVES

Also, some folks might be interested to read this great story on snowshoe racing featured in the New York Times. Sure, it's mostly about those whimps out in Colorado that race on groomed trails (450 people at snowshoe race?? Holy Shite!), but it's a good read nonetheless and mentions Frostys Dash for CF.

Marathon Movie coming around end of February

Thanks to Vlad for passing this info along. There's a movie called Spirit of the Marathon making the rounds that not many folks know about. It tracks six runners as they prepare for and compete in the Chicago Marathon, including Deena Kastor.
It also features interviews with Bill Rogers, Frank Shorter, Paula Radcliffe, Alberto Salazar and more.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE MOVIE TRAILER

It will be playing in Fenway, Framingham, Revere, Lowell, Milbury, and others.

Strong showing from NETT at the Boston Prep 16-Miler in Derry

NETT had another great showing at the very competitive Boston Prep 16-Miler in Derry, NH this weekend. Conditions were not great, according to reports from the field, with some slush, snow and ice in spots, so not a year for PRs on the course. On the men's side, Paul Miller put in another great race at Derry, finishing 5th overall in 1:37 and tops in the 30-39 age group. Frank White, a perrenial at Derry, cracked the top 20 finishers with a 1:44. Ben Speiss was out there again this year (1:50) and Dima Feinhaus put in a solid sub-2 performance for top 75 placing.

On the ladies' side, Karen Ringheiser finished third master in 2:01, while Tina Wang (accompanied by Frank KJ) was a very solid 2:09. Jennifer Shultis ran as well, but seems confused as to what her time was. I guess without night vision goggles and climbing gear, a race is somewhat confusing to her.


(Frank and Dima talk strategy before the start).

I may have missed someone out there in the results--let me know. Great results by all out there in sub-optimal conditions. Congrats.

Men make good on XC bet

Well, don't ever let it be said the NETT are welchers. While it was a couple months overdue, the NETT finally made good on their bet with the women's team to make breakfast after the women won the Assault on Mt. Hood XC race and the men were second in their category.

Tina and Frank were nice enough to host our Sunday run and breakfast. After a nice hour long jaunt in the cold, the men got to work in the kitchen while the women waited patiently for their spoils.




After a short wait the women were treated to a feast of French toast, hash browns, bagels, coffee, and Anthony's world famous Greek Cinnamon Scrambled Eggs...Mmmmm








To top it off, Tina moderated the first-ever Mini-Pony Roundtable where we discussed in detail important issues such as Garth Brooks' annoyance level, naked racing, CAD software and killer rabbits.

All in all it was a great day and we look forward to many more.

Dan Koeppel writes the book on...BANANA

The Boston Globe has a story today highlighting a new book out by Dan Koeppel called "Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World."

The Globe writes that "In Banana, Koeppel, a longtime outdoors and adventure writer, weaves a multifaceted story about how the fruit's unique nature has allowed it to become a worldwide food staple and a geopolitical force that has both shaped and toppled nations."

Now five points to anyone who knows why I posted this on our site. (And no, Banana3's not allowed to respond).Exactly.

BU Meets Wrap Up

While NETT did not get a chance to run a 4x 1 mile relay this week at the final BU Mini-Meet this weekend, Dave Mingori was a one-man NETT squad on the track, running both the 3000 and the mile. Dave blasted through the 3K in sub-10 and then bounced back for a 5:06 in the mile.

Due to an overwhelming turnout at the meet, the relay got pushed back to 3 pm, too late for a couple of our team members to make. But Kudos to Big Ben and family for coming all the way down from NH to run, as well as Drs. Miller and Goode and soon-to-be-lost-to-Texas Peter G. Would have made a great relay team. Maybe next year.

Some light reading for the Holidays.

Just a quick roundup of some recent stories on trail running that have appeared in various newspapers around the country:

San Francisco Chronicle’s HEALTHY OBSESSION column

SanLouisObispo.com’s profile of ultrarunner Thomas Reiss.

Summit Daily News (CO) profile of Elliot Henry.

Elmira, NY Star-Gazette’s profile of Dave Weiss

Seattle Post Intelligencer story on trail and ultra running

Rutland Herald profile of Newton Baker

NETT women win the "Mt. Hood Massacre" XC Race

Okay, boys, get your spatulas ready!

The NETT women overcame a couple last minute calls in sick to win the women's division at the Assault on Mt. Hood 3.2(?) mile XC Race today, while the men put in a valiant effort--wearing aprons in the race no less--to finish second in their division.

The result is that the men's team has to cook the women's team breakfast after an upcoming run (details to come later).

The womens' team of Adrienne Cyrulik, Jennifer Shultis and Karen Miller-Medzon finshed 65, 88, 107 overall. (The results on coolrunning don't show their team score--we'll fix that). (UPDATE as of Monday AM): The Somerville Road Runners did in fact have a women's team that NETT beat by a very narrow margin, according to my scores--260 to 264!

The men's team pulled out every available member they could find to avoid losing the bet and put their three scoring members in the top 12 in the race, but couldn't overcome the CMS team putting up a 1,8,9 score. Running for the men's team were Paul Miller, Dave Hannon, Dave Mingori, Jerry De Zutter, Ryan Hunt, Bruce Goode and Anthony Chamberas.

The race itself was a hit with all the NETTers and extended family in attendance (Special thanks to Jerry's wife Jennifer handling extra babysitting). Course was very hilly and a mix of snow-covered golf courses and some paved roads. Post-race event was excellent--great food (pasta and meatballs piping hot), great drink (all runners get a nice beer glass filled up with cold beer) and good prizes (age-group winners get a bottle of homebrew!). The Melrose Running Club puts on a great event here.

Melrose Mt Hood SmackTalk Gets Downright Scary

The bad blood between the NETT men’s and women’s teams leading into the Assault on Mt. Hood XC race this weekend has resulted in a nasty war of words.

It all started at the Andover XC race, where the two teams had a bet. Whichever team finished higher in the standings for their respective division would have a nice breakfast prepared for them by the other team after an upcoming run. Unfortunately, the bet resulted in a tie as both teams won their respective divisions at Andover. That pushed the bet over to the Mt. Hood race this weekend.

Jennifer Shultis has been leading the women’s smack talk. “We want to see these men in the kitchen with aprons on where they BELONG” she said recently in a very spiteful and nasty email exchange with men’s team captain DaveH.

Dave responded by saying “Men wearing aprons and cooking. Aprons? PUhhhh-leeeaase. As we say around here in Boston ‘Nevaah gunnah haahhpenn.”"

Jennifer shot back to Dave and the women’s team with, “Apparently, the comment about seeing the guys in the kitchen wearing aprons got a reaction, or so Dave says. Claims they have quite a line-up. Blahblahblah...yeah, whatever. Dave, you better tell those little piggies of yours to giddy-up. I can almost hear them squealing, Clarice.”

The Hannibal Lecter/Silence of the Lambs reference left Dave utterly speechless.

I guess it will all be decided Sunday morning in Melrose.

Fleece Banana Hammock Rides Again!

For the third year in a row, the Fleece Banana Hammock team put in a very strong result in the Mill Cities Relay, finsihing 6th overall this year in 2:35.

Entered under the Somerville Road Runners banner, the Banana this year consisted of Jim Rhoades, Paul Young, Jean Dany Joachim, Dave Hannon and newcomer to the crowd, Peter Gallimore. The first leg went off very fast with some of the top runners in New England laying down fast times and putting the always fit Rhoades back a bit in the pack despite running his usual solid time. Young took the baton in around eighth place and began the process of chipping away, running down a couple runners. JD put in a PR time on his usual "baby leg" of 2.5 miles and gave the stick to Hannon, who was taking the 9.5 mile leg in the absence of our usual Russian Rocket, Dmitry Drozdov who's handled the long leg the past two years.
Hannon did his best to keep the team in competition, passing three teams along the way and handing off to speed demon turned marathoner Gallimore. Peter did a great job of holding onto our sixth place spot by holding off a pack of teams behind him including the Whirlaway masters team, always a daunting force to have behind you.


Honestly, have you ever seen a guy wearing purple tights look SOOO masculine? I don't know how he does it!


As always, the post-race party at the Claddagh Pub in Lawrence was better than most, with cold beer and warm soup.

Overall, it was another successful run for the Fleece Banana Hammock. Nice work boys.

(All Photos Courtesy JimRhoades.com).

Gatorade inventor dies

The Associated Press reports that Dr. J. Robert Cade, who invented the sports drink Gatorade and launched a multibillion-dollar industry that the beverage continues to dominate, died Tuesday of kidney failure. He was 80.

The AP report says "Now sold in 80 countries in dozens of flavors, Gatorade was born thanks to a question from former Gators Coach Dwayne Douglas, Cade said.

He asked, "Doctor, why don't football players wee-wee after a game?"

"That question changed our lives," Cade said.


I guess we all owe Dr. Cade a debt of gratitude for putting off the BONK for at least a few miles. So raise your plastic bottles to him one more time!

NETT men's, women's team win Andover XC titles

New England Track & Trail had a banner day at the Andover Country Club 6K XC Race this weekend, claiming both the Men's and Women's team titles at Andover for the first time.

It was a day for superlatives. The NETT Ponyettes came out in full force, fielding what is likely the strongest women's team ever assembled. While the women's race only scored top three, NETT would have taken the title if they scored top seven in this puppy! Finishing for NETT's women's team were: Karen Ringheiser, newcomer Mary Smith, Tina Wang, Adrienne Cyrulik, Jennifer Shultis, Laura Wieland, Deb Robertson, and Karen Miller-Medzon. Congrats on a well-run race ladies! VERY impressive turnout, running and scoring all around. It's a team win!


On the men's side, it was also a numbers game with NETT putting out a full squad with very good XC running from its runners. Up front Paul Miller ran a very strong race finishing second overall, setting NETT up nicely. Crazy Dave dropped the ball and let three guys scoot past in the last mile to score, but our 3-4-5 combination of always steady Paul Young, Dave Mingori and Jerry De Zutter sealed the deal with tight pack running (these three Woostah guys have been running races together like this for years and are a huge advantage in team scoring!) Big Ben Winther put out a great effort and Frank KJ toughed out an off-day but was there if we needed him to go all out. And Laura's boyfriend Kevin (sorry Kevin--didn't get your last name), laced 'em up and came out for the NETT squad as well. Again, a true team win.



Karen Miller-Medzon's two sons, Noah and Daniel, were also on the NETT team and represented us very well, both running strong with Daniel taking the Under 19 age category!

Special thanks to  Janos (aka the Hungarian Landshark), and Deb's mom (aka Mrs Roberston, I presume?)! And of course, our team photographer Nicholas again did a fantastic job of capturing the moment! Thanks again.

It's a long way from the early days of NETT, when we could barely assemble a five-man team at the 2002 Andover race (it was Dave, Paul Miller and three guys borrowed from Wheelworks, who we barley knew--at least then!) It was the first race we entered as NETT and we've been back to Andover every year since.

(Big Ben screams "Hey, who wants another BEER? I'm BUYIN'")

UPDATE: For those of you asking about the BET between the men's and women's team, as I had planned it, the bet was based on PLACING as a team--so since we were BOTH first place in our respective divisions, it's a TIE and will roll over to the Melrose Race. (If you score the first three runners on each team, it would be the men's team winning, I think, but that wasn't the bet as I understood it).

So it's onto the Melrose race in two weeks for the breakfast bet. Three people score on each team.

Dasvidania Comrade!

As most of you know, we'll be losing Dmitry to the U.K. for a while, but he's promised to return here to the states with Venus as soon as possible (Here's a nice pic from his sendoff party at the Skellig) While over there, he will be grooming Venus to be a strong addition to the women's team by running her up and down every Fell he can find. (Is it a Fell? Or a Fells? Whatever.)

And here in the states, Paul Miller and Nick Cotton will be tutoring us British Phrases (This link is fairly amusing) to use when we head over to visit Dmitry and Venus.

Happy Travels, Russian Rocket.

Ayer 5K is overrun by Coyotes!

NETT put in another strong showing at the Ayer Firefighters Thanksgiving Day 5K, taking four of the top 10 spots and one of the top 5 women's spots.

Dmitry Drodov made the most of his last race here Stateside (at least for a while) by crushing the course record and winning the race in 15:09. This was Dmitry's fastest 5K time since living in the Boston area, a great way to cap off his racing before shipping off to the U.K. this weekend.

Jerry De Zutter put in a very strong run, clocking 17:36 good for 6th place overall and top master spot. Young John Kinnee was just a few clicks behind in 17:42 and Frank KJ only a few more back in 17:51, good for third master.
(Jerry does his always popular Fonzie impression for the adoring Master's Groupies)

The "Purple Heart and Wounded Knee" award goes to Tina Wang, who took a nasty spill after the two-mile mark and split her knee open. Not the least bit deterred, Tina tied her shoes, dusted off her leg and stood up and PUT THE HAMMER DOWN, to finish in 21:24, second in her age division. Crazy Dave ran with Tina for the race but is on the record as saying he was not at all responsible in any way, shape or form for Tina's mishap. Again..I didn't push her, not matter WHAT that video shows!
(Crazy Dave pouts like a baby as all the other NETTers show off their awards!)


After the race, it was off to Jerry's parent's house in Harvard for the annual Tri Town Turkey Trot, a 5K fun run around the neighborhood. NETTers Paul Miller (and Candace and Alex) came out as well as Toledo Joe Hardin for the jaunt. (No reports from the post-run football game--we'll call the hosptials to see if Jerry's been admitted yet).

Final Grand Tree Trail Race Series results posted

The final rankings for the Grand Tree trail running series have been posted and there's a few NETT names on the list. For the uninitiated, the series scores in two ways: First total points based on total number of races you do (the stoneheads) and secondly, a per-race "average score" percentage.

In the total points category, the top NETT finisher was Crazy Dave with 566 points over six races. Dima Feinhaus had 409 points over five races. And then there were some interesting "ties" for NETT-- Paul Young had 365 over four races and John Kinnee was the next name on the list, just behind with 364 over four races.

And ironically, Karen Ringheiser just outranked Dmitry Drozdov by one spot (Granted she did four races to get her 489 points and Dmitry only three). Frank KJ and Adrienne each had two races also.

In the overall average scoring, in the "six races or more" category, Crazy Dave was ranked fourth overall with a 94% average. In the five race category, Dima F was 24th with an 81%. In the four races category, Paul Young and John Kinnee were 12th and 13th respectively with 91% rankings and Karen was 56th with a 72%. Jennifer Shultis was in the three-race category with a 71% ranking.

I'm sure I missed some folks, but that's a quick review. It's a great series--it's free, volunteer operated and, as near as I can tell, pretty darn accurate. Kudos to Rob Higley of WMAC for compiling the results (I think it's all Rob?).

Ponyettes make challenge for Andover XC: Bring it on!

The NETT Women's Team has made a challenge and Dave has accepted on behalf of the men's team at the upcoming Andover XC Race. Here's the deal:

Whichever team finishes lower in their respective category has to cook a full breakfast after an upcoming run for the other team. Now, it may seem like a tough bet--the men's team has finished first at Andover for three years straight. Tough to beat that. BUT the women's team has a VERY solid squad lined up this year and currently has more members lined up to run than the men.

In the event of a tie, we'll roll the challenge over to the Assault on Mt. Hood XC race in Melrose December 9.

Tina takes sixth at Monson Half Marathon

Big congrats to Tina Wang, who finsihed sixth woman overall at the VERY competitive Monson Memorial Classic Half Marathon this weekend in Monson, Mass. (wherever THAT is?). AND her time of 1:38 put here FIRST in the 30-39 age group, cleaning up a nice $75 prize for her efforts. Typically modest, Tina says, "I was more than 20 minutes off from the first female. I guess not much chance going pro!"

Congrats Tina. That is a great result.

Report from Stone Cat trail races show NETT having strong results

NETT was well represented in the Stone Cat Ale trail races this weekend on a chilly early Saturday morning (races kick off at 6:15 AM-brrrrr). Official results are now available , and Paul Young finished the marathon in fifth place in a PR time of 3:27. In the 37.5 mile (three laps) distance, DimaD finished in first place chose to call it a day in 4:57 (on pace to set a record in the 50). And Karen Ringheiser and Dima Feinhaus also both finished the 37.5 miler as the first and second women (HAH!). So that's three people each doing 37.5 miles for the FIRST TIME.

And Jennifer Shultis overcame some early issues to finish THIRD WOMAN in the full 50 miler (note the first two women were a mere minute apart in a course record time!). Here’s her report:

“Marathoners and Ultras all started together, but the marathoners first had to go out and do a short prologue - a one time 1.2 mile loop before proceeding to do two 12.5 mile loops. This meant that all of the marathoners had to work their way through the maze of trails congested with slower ultra runners. This was my first 50 miler, so I probaby went out too fast. In fact, when Paul Young (marathoner) passed by, he wisely advised me to watch my pace, but on the first loop I felt like I was coasting so I just let it ride. My problem was, umm, let's just say I had to go ...I ran the first loop in 2:03 or so then decided to go into the school to use the bathroom. Mistake! Major time suck...6 minutes. By the time I grabbed food and something to drink, I had been there 7 minutes. I actually even had a little trouble warming my legs back up after stopping, but after that mistake I knew to just use the woods (ahhh nature...). I have no idea what any of my loop times were after that, but I know I was hitting 40 minutes pretty dead on each loop getting to aid station #1 (at 4 miles) and then another 40 minutes to # 2 at 8 miles (for the first 3 loops), so I was holding close to a 10 minute pace. That seemed like a pretty casual pace.

Then someone told me I was 5th female leaving aid station #2 on the third loop really??). Shortly after I passed a woman and she couldn't hang. I was pretty excited to be in 4th and wondered could I move up another spot(?), but I was really feeling "it" now. I came into the turn-around at the start/finish and saw Dima, Karen and Dmitry all there. I would have loved to stop and find out what they were doing (quitters!! Just kidding -they each did 37.5 miles or 3 loops!!), but I decided to get in and out of the aid station as fast as I could. I knew the less time I spent there, that meant the less work I'd have to do on the course. Karen gave me a grilled cheese, I wolfed down a cup of gatorade and split--I wanted to be done. Then, surprise, surprise...on the way out I saw a woman coming in who I KNEW had been in front of me before (WTF?!?!). I never saw her when I passed her--she must have been in the woods herself??--so now I was thinking I was in 3rd place for women?? WOW! But then the fourth loop got really hard. My calf had been hurting me since the 2nd loop and now both legs were really stiff and hurting. I was hobbling a bit and I started getting clumsy.

I fell twice and kept stubbing my toes (Ouch!!!). My pace was really suffering, but after the last aid station, I started to feel pretty safe in 3rd place. After all, not a soul had passed me in the last loop and a half. I knew I just needed to put out enough to hold my position...


But then as I let myself walk this short hill about 2 1/2 miles from the end, I looked back and saw that the phantom woman ( the one I had never seen as I passed) was now back and she was catching me! Yikes!!! I started running as the trail turned out of her sight and just prayed(!!) that a) she had not seen me, and b) that if she had, that she hadn't seen me walking (detecting weakness). I have no idea where it came from, but I put my head down, clenched my fists and ran it in as fast as I possibly could. I literally have no idea where it came from--I'm not that competitive fo a person, but this one I wanted. I never let up and it's a good thing as that woman was probably less than 2 minutes behind me crossing the finish line.

Anyway, thanks for indulging me and my story. I guess I'm pretty excited as I never thought I'd do so well. I WAS 3rd female (yippie!!) 19th overall and my time was 9:13 and a lot of change (closer to 9:14 than 9:13).”


And DimaD has pic here.

Vlad goes 3:01, the "shark" has XC fun

Our buddy Vlad Luppov (he of the Shamrocks fame) ran the NYC Marathon in a very solid 3:01. Considering he only had about 1.5 months of decent training post-injury, this is a phenomenal run for V.

Also this weekend, Janos Mako (aka the Hungarian Shark--that's just me trying to make up a nickname--did it work?) was at the Amherst NH XC Festival and had this to say:

"The men’s XC race was not well attended, I think there were only about 25 men. There were a lot of kids races earlier in the day, and the course will host the Junior Olympics XC event next weekend. The course featured well maintained trails mostly through the woods, and around a pond. There were 2 short but steep ascents with steep descents, a steeplechase gate, some empty stream beds, but most of the course was rolling hills up and down through the woods, with a lot of turns. A tougher course because of the rolling hills, I ran 40 seconds slower (20:01) than at the Mayor’s Cup for the same 5k distance. I finished 18th and I think I was 6th master. The only team that seemed to have a lot of runners there was the SISU team."

NETT takes wins at Busa Bushwack, Genesis Battlegreen

Sunday was a winning day for NETT as Adrienne Cyrulik took the women's title at the Busa Bushwack Trail Race and Dmitry Drozdov returned to the Genesis Battlegreen 10K in Lexington to take the win.

First, the report from the Busa Bushwack trail races (UPDATE: Link for results not working--check back later) In only her second full trail race Adrienne outran all of the women in the 9.3 mile race to win in 1:11:31. "I think this really IS my sport!" she said after the race, obviously now a full-on trail racing fan. She won a pair of Saucony running shoes for her efforts in addition to the unique trophies given out by the one and only Richard Busa himself.

NETT had a strong showing on the men's side as well in the 9 miler putting two in the top 4. Crazy Dave was third place overall in 57:00 and Young John Kinnee was just a few clicks behind in 58:22 for fourth. Frank KJ used the race for a hard training effort and clocked a 1:044:55.

And NETT was well represented in the 5.3 miler as well. Paul Young took second overall in 33:11.

And special thanks to NETT's Anthony Chamberas who volunteered at the race, handling timing duties among other.

CLICK HERE to see more photos of the Busa Bushwack.

And while we were all running around in the woods, another group of NETTers was over in Lexington taking care of business at the Genesis Battlegreen 10K. Dmitry Drozdov avenged his bridemaid showing here last year by destroying the competition with a 32:21 clocking over the hilly 10K course (that's a 5:13 pace to us mortals).

And only a week off their tremendous runs at the Marine Corp. Marathon, Dima Feinhaus and Karen Ringheiser both put in great races at Battlegreen with Dima running a 39:41 and Karen crossing the line at 41:20.

Congrats to all. Check back for more details and photos as they become available.