2nd Annual Joe and Dave's Backyard Homegrown Marathon

Some people dream their whole life of being able to run 26.2 miles. Some folks go do it on a Sunday in November just....well...to remind themselves they can.

A group of hearty MiniPonies finished the 2nd Annual Joe and Dave's Backyard Homegrown Marathon and Half this weekend. Yes, that's a full, wheel-measured 26.2 mile course on the trails in Weston, Wayland (a bit), Lincoln, and Concord run as a group run to celebrate a long year of successful training. No, it's not a "real" race, just one of the many perks of being an NETT member (if you can call running a marathon a "perk").

The group starting out at Weston Reservoir hit the trail at 7:01 sharp and the thermometer read something like 24 degrees. Brrrrrr. Starting the full were JoeC, CrazyDave, Jason, Tom (all JDBHM veterans) and newcomer Neil.

A new division was created at this year -- the women's 2-person relay division, with Mary running the first half and handing off to Adrienne to run the second half. (See Karyn we DID get a human female to participate--two in fact!) 

The first half of the course winds its way through trails in Weston, Wayland, and Lincoln before hitting the halfway point at Walden Pond. We had our first and only spectator early on the course (Joe's daughter braved the cold to come out and cheer us on at her backyard waterstop!). Other highlights of the first half included a stop at Bucky Goldstein's Horsehendge, a charge up Drumlin Hill, and a tight lap around Walden Pond before cruising into the halfway point in right around 2 hours.

We dropped off Mary, picked up Adrienne and JD and kept on motoring into the second half with a lap around Flint's Pond, a cut through the Decordova Museum, a jaunt through Blue Heron Farm, before heading back into Weston (where the course really lives up to its name by cutting through a couple more backyards) and finishing up at the Weston Reservoir in just over 4 hours. 

After the run, we celebrated with a family-friendly pizza party in Concord Center where the next-gen NETTers got to bond a bit. Definitely some runners in that crew!

We can't post this without a HUGE thanks to JoeC for the work he put into this event. The guy wheel measured the course with the Redneck 5000, made course adjustments to minimize the pavement, produced the course maps, woke up at an unGodly hour and dropped 7 water stops in the morning (it was too cold to leave them out overnight) and provided shuttle service for the half marathon runners. Oh, yeah, he also guided us over the 26.2 mile course by memory. So yeah, thanks doesn't cut it.

All participants finished the distance they planned. No one got seriously inured. And we all had a really good time on the trail chatting and enjoying a gorgeous fall day in New England.

See last year's race report here.

Two Top-Notch MiniPonies go LLLLONG

Two NETT members deserve special recognition for their accomplishments recently.

This past weekend Jason ran a very strong race at the Loco Marathon, cracking 3 hours to finish in 2:58:10 good for 7th place overall.

"The race went to plan and I am pretty psyched to go under 3," Jason said.  "The weather cooperated. It was a double loop course so the first loop I ran with a bunch of half marathoners. The second loop was quieter but I had some company. I kept a pretty consistent pace with the second loop about a minute slower than the first."

Huge congrats to Jason.

And as if that wasn't a huge enough accomplishment, another NETT runner turned the ultra running world on its head recently by running the second-fastest 100 miler in the country this year--at only 20 years old! Yes, Young Patrick shattered his own record and ran what is currently the third fastest 100 miler in the WORLD this year finishing the Ghost Train Trail Race in 13:50. For 100 miles.

If you want to hear a detailed report of the race and learn....well...everything you need to know about YP, check out this interview on the Ultrarunner Podcast If you scroll to the very bottom of the page you can play the podcast or find it on iTunes. And here's a blog post about it from Mass Ultra

We're so psyched for both of these guys since they're both kickass runners but also stand-up guys. Just what NETT is all about.

MiniPonies Run Wild at Powisset Farm Trail Runs

NETT showed up in force at the Powisset Farm Trail Runs in Dover, Mass. 

The Ponyettes showed up strong, with Mary taking 2nd place overall in the 8.3 mile race while Adrienne took 3rd overall in the 5.6 mile race. They both got a nice pillow with the race logo on it and some edible goodies (veggies and fruit from the farm!) Chris' better half Alison put in a rock-solid effort to take 5th place in her age group while Jack's better half Jenn put some of her British-born trail skills to good use and had a great time in the process.

On the men's side, Chris and Dave went 4-5 in the 8.3 mile race while Jack made a confident return to rugged trails. 

Overall the NETT reviews for this race were positive--good course, well marked, and post-race donuts and beer gave it the race the nickname of the "Homer Simpson Race".

Adventures in Ithaca

Seven of NETT's more...seasoned runners headed out to Ithaca NY for the infamous Triennial Trail Relay on the Finger Lakes Trail. And it was certainly an eventful weekend.

The crew of JD, Matt, Rick, Crazy Dave, Paddler (Tarzan) Steve, JoeC, and Fluffy Chris drove out on Friday and broke into their two teams, East and West, to do some recon on the trail junctions and then...a slight mishap. and suddenly the West crew was down to two runners. Not to worry. Steve found out that his leg actually requires the use of a rope to scale up a steep climb. Sounds fun. Not to worry.

Friday night the team had a great I-talian dinner in Cortland NY and retired to the quaint Ramada Cortland for a good night's sleep.

Saturday morning came early and at 7:25 the two NETT teams headed out on their sets of legs. The course is extremely challenging and has climbs that we just don't see here in Eastern Mass. And the guys rose to the occasion. On the east team, Tarzan Steve ran strong before handing off to Rick, the East team captain and only member of the team who knew the terrain. Rick used his hometown hero status to pull himself up and over the brutal hills of Greek Peak before Matt took over and found himself waist deep in a stream crossing. And last for the east team, JD just crushed his leg flying down the hills at breakneck pace to bring it home very strong.

On the West side, things got adventurous. Down to only two runners after Friday's mishap, Chris decided our best chance was to race for the coveted Christopher Columbus award. It's not easy to do, either. Chris had to spend several hours in the woods on and off trail. His efforts WERE in fact, rewarded by the race organizers who decided to include NETT in the results, even though Crazy Dave was so intimidated by Chris' performance he took his shoes off and got in the car.

Here's how the results sheet looked for the Mini Ponies.

   NETT

Run time:            14:22:00

Handicap:            00:35:00

TOTAL:                  13:47:00

                Steve Yankum (64)                          East 1    9.4 Miles              1:50:00

                Matt Moore (32)                              East 2    6.8 Miles              1:14:00

                Rick Cleary (61)                                 East 3    6.8 Miles              1:41:00

                Jean Dany Joachim (54) East 4    9.4 Miles              1:37:00

                Chris Smith (51)                                West 1  10.6 Miles            3:00:00                  AWARD:                Christopher Columbus (the rest of the crew abandoned ship trying to locate him)

                Dave Hannon (46)                            West 2-3 11.2 Miles         2:00:00

                Joe Canistraro (49)                          West 4 10.6 Miles             2:00:00

Overall this was a VERY fun event and a great trip for the NETT men's team. 

NETT improves its Prospects at Prospect Bandit Run

A couple hearty Mini Ponies put themselves into some serious discomfort recently at the Prospect Bandit Run with great results, putting two runners in the top six overall.

The PBR 5K was part of the Race Around Waltham Series. Jason and Crazy Dave had both done an earlier race in the series, the YMCA race and figured why not press their luck running up the old familiar Prospect Hill.

Jason took off strong and finished even stronger, placing 4th overall and first in the 19-49 age group. Crazy Dave was sixth overall on the very hilly 5K course.

Overall it was a fun race on a tough course. (BTW, to read a Brief History of Prospect Hill, click here).

NETT Runs for the Bus (to Help the Blind)

A bunch of NETT members and friends decided to spend Sunday morning helping out the blind by running the 78 bus route in Belmont and Arlington.

Confused? Okay, here's the real story. If you've never thought about it--take a look at your local bus stop and imagine trying to find the right place to stand -- if you're blind.  The Perkins School for the Blind has a great app called BlindWays. It allows anyone to input "clues" about bus stops on MBTA bus lines. To the right of the bus stop, within 10 feet is a tree. To the left a phone pole on grass.

So we looked up which bus line needed clues and just ran the bus line in groups, leapfrogging each other stopping at each stop and inputting the info into the app. Eminem, Mary, Jason and Crazy Dave got in a nice run and covered a couple dozen stops in the effort that will now be much easier for blind people to find.

But that's not all! Marshall being Marshall, showed up with whole crew in tow (four kids, a family friend and a dog!) to help hit a few more stops in the Belmont area.  One of the kids was even making suggestions about how the app could be improved ("They could include what kind of bark the tree has so the blind person could touch it and know they are in the right spot"). Great stuff!

In today's crazy environment, it's easy to think we're all going to need a handbasket tomorrow. But you know what? If you take the time to do something good and do it with some good friends you start to feel better about a lot of things. And that's really what NETT is all about it. (Steps down from soapbox).

#ProudtobeaPony

MMs Bring 'Em Home at Brendan's Home Run

The M+M branch of NETT took to the streets of Belmont in full force for Brendan's Home Run 5K. There were MMs in top 20 (Noah), accompanying their better halves in good NETT form (Daniel and Scarlett), sisters of MM's better halves (Devo) and walkers and dogs supporting the cause (Karyn and Amanda).

In case you didn't follow all that, just enjoy some pictures of the day!

NETT Mucks it Up at Pineland Farms Trail Races

A few Mini Ponies made the trip up to Maine to run the (very messy) Pineland Farms Trail Races with some very strong results on a very muddy course.

YP defended his 50-mile title in conditions that were definitely not ideal. Somehow he skimmed over the mud and slop to finishing in 6:27 and crossed the line to the most anti-climactic 50 mile win you can imagine. (The format of the race makes it a bit difficult to know when a race winner crosses the line amongst finishers of other distances).  

YP: I've been running so long I grew a beard!
Dave: Holy s-t! 

In the 25K, Adrienne's top-secret Italian training methods paid off, as she finished 8th woman overall and third in her age group (and we all know how Adrienne feels about soggy conditions!) 

On the men's side of the 25K, Jack made a great return to Pinelands dancing over the mud to finish in the top half of his age group while Crazy Dave's pre-race diet of fried chicken, craft beer, and loud 90s rock seemed to work okay, as he finished 11th overall, 2nd in his age group. 

Special thanks to the NETT support crew (Doris, Jenn, Ben, Cindy and Elsa) for sacrificing perfectly good shoes to hand around at the finish line (yes even the finish area was a swamp!) 

After the race, in true NETT tradition, the gang headed out for some seafood and post-race beverages.  

As always, the folks at Pinelands put on a great event and the post-race party is one of the best around.

To read about past NETT trips to Pineland Farms, check out the archives here.

YP Directs Successful Boston Bulldogs Race for Recovery

HUUUUGE congrats to Young Patrick who added "successful race director" to his insanely long list of running-related accomplishments.

The Boston Bulldogs Run for Recovery raised money for the Boston Bulldogs, a running club that strives "to provide an anonymous and safe community of support for all those adversely affected by addiction - those in recovery, their families and friends, the clinical community and the community at large."  YP is a volunteer coach for the Bulldogs.

The race took place on the Franklin Park 5K XC course, ground that Crazy Dave and Fluffy Chris both know well (although they've reached such an advanced age neither could remember the sequence of loops for the 5K).

The results? Well, both won their age group with Dave finishing 5th overall, 1st in the 40-50 and Chris two spots behind in 7th overall, 1st in 50-59 age group. (We won't mention that the 60-69 age group winner beat them both and even got a ride home from Crazy Dave!) The Parkway Running Club were also out in force supporting the race, which was great to see.

Overall it was a really well run event with a very positive feel for a good cause. The work YP is doing with this group is (IMHO) the most impressive bullet on his already (very) long running resume and inspires us all to find more ways we can use our running to make the world a better place.

Congrats, YP.

PS--to read more about YP's involvement in the Bulldogs read this article.

Spring Racing Roundup: Boston, Merrimack, and more

The NETT crew has been busy this spring -- too busy to keep the blog updated obviously😞! But at least now we have emojis 😑 so that's somethin' 

Here's some of the latest news.

It was a mixed bag at the Boston Marathon for the MiniPonies. YP had a phenomenal run busting in at 2:40. He was definitely comin' in hot! Joe C ran a very smart race and beat the heat in 3:08. Jason D was consistent as always at a 3:17. Bobblehead Bob dealt with some curveballs and came in just under five hours. It was a rougher day for a few other Mini Ponies, who had to cut their runs short, but finishing a marathon is no. easy. task. 

The week before Boston a few MiniPonies tackled the NETT favorite Merrimack River Trail Race. YP took 3rd overall and set an age group record in 1:00, while Crazy Dave and Eri took a leisurely (as leisurely as you can on that course!) run together and covered a lot of ground (conversationally, that is). It is always a great event and there's always a good crowd of old-school trail runners there! 

Speaking of trail running, Marshall the Machine, did his usual thing at the Blue Hills Fox Trot--by that we mean won his age group by a country mile, finishing in 1:25. 

And lastly, the new Monday night Weston trail runs seem to be going well. Check the Meetup for details. 

Hitting the Trails and Roads ....it's almost Spring, right?

With temps in the 60s last weekend and all the snow melted the NETT crew thought this weekend would be perfect for trail running and road racing. Ummm...yeah not quite.

On Saturday a hearty group braved temps in the teens at best to run the Lincoln trails. It was great to see Paddlah Steve out there where he is most comfortable even when we're all uncomfortable in freezing cold!

Glad THAT'S over!

To the victors go the chemical and calories

On Sunday, a few of the Mini Ponies tackled the Stu's 30K road race out in Clinton, Mass. And wow, was it a tough one. Veteran runners said this was the windiest they'd ever seen Stu's and when you add that to the always-daunting hills in this race, it made for a very tough race mentally and physically.

But never fear, the Mini Ponies aren't scared off by a little (okay, a lot) of wind. Joe C led the charge coming in at 2:05 somehow faster than last year! Matt and Dave came in a bit later at 2:13 and Karyn MM held together very well for a 2:53.

Great results on a very tough course on a very tough day. The Mini Ponies don't often take the easy way out!

Another Successful Trip to the Assault on Mount Hood

NETT once again made its annual trip to the Assault on Mount Hood XC race in Melrose and again had great results.

NETT won the men's master's race with its "first" masters team of Crazy Dave, Joe C and Andy. But NETT had such a great participation on the men's side we had an "extra" Master's team of Patrick, Ilya and Marshall finished 6th Master's team overall. How about that? Patrick, by the way, ran away with the men's 60-69 age group and got a nice new friend for his hard work.

In the very competitive men's open race, the team of Matt, Martin and Ethan finished 6th team overall.

On the women's side the mother-daughter duo of Kristin and Bridget represented NETT well, as Kristin was third female master.

As always, the Melrose Running Club did a fantastic job with this race. The course was just as hilly as always (they use a different route every year) and the post-race festivities were a lot of fun.

NETT has been supporting this race as far back as 2007 (the infamous Mount Hood Massacre) and we'll keep going back as long as they keep doing such a great job with it!

NETT Masters Take 2nd Overall at Myles Standish Marathon Relay

NETT's most..mature team of five runners grabbed second place overall and first in their age group at the Myles Standish Marathon Relay in Plymouth, Mass. this week.

The team of Rick, Steve, Marshall, Patrick and JD steadily weaved their way through the field to finish 2nd overall in the relay in 3:07.

Great work men!

Check out the results here

NETT all over the Busa Bushwhack

The Mini Ponies were all over the Busa Bushwhack this year (again) coming up winners in a variety of age groups.

4th OVERALL in the 10 miler was Brodie Miles, cracking the 70 minute mark! Looks like that marathon training run a few weeks back did some good! Andy Hall was just a few spots behind in 9th place overall.

The top performance of the day goes to Adrienne, who made a triumphant return to Busa after mangling herself last year and finished second in her age group,

In the five miler, another major "return" came from Martin who we haven't heard from in quite a while (it turns our raising a couple kids can be time-consuming!) Martin just crushed it to finish in 12th place overall. And of course  Marshall won his age group in the 5 miler as well!

NETT has been a long supporter of this great event put on by the Greater Framingham Running Club and it's always great to see it doing well.

Race Report: Joe and Dave's Homegrown Backyard Marathon

What do you call it when 12 Mini Ponies run a wheel-measured 26.2 mile course through the trails of Weston and Lincoln?

The First Annual Joe and Dave's Homegrown Backyard Marathon, of course! An instant classic NETT event.

A few facts about the JDHBM:

• Wheel measured? Yup, courtesy of the Redneck 5000!
• Aid stations? Yup. More than you'd need?
• Shuttle service? Yes, runners were shuttled from the finish to the start to let them run the first or second half if they so chose.
• Spectators? Yes. Well, at least two of Joe's family were nice enough to come out and watch us run by!
• Finish line? You bet.



Redneck 5000

• Post-race party? Yup, pizza with family members and Paddler Steve.

It was a really really fun run and perfect for NETT. We all owe a huge thanks to Joe for putting so much effort into this thing. Seriously.

Here's the results:

Full marathon finishers:
Joe, Jason, YP, Tom, and Crazy Dave

First half finishers:
Brodie, Slava, JD and Andy

Second half finishers:
Ken, Ilya

A bit of both:
Frank


Purple Heart Award: Jason


Best Stunt Man Impression: Ilya

Best Bucky Goldstein Impression at Horsehendge: JD


Most Mileage Run: YP (of course, he ran extra before and probably after the run)
Best Comeback Run: Andy--great to see him out there.
Best Impression of a Lion Pacing the Cage: Tom
Bloodiest Shirt: Dave
Best Video: Patrick

Thanks to everyone who came out for the run and post-run party. It was really NETT at its best. Low-key, impressive, and family-friendly.

Racing Update: Reach the Beach, Scottish and US XC, Steve Cashes in

Just a quick update on the NETT racing news from August and September.....

The top news is that the NETT-Wings team finished EIGHTH overall in the 200-mile Reach the Beach Relay. It was the team's best overall place in the event and represents the ultimate in teamwork. From race logistics (Capn K) to all out speed (YP), to preparation (JD), the team was really ready this year. We had new faces (Joe C), and a lot of veterans (Justine, Tom, Christy, Marshall, Julie, OP, Slava, and Crazy Dave. Every year, this race is a real test and every year we get a bit older, but somehow, we all seem to manage it better.

To see a BIG photo album, check the NETT Facebook page here. Really, they are worth a look, 

Earlier in September, Crazy Dave took to the trails on a trip to Scotland and finished a solid third while setting two firsts: The first time he's been introduced as a special guest before the race and the first time he ever had to do a slip-and-slide to finish the race.

XC season is here! In early September, the NETT men's masters team ran the GBTC Elm Bank XC festival. Jason DJ Crazy Dave, JD, OP, and Paddler Steve teamed up to finish fourth overall team. Results are here. 

On the ladies side, Adrienne and Julie were in the top 10 masters for females. 

A couple weeks later Paddler Steve won his age group at the Holdenwood Trail Run in Shirley, Mass.and went home with $50 for his trouble. Katy got third in her age group and her daughter Laura won hers as well. Nice work! Always, the humble guy, Paddler said, "For some reason the announcer thought my time was great. I thought Marshall's effort last year was even better."

Has anyone stopped to think about the amazing quality of 60+ runners NETT has right now? 

For more frequent updates, be sure to check the Facebook page at /newenglandtrackandtrail. 

NETT goes Cherry Picking on the 4th

NETT's Men's Masters "plus" squad celebrated the nation's birthday by sweeping the standings at the Lincoln, Ma. 4 Miler.

Frank decided to lose his best training partner (Emma) and run without a babyjogger this year and just ran away with the 2.5 miler, winning easily in 15:33. Of course, Emma did jump out and help Frank with his finishing kick.

Also in the 2.5 miler, Steve easily took the 60+ category finishing second overall.

In the 4 miler Crazy Dave put on his patriotic (Darn Tough) socks and took the overall win while Marshall destroyed the field in the 60+ category. And Emma was kind enough to jump out and help Marshall with his kick (apparently Emma is not happy with our finishing speed!).

And the extended NETT family even took the win in the women's race as Steve's daughter Olivia won the overall women's race!

Overall it was a great day, a fun race and so great to see the NETT gang out there together.

Congrats Bogie!

Big congrats to "NETT West" member Bogie who worked his tail off this year to achieve a longtime goal of running a Boston Qualifier at the Revel Rockies marathon. He crossed the line at 3:14, a qualifier for his age group.

At the finish Bogie got a great sign (BQ) and made his own to acknowledge an old NETT pal (zoom in close)

Congrats Bogie--you earned that one!

Results update: May 2016

Okay, the blogmaster is woefully behind in his updates, but here are just a few of the amazing results from NETT runers in the past month...or two..

Patrick Caron won...that's right, WON the Pineland Farms 50 miler this year. He said of the day, "The trails up there are awesome!" NETT has had some great races up there over the years and YP's clearly keeping up the tradition.

Also on Memorial Day weekend a couple new NETT members had good runs. Our new pal Jerome just crushed the Run to Remember finishing in a blistering 1:12 for third overall.

Up in Vermont Jason Dejoannis ran a very very solid 3:11 at the Vermont City Marathon, good for sixth in his division.

On our training runs we've seen a few new faces coming out regularly too, so it is a great time for new NETT members to come out and take part!
As always to get more updated info check the Facebook page!