Frank Cracks Top 20, Zoltan Takes the "W" at Ashland

Here's a quick report from Frank about the Ashland Triathlon this weekend:

"I finished 19th overall and 4th in my age-group. These days Olympic distance is long for me. I cannot be disappointed given that my swim training is next to zero. I am very happy with my run leg as I kept an even pace the entire - in fact the same pace that Crazy held for the entire marathon. Zoltan had an amazing race and managed to fight off a contender by merely 23 seconds to take the overall win. Some crazy swim and bike splits he has! Old Colony in 3 weeks."

Great results everywhere else this weekend. NETT is all over New England.

Breaking News! Tina and Marshall WON their division at KBVCM

This just in to the NETT news room, after a thorough analysis and audit process, it was determined that Tina and Marshall's two-person mixed master relay team "For Hannah" was in fact FIRST PLACE!

See the updated results here.

According to the nice folks up at RunVermont, the original results included a team that wasn't actually a mixed team. Once they were removed, it was For Hannah, taking the win.

Huge congrats to Marshall and Tina. They worked very hard in warm temperatures for this win. They deserve it. We're all proud of them.

So it was 2 for 2 in the relays for NETT up in Burlington. Who WOULDN'T want to be part of this club?

It's Double Duty for NETT at Great Lincoln Steeplechase

The Great Lincoln Steeplechase is not only great, but it's unique in that it starts in the afternoon. 2 pm, in fact. For NETT members this year, that meant some double duty (or doodie, as the case may be).

Never one to shy away from a starting line, Marshall decided that having done a 10K earlier in the day shouldn't stop him from running the Steeplechase. And he did just that. Imagine, finishing second in your age group in a New England championship 10K and then winning your age group at the second race of the day in 48:56. Sorry if you get tired of hearing it, but the guy just never ceases to amaze us all on a weekly basis.

Crazy Dave completed his pacing duties earlier in the morning and took the Steeplechase out at a moderate pace and weaved through the field, making his usual wiseass comments on the way. 44:44 for him, second master by a step (Frankly, Andy Milne's physique distracted me in the final strides--if that's what it takes to be a top XC skier, I might as well hang up the skis now!)

Frank KJ turned the race into a one-man game of hide and seek. He was hiding but the rest of us didn't know it until he came to the finish in 47:36, but we won't talk about his double duty.

Our new pal Bob came in under well under the hour mark, a very solid time on the hilly course and seemed none too phased by it.

Even the NETTers who weren't racing did double duty. Youngstah and Doris become volunteers on-demand, jumping in at the finish line to help call out bib numbers and times to race officials while Tina and Emma were busy cheering at the finish. We Mini Ponies are always around the lend a hand.

After the race we used our hands to shovel ice cream in to our bellies. It wouldn't be an NETT outing without some kind of food involved, now would it?

All in all, a fun day at a great race. Always a well-run, fun event that strikes a good balance.

A Choice....

Special thanks to Rick for the tip.

A little something to get you geared up for the Summer Olympics

With the summer Olympics coming up in London pretty soon, the NETT newsroom thought this might get some of you fired up. Okay, maybe it's best suited for the "next generation of Mini Ponies, but I know that Emma will like it. ("Elmo's okay!")

Experience Pays Off as Franks Nabs 2nd in Rainy Rye Duathlon

Frank KJ put his multisport expertise to good use today at the Rye by the Sea Duathlon in Rye, NH. Here's his report:

"When the going gets tough the tough gets going. Or in my case go race the 16th Rye-by-the-Sea duathlon in miserable weather (because I had already registered in advance). But I did not regret going because it is a great low-key race with a fun run course and a scenic bike course along the ocean. Even in the driving rain I found time to watch the cresting waves roll in on the shore and look at the pastures in front of the large houses in Rye and Hampton.

The rain actually didn’t start until 30 minutes before the race but from then on it seemed to rain harder for each leg of race. I had a good first run positioning myself in 4th only a few seconds behind the first 3 guys. Two of them were multisport rookies so I was out of T1 way before them. I passed the last of the 3 guys out of the gate and found myself in the lead at the start of bike leg. Yeah.

I had bought new wheels Friday afternoon and only ridden them for 2 minutes to test the gears so I was a bit nervous about that. But boy are they great wheels. I was flying down towards the ocean. Still the guy I had passed at the start found his legs and passed me at mile 4. He was a strong cyclist so I did not attempt to follow him. Around mile 8 another guy came by but he was only a tad faster than me so I used him to keep me honest for the rest of bike leg by staying 30-40 feet behind for the rest of the ride. I ended up riding the 17 miles with an average speed of 24 mph so the wheels are officially broken in.

In T2 I had a faster transition than my pacer so I was quickly in 2nd place. I did catch a glimpse of the leader just before he headed into the trail section. His lead was about 90 seconds so very unlikely I would catch him. The trails were now really muddy from the damage done by the first run leg and more rain coming down. Since I was running in my regularly road racing flats I almost wiped out a couple of times.

Net result: 4th fastest first run, 3rd fastest bike leg, and 2nd fastest second run leg, and 2nd place overall. Plus a dirty bike and a pile of very wet clothes. Results at http://www.coolrunning.com/results/12/nh/Jun2_16thAn_set1.shtml

At the awards ceremony the announcer just had to point out that the combined age of 1st place and 3rd place does not even add up to my age! But he did say he was impressed with my ‘fitness level’ (given my advanced age)."

Check out the article here on the race from Seacoastonline. I think they were only off by a couple letters on Frank's last name. Not bad. Congrats Frank!

In other multisport news, NETT up-and-comer Zoltan Varga finished second at the Ludlow Triathlon, with our pal Pat Dwyer just a few spots behind.

Eminem's Take on KBVCM

Big congrats to Karyn once again for her gutsy performance at the Vermont City Marathon. After some much-needed rest, she's put together this great race report:

I arrived at the starting line well-hydrated, well-fed, proudly attired in my Hannah t-shirt... and terrified!. I was worried about a nagging hamstring that's been bothering me for the last month or so. But also afraid of embarrassing myself in front of the fleet-footed mini ponies who would be waiting at the finish line.

I took my place somewhere in the back of the very crowded starting line, and waited for the gun.

The first two miles were incredibly congested. But they did serve me well, by preventing me from making the same mistake I always make -- letting adrenaline get the better of me and starting out too quickly. By the end of the second mile I'd passed the 4:30 pace group, passed the 4:00 hour pace group and planted myself firmly about 5 or 6 minutes behind the 3:45 group. Exactly where I wanted to be.

And there I stayed, running happily (past the drag queens, past the drummers) for the first 9 miles. My hamstring wasn't bothering me, the weather was good, and I felt great. Mary gave me some company around mile 9.5 or so, which was fabulous. I cannot say thank you enough. She filled my water bottle, regaled me with her European tales, and even -- yes, it's all true -- put my candy wrappers in her pants (I swear I saw this happen!). When I cruised through the half, and back through the park around mile 15 Dave and Doris were there cheering enthusiastically.

Everything was going smoothly and I seemed to be on pace to run a 3:50 - 3:54.
By mile 18 it had gotten hot -- but we passed through a great little neighborhood where kids were handing out popsicles. I took one, and kept on going. Had a slight side stitch, which didn't develop into anything serious, and headed toward the 20.7 mile relay exchange where Daniel's head stuck out above the crowd. Daniel was waiting with a fresh bottle of gatorade, a banana and TONS of encouragement. About two minutes into our run I heard a little voice and noticed that Adrienne was right there as well. (She was previously blocked by Daniel). The company was welcome, since my hamstring -- the one that I had been worried about -- started tightening up. My stride was getting a little shorter and I could tell that I was losing time.

My incentive at this point was to get to mile 23, where I knew Noah was waiting (yes, parents even worry about their kids 23 miles into a marathon). I wasn't going to be really comfortable until we had picked him up too and I knew that everyone was safe and accounted for. With lots of encouraging words from Daniel and Adrienne we made it to 23 where Noah was ready and waiting.

FABULOUS. I dug deep for miles 23 and 26 but I could tell I was slowing, but the support I got kept my pace steady.

Just a hair before mile 26 Crazy Dave, Doris and Chris caught my attention to tell me how close I was, and I used every ounce of energy I had left to do my equivalent of a sprint to the finish line. I had my eyes glued to a woman about 20 feet in front of me and decided that I was going to pass her, and when I did, I glanced at my watch (which had ticked up to 3:58:30) and grinned. I knew I'd make it under 4 hours and that I'd done everything I could to achieve it.

Disappointed that I didn't qualify for Boston? Sure. But I would have been more disappointed if I didn't feel like I'd given it everything I had.

On that day, at that time, I gave it my all. And even though I was a little floppy at the end (last time I make fun of Dave for being a Needy-Little-Man), I was moved to have so many supportive friends around me. Thank you.

NETT vs. The Vermonster

Vermont City Marathon: Meet the NETT Mini Ponies!

NETT's road trip to the Vermont City Marathon was born the day Eminem and Peter were shut out of Boston 2012. After a couple "white lies" (with only the best intentions), it was decided NETT would head up en masse to Burlington and run some relays while supporting Karyn in her full marathon.

The results surprised even the most optimistic among us!

First and foremost big congrats to Eminem for meeting her goal of a sub-4. It was a deceptively warm day and Karyn paced herself smartly in the early miles, staying relaxed and drinking like a thirsty Canadian on Half Price Molson night. And in true NETT form, she got plenty of support from CP, AC, Big Dan and Not-so-Little Skittles. The strong support brought her in just under her goal time in 3:59, nearly cracking the top 10 in her age division. She crossed the line and was surrounded by a support crew bigger than most elite runners have.

"THANKS EVERYONE for all your support his weekend," she said. "It was a fabulous time, and I'm blown away by how well everyone did. I have to say, the NETT family rocks. (And boy, can you guys pack away the Ice cream!)" (More on that later)

Congrats Karyn. You did the work all winter, stuck to the plan, and executed with keen precision on race day.

But Karyn's finish was only the beginning of the good news. The two NETT relay teams stormed the course to finish first and second in their respective divisions.

The five-person relay kicked off with Doris running a 5K PR, weaving through the crowded field like a Ninja on roller skates! On Leg 2 Mary did what Mary does and ran a blistering pace and got Crazy Dave the bracelet in a flash. Dave held his own before Adrienne tore out around the neighborhoods and got Chris in great position to bring us home in sub-5:50 pace, kicking past teams right to the line.

We finished FIRST OVERALL out of 493 teams in the mixed open relay division in 2:53 (amazing considering two of us--almost three--are masters). We were the 9th relay team overall out of 715 five-person relay teams. It's a great example of five teammates all telling each other to "relax and have fun" but when it came their turn to run, every one of them dug deep because they didn't want to let their teammates down. .

Lastly, came the inspiring performance by "For Hannah", Marshall and Tina's two-person mixed masters relay team. Tina set out at an aggressive pace from the gun and held onto it all the way through the halfway exchange zone. Marshall continues to baffle us by running a 1:30 for his leg, crossing the line as the SECOND mixed masters two-person relay.

Part of it was our special shirts reminding us what's important. Part of it was the support from our teammates. But NETT clearly ran above its ability level in all areas this weekend. NETT also ATE above its ability level as well. Saturday night's pre-race meal was a delicious Chrisfest (there were four in attendance) capped off with a game of "How old ARE you?" from Frank and a special good luck message from Peter. Sunday's feast of Chinese food at A Single Pebble kept the pace up.

And Monday's eating...well...Karyn can tell us about that later....

Chris Tackles Soapstone Again

Smitty took a trip down to CT last weekend to take another shot at a race that has become his nemesis in recent years. Here's his report:

"Today I ran the Soapstone Mountain Trail Race and I always wondered how I would fair if I got a clean look at THE HILL early in the race. I always get stuck behind someone and I hate to force my way by them especially where I am not much of a down hiller they pass me on the back side then I look like a total jerk.

This year, I went out at a good pace and was surprised I was feeling pretty good after expending so much energy yesterday. I hit the big hill in the lead and was up and over and done with the down hill before I got reeled in. About halfway I started feeling Saturday's race in my legs then I took a wrong turn, not too bad before I figured it out and back tracked back on course but fatigue set in quick and the second half of the race was not so pretty.

I took a tumble on the second half and I must say even in my fatigued state I executed a perfect tuck and roll right back up onto my feet. Some cuts and a dirty NETT singlet but that's trail running."

Molkie Ties For the 8th Dirtiest German in Philly 50K (and Completes his Jedi Training)

Great news! Our pal Molkie checked in this week. He took a break from his musical pursuits and jumped into a 50K with great results, 8th overall, winning his age group. But perhaps most importantly, in this race he completed his NETT Jedi Training and achieved Jedi status, spreading the Force.

Here's his report:

"I did the Dirty German 50K today--how cool a race name is that? It was relatively spur of the moment, but I've been at a really good fitness level, and was not able to make Pinelands 50K as planned, and this one was under an hour drive away in a park in Philly.

It was gorgeous weather, a well-marked, mostly flat course with some really nice single track, again considering that it is in Philly. Anyways, I met a fellow Middlebury College alum before the race started and then bumped into her around 4 miles into the race, so we ran together the rest of the way and tied for 8th overall at around 4:23.

I got first in my age group and won this sweet weather house. Felt great the whole time, and we dropped around 5 minutes on the second lap and picked a bunch of people off (race was two 15.5 mile loops).

(Editor's Note: As always, Molkie is being humble about the role he played in pacing this girl. To read her side of this story, check out this blog post. (BE SURE TO READ THE COMMENTS ON THAT POST!) Clearly, he helped her a lot and made NETT proud by showing such a selfless attitude out there. The Jedi training is complete. The Force flows strong in this one.)

About the prizes:

According to the race director: these unique awards come from the Black Forest of Germany. They are German weather houses. They can predict future weather pretty much as reliable as "Glen Hurrican Schwarz" . Here is how they work: There is a gut string inside which reacts to all changes in air humidity. Depending on wether the air is dry or humid, the gut string changes it's position and twists more or less, so that the female turns outside when it is dry (predicting nice weather) and the male, when it is humid.



Congrats Molkie! Thanks for reprezentin' NETT down South!

Wellesley 1 Miler for the Hannah Randolph Fund a HUGE Success

(Editor's Note: Apologies for the delay on this posting, but life gets in the way).

The Wellesley 1 Miler turned out to be a massive success with 330 finishers! The race raised a lot of money for both Children's Hospital (a donation of $2,000 will be made to Children's in Hannah's name) and the Hannah Randolph Memorial Fund.

It was so great to see so many members of the extended NETT "family" volunteering and running in the race. Thank to you to each and every one. So much more to say about this one, but I think it's best to say it in person. Personally the hug I got from Karen on Mother's Day was the biggest thanks I could imagine.

There are hundreds of pictures from RaceMenu on the Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/racemenu/photos

There's also a great set of photos on the Wellesley Townsman's site here:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellesley/photos/x364597493/First-Wellesley-1-Miler

Changed for the Better. Changed for Good.

Winning Ways Continue at Sudbury Tri, a Family Affair

The Sudbury Sprint triathlon was a family affair for NETT once again this year with an overall win, a relay win, a first-ever triathlon finish and more.

First off, big congrats to new NETT member Zoltan Varga who just blew us all away literally and figuratively with his unbelievable win. He covered a 400m swim, a 7 mile bike and a 2.3 mile run in 36:13. No, that's not a typo. Great job Zoltan! Welcome to the US!

While Zoltan might be a new member to the NETT family, there were a lot of other NETT family "members" (literally) out there doing damage. In the relay division, the Wang Dynasty has given way to the Chin Dynasty, as Nicholas and Frank won the relay thanks to strong, even splits to come away with 38:15. The only drawback was Frank now has become the target of an MSCPCA campaign to add motion detectors to racing bikes.

Also in the "family" department, Crazy Dave and Doris helped pace his niece Julie to her first ever full triathlon finish at age 13! Granted, Dave caused the equivalent of a rush hour traffic jam in the pool and almost had a stroke before making the final wall but he caught up with Julie on the bike leg and Doris joined them for the run.


There was more of the NETT family out there as well. The always jovial Big Al Prescott cracked the top 50 overall in 44:20 (six places in front of his US Senator, I might add) while his better half Judy cracked the top 10 in her division as well.

And old pro now (okay, not old, but an experienced triathlete, Katherine DZ finished 3rd in her age division (that'a a competitive field these days!).

Congrats to all! It's great to see such fit families representing us.

NETT Continues its Winning Ways at Pipestave, Cure is Coming

The Mini Ponies are having a winning week and it's only Saturday!

In the Pipestave Hill 5K Trail Race on Thursday night, NETT took the overall win and put four men in the top 16 places! Dmitry Drozdov announced his return to the New England racing scene by running away with the race winning in 18:02. Chris Smith won the master's division in 18:45, while Crazy Dave and Patrick McVeigh each took third in their age groups.

It was a strong showing for NETT in the first race of the North Shore Trail Series.

And on Saturday, it was a strong showing for NETT at the Cure is Coming 5K for ALS in Lexington in the results and behind the scenes. Mary Pizarro continued her winning ways and won the women's race in a blazing 20:14. On the men's side, NETT recruit Zack Schwartz laid down a blistering race for second place, while the duo of Dmitry and Chris finished 4-5 to give NETT the top two master's spots. (Given his impressive results lately, race officials conducted a surprise blood test on Chris after the race, by the way. Results are pending.) Stephen Peckiconis nabbed the top spot on the 50-59 age group. NETT v 2.0's duo of Not-So-Little Skittles and Alexandra flew over the course in fine form!

Behind the scenes race director Jerry De Zutter put on a great event while NETT folks were all over the course volunteering for a good cause. It was great to see such a good turnout for Jerry's race.

All in all, it was a true NETT family affair. Always good to see. Proud to be a pony.

NETT Nabs a 1st (Hale) and two Seconds (Blue Hills, Ludlow Tri) in Busy Weekend

In another busy weekend of racing, NETT's Mini Ponies grabbed a first place and two second place finishes at some challenging trail and multisport events.

Mary continued her winning ways on the trails on Sunday by walking away with the Hale Reservation 5K trail race, while Dustin did the real dirty work at the event. Here's her report:

Sunday was the kickoff to the Hale Reservation Summer Trail Race Season. There was a smallish crowd at Hale for the race, but as usual the folks at Hale put on a great low key race. True to form, the course was "different" than all other Hale courses. The course used part of the Blue & Red trails and looped around Noanet & Storrow Ponds, which was very familiar territory for me, and I think gave me the home turf advantage. I placed 6th overall, and 1st woman (editor's note: that's right, only 5 speedy men were in front of her)!! She covered the 5.2K in 25:06 (according to fellow Mini Pony Stephen Peckiconis, who finished just a couple spots back, the course was a 5.2K).

In true Mini Pony fashion, I made sure to get her "secret training" in by running home after the race, claiming "It's only 6 more miles".

But while I was out having fun on the trails, the more impressive performance at the Hale race was Dustin's stealth distribution of Wellesley 1 Mile Road Race fliers. Dustin patiently waited for the race to being, and then discretely distributed the Wellesley race fliers on the other runners' cars. He did his 'job' and got out of there before anyone could become aware of his mission!"

Great teamwork Pizarros!

Meanwhile, only a couple exits down 95, Chris was busy nabbing second overall at the Blue Hills 10 Mile Trail Race (Fox Trot). Here's his report:

"I did not have high expectations going into the race after a week of taking care of a crazy dog that has a bad habit of waking me up a couple times a night. I did not adhere to my usual pre race routine. Instead I went to a brew pub the night before and grabbed breakfast at Starbucks on the way to the race.

I didn't feel great at the start but stuck to my usual game plan of going out fast. I was talking to a guy at the start who knows Crazy Dave (that would be NETT lurker Jerry "Rocket Start" Hughes") I knew he was doing the three mile. He set a brutal pace and we ran side by side until the split, but I still heard foot steps. I was only able to match that pace for the next mile or so. I ran the rest of the race alone. The hills in that race just keep coming. My pace definitely dropped off the last couple miles. Fortunately I had enough of a buffer and managed a second place. Good enough to win some chocolate chip cookies!"

And lastly the elite relay team of Dave's niece Julie (swim), Dave (bike) and Doris (run) headed out to the Ludlow Sprint Tri and worked hard enough to win second place in the mixed relay division, 7th relay team overall! Julie set the tone by passing a couple swimmers in the very short swim leg, Dave did he best to hold it even on the bike, and Doris enjoyed the benefits of her increased fitness by throwing down her fastest 3-mile pace ever!

The very busy and successful weekend kicked off Saturday morning with a healthy jaunt down the Battle Road Trail.

Go Mini Ponies!

Boston Marathon in Pictures (and video)

It was a long hot day out on the Boston Marathon course. Here's a few pictures that tell the story. Emma and Frank were waiting in the hot sun for all the NETT folks to come by.














An exclusive post-race interview with Crazy Dave.

For more photos, find NETT on The Facebook.

Marshall Leads NETT To Inspired Results at Boston Marathon

Well this year's Boston Marathon certainly lived up to all the hype and more but thanks to some great team preparation, some veteran experience, and a lot of inspiration, the New England Track & Trail folks out on the course Monday posted some simply amazing results.

First off, I simply can't say enough about what an inspired race Marshall ran out there. Personally, I'm going to tell people about this guy's performance for years to come. To toe the line, in sweltering heat, and throw down a 3:18, good for 5th place in his division is simply...simply....I can't even....

Marshall you did what you never thought anyone could do. You made Crazy Dave....speechless.

Seriously. He came in with bib number 7195 pinned to his very special Hannah singlet and finished 1635! It's literally unthinkable. Perhaps the only thing MORE unthinkable is the fact that he went to his weekly track workout the NEXT DAY! (I wish I was kidding, but I'm not).

I could dedicate the rest of this page to superlatives and try to describe what we're all feeling about Marshall's performance, but it really wouldn't do it justice. But let's say this: If every other one of us dropped out at mile 2, his result alone would have us all one cloud nine for the rest of the spring.

But we didn't drop out. Anywhere.

The rest of the NETT crew drew inspiration from the same well and threw down some of the best results possible on such an incredibly unrunnable day. Tina came into the race qualified at 16,536. She claims she never quite hit her stride, but we all know Tina's always a bit tough on herself with results, but the numbers don't lie Tina. You finished 5776, almost 11,000 spots higher than you came in with. 11 THOUSAND!!!! You were the 1276th woman to come across the finish line. You were 189th in your divison. Holy crap. THAT is some inspired running.

Crazy Dave posted a strong result in his first Boston as well, gaining a lot of added inspiration from the "Hannah" cheers he heard on the course starting in Framingham, getting very loud and frequent in Wellesley, and continuing all the way into Kenmore Square until things got so loud, nothing could be made out over the roar. He posted a 2:58, good for 476th overall (1527th qualifier) and 55th in his division. ("I may run faster, but I will never run another race that even in my life. I can guarantee you that much.")

Another person that clearly put in an inspired race and ran almost even splits was Ali, clocking a 3:02 in a sweltering heat, finishing in 634th overall and 78th in his division! He only lost about six minutes on the back half of this race when most folks were losing 30 to 60 minutes. As a result of his smart pacing, he improved about 5500 spots from his qualifer as well. Insane! AND he was our gracious host for the post-race decompression session, so we all owe him a BIG word of thanks for that.

The Youngstah, with a photo of Hannah pinned to his shirt, put in his own gutsy performance out there, pacing himself in the early miles and working a bit with pal Keith Schmitt to run a very solid 3:32, good for 350th in his division. Paul's the most experienced marathoner most of us will ever know and has run marathons in every possilbe condition, so when he pulls things back, you know it's a hot day out there! Great work Paul.

The same goes for Keith, in fact, who posted a 3:28 in blazing conditions, losing clothing and gaining strength as he went. Really impressive stuff, especially for a guy who spends most of his time crushing trails like you would not even believe.

There is more to tell, but I'm out of time. I'll post photos ASAP. For now, like the Ponies on the Facebook.

Lastly (for now), a big thanks to our support crews:
-Doris and Mary popped up around every corner with fresh Gatorade which was literally the difference in Crazy Dave's race and guided three zombies around the crowded streets of downtown (we'd probably still be down there otherwise)
-Karyn and Ron were providing ice to runners in Newton (you want milk with that ice?)
-The Chamberi clan, AC and Chris all up on that "hill" (what's it called again?).
-Frank, Nick and Emma cheering and helping us all decompress after.
-Dustin for his calming influence post-race (and quick medic-alert reaction to help a runner in distress)
-BScan somewhere on Beacon (how did he yell loud enough to get my attention in that crowd?)
-Mike M out there and many many more
-And a big shout to to Dave and Doris' "mistress" club, the Parkway Club who hosted a few of us on their bus to Hopkinton and provided a lot of support this training cycle. A great group of folks who had their own success out there on Monday.
-Sorry to those I missed. You know who you are. More soon.

"Boston" Weekend Brings More Strong Results for NETT at Wrentham Duathlon, River Rat and Hale O

"Boston" weekend also brought about the kickoff of NETT's multisport (and I emphasize the "multi") season with some very strong results.

First up was Frank KJ's annaul trip down to Wrentham to kick off the season at the Wrentham Duathlon. Frank finished 19th overall and 6th in his age group in 1:01:56. Here's his report:

"This was my 10th trip to Wrentham since 2000 and thus my 4th age-group that I've raced in. And surely there is no denying I am getting older. Despite plenty of recovery in the week leading up to Wrentham and not overeating at Jean-Dany's (which took a lot of discipline with all that great food!) I felt sluggish right out of the gate and never really found my stride. In the end I was almost 2 minutes slower than last year. Good thing the CRW Thursday rides start soon and Walden Pond should soon be ready for open water swimming so there is plenty of time to get in shape for more Dus and Tris. The season has just started."

While that might be a sub-par result by Frank's standards, many of us would never dream of that kind of result. Congrats Frank!

Also this weekend in the "multisport" category, Andy and Kristin notched some great results in their areas of expertise, canoeing and orienteeering. Andy and his teammate finished second in the Athol River Rat canoe race. That's second out of 275 canoes. See a great picture and read the story in the Worcestor Telegram and Gazette here.

And the uber-fit Hall clan was well represented at an early season orienteering meet in Hale Reservation with mom Kristen winning the 5K course outright in 45:30, while the apple fell very close to the tree in the white course and the yellow course. (See full results here and you'll catch my drift)

Now that is the kind of family weekend NETT members love!

NETT Kicks off Busy "Boston" Weekend With A Few "Wins"

A 1-4 finish. A new distance PR. A great team dinner. And an unveiling of a special new team shirt. It was a very busy day for NETT and only the first of three in a row this weekend.

Up in Vermont, Doris tackled her first half-marathon at the Unplugged Half Marathon from Colchester to Burlington. With the help of her personal sherpa, Doris finished her first half in 2:06, far exceeding her goal by running a consistent and steady race. Big congrats. And, what a great event from the folks at RunVermont. Well organized, great post-race feast, and a very nice course. You couldn't ask for a better event.

While Dave and Doris were pacing along the bike path up north, Mary and Adrienne were hauling ass along the Rivah! At the Merrimack River 10 Mile Trail Race, Mary and Adrienne absolutely crushed it by going 1-4 in the women's division. Mary even won a tasty treat for her troubles. Huge congrats to both on a job well done. For more pictures check out the NETT The Facebook thingy.

And to wrap up the very busy day, Jean Dany hosted a pre-Boston pasta party where the new NETT "Hannah" shirts were officially unveiled. NETT be honoring Hannah's memory at Boston and the Vermont City Marathon and other upcoming races by wearing the shirts. Special thanks to JD for hosting a very nice dinner.

Changed for the better. Changed for good.

Coming up tomorrow, Frank kicks off NETT's multipsport season at the Wrentham Duathlon and on Monday, it's Dave, Marshall, Ali, Tina, and Paul tackling Boston in a sweltering heat. Think cool!

If you're going to lose, do it with style....