Spring Updates: Big Congrats to Jason, YP

While the blogmaster has been dormant, NETT runners certainly have not!

First off, big Congrats to Jason for his 2nd place finish in his first-ever 50K, the Wattupa 

"It went pretty well and  because it was a multi-lap race with various distances, I did not know I was in 2nd till the end. I ran each lap in 47 minutes and the last one in 50. Stomach a bit uneasy near the end and feet like hamburger from so much 3/4” gravel covered fire road. But feeling good. My grandfather swam in Watuppa Lake so that gave me an edge."

Full Results Posted here.

YP has been up to a lot of things late, including racing in Spain (we'll let him tell you that story) and serving as race director for the Boston Bulldogs Run for Recovery and Tribute. This years event, a 5K XC race in Franklin Park, saw a record crowd come out (including NETT's Crazy Dave). If you're not familiar with the Boston Bulldogs, they're a running club dedicated for people in recovery from addiction and their families. A great idea, a great race and a really good day. Congrats YP! 

Earlier in the spring, Bobble Head Bob and Illya took on the Blue Hills 10 Mile Fox Trot race. Bob grabbed second in his age group and Ilya had a strong run. There was even a guest appearance form NETT mystery runner Paul H! Great to see them out there. Full Results Here.

As always, check our Facebook Page for updated results and events and if you're interested in joining us for a run, find us on Meetup.com. 

Happy Holidays from NETT

NETT Goes Coed at Snowy Assault on Mount Hood

Four of NETT's heartiest runners teamed up to take second place in the coed team division of this year's Assault on Mount Hood XC race in Melrose.

The team of OP Patrick, Bridget and Kristin, and Bobblehead Bob took second place in a snowy and blustery  race.

And individually, the NETT group walked away with a pile of nutcrackers for age group awards. OP won his age group, Bridget won her age group, and Kristin was second in her (new!) age group.

Big congrats to all four of these NETT runners. Great job representing us at one of our favorite races.

A Run with Patrick Caron: The Video

Have you ever wanted to go on a run with NETT superstar Patrick Caron but don't think you can keep up (can any of us, really?) Well, take a look at this VERY cool video of Patrick running the Piper Trail on Mt. Chocoura in New Hampshire as filmed by Ian MacLellan.


A Run with Patrick Caron from Ian MacLellan on Vimeo.
Music By: We Are All Astronauts ( weareallastronauts.net) Additional Footage By: Dylan Ladds (dooster.tv/)

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".