Looking back - July 2016

 
July 2016 (five years ago):  I started the month with the USA Mountain running championships.  The National Mountain running championships at Loon Mountain had been my goal race for 2016 since it was announced 6 months before.  I got out well and was somewhere around 100^th place as we started climbing in the first ½ mile
 
Erik Vandendries and I would yo-yo much of the race.  I’d close on him on the downhill and he’d pull away on the up.  At 3.8 miles we hit the first real test of the day the really tough grass climb of ½ mile.  A lot of guys were walking this and I passed many on this section.   We had just under a mile to the gondola with over 700’ of climb.  Erik was running the same pace as me and I was not closing the gap.  We reached the gondola with 10 seconds between us. I put 30+ seconds on Erik (although I didn’t know it at the time) and hit the final 1 kilometer of tough climb in the lead of the 50+ age group.  I took a peek at 250 to go and could see Erik but was pretty sure I could hold him off.  I ran as hard as I could crossing the line in 1:00:13 and collapsing to the ground after.  Erik came in a few seconds later and Jeff Hunt rounded out the top three in the 50+.  CMS sweep of the medals!!!
 
Teams
            Open (6 teams, 5 score)              
1          CMS      4:51:03                                    
2          Acidotic 5:10:50                                    
                                                                       
            40+ (8 teams, 3 score)                            
1          CMS      2:56:10                                    
2          Acidotic 3:14:12                                    
                                                                       
            50+ (7 teams, 3 score)                            
1          CMS      3:01:55                                    
2          Acidotic 3:41:01                                    
 
Top 15 50-54                                       
1          1:00:13 Dave Dunham     MA        CMS     
2          1:00:37 Erik Vandendries MA        CMS     
3          1:01:03 Jeff Hunt            MA        CMS     
4          1:02:57 Jeff Walker         ME        Dirigo   
5          1:04:15 Tom Thurston     VT         GMAA   
6          1:04:48 Dan Verrington    MA        CMS     
7          1:05:15 Christopher Smith MA        SRR      
8          1:05:32 Ed Sheldon         NH        CMS     
9          1:05:42 Brian Ruhm        NH        GCS      
10         1:07:26 Rich Chalmers     ME        Dirigo   
11         1:08:54 EJ Hrynowski      MA        GLRR    
12         1:10:52 Scott Thomas     FL                    
13         1:10:56 Peter Keeney      ME        aR        
14         1:11:12 Jeff Walker         RI                    
15         1:14:09 David Lapierre    MA        CMS     
                                                                       
                        Overall                                    
1          0:49:11 Joseph  Gray      CO        Club NW
2          0:50:17 Brett      Hales    UT                   
3          0:50:36 Matt      Daniels  CO        Hudson
 
Next up was the Cranmore Hill Climb – I definitely felt a let-down after the Loon Mountain race.  This was the 11^th time racing at Cranmore and every year has featured a different course.  It was foggy and only about 60 degrees when I arrived in North Conway.  I wasn’t sure who would be the competition in the 50+, but all of the familiar characters were present.  It would come down to who could descend well and who had something left for the second loop.
 
Nearly 200 of us took off in the drizzle and fog of a not typical July morning.  I had teammates Erik Vandenries and Ed Sheldon in my sight a few steps ahead.  The course had twists and turns and all kinds of terrain (grass, single track, cat-track, slick rock). 
One section was only a quarter of a mile but it would climb 400’!  It took me 5:05 to do that climb.  There was a tricky wet rock part right at the top that I nearly wiped out on.  Thanks to the little loop at the bottom I could see that Josh Merlis (ARE), Boule, and Brightman were right behind me (6, 14, and 19 seconds respectively).   The second time up the killer quarter mile (I did it in 5-flat) I was working it a LOT harder than the first lap.  Nothing much changed on the second descent. I managed to stay on my feet and hold position to take 6^th place in 57:37 (5.85 miles with 2,400’ of climb/descent).  This was probably the best Cranmore course I’ve ever run.  By best I mean it had just about everything you could want in an up/down Mountain race.  Also, as I crossed the line they were playing Social Distortion (99 to life) and the next song was the Cure (Fascination street), no race is going to top that!
 
Top 5 50+
50+       Pl          Time     Name                Age       City       State     Team
1          6          57:37    Dave Dunham     52         Bradford, MA       CMS
2          12         1:00:37 Brian Ruhm        51         Nashua, NH        GCS
3          14         1:00:52 Ed Sheldon         51         Hooksett, NH      CMS
4          18         1:01:48 Erik Vandendries 51         Chestnut Hill, MA CMS
5          20         1:04:01 Rick Chalmers     54         S Portland, ME    Dirigo
 
Overall
Place     Time     Name                            Age       City, State          Team
1          53:06    Matthew Veiga                29         Lynn, MA            CMS
2          53:55    Tim Van Orden                48         Bennington, VT   CMS
3          54:20    Andy MacGibbon             20         Goffstown, NH   
4          56:02    Christopher Chromczak     31         Delmar, NY        
5          57:10    Patrick Caron                  19                     MA       
6          57:37    Dave Dunham                 52         Bradford, MA       CMS
7          58:39    Craig Nale                      32         S Portland, ME   
8          58:51    Steve Brightman             47         Providence, RI   
9          59:23    Patrick Conway               39         Anchorage, AK   
10         59:43    Jim Boule                       49         Campton, NH      aR
 
 
My final race of the month was the Lynn Woods Cross-Country Series:  It has been four years since I last raced at Lynn Woods.  This was my 10^th time doing either a weekly series race or the relay at Lynn.  They always do a nice job, but I have trouble getting excited to do a race in the summer heat and especially struggle with racing late at night (6:30 pm is basically bedtime for me).  I really needed to get some leg turnover as most of my racing over the last 2 months has been Mountain running.  The Mountain races can make you stronger but they also tend to make you slower.  With the USATF NE road 5 mile only a few weeks away I really needed to get some of the rust off of me.
 
I showed up a bit early and got my number and hydrated a bit (85 degrees in the shade seemed relatively cool).  There were a lot of familiar faces around but most everyone I knew would be doing the longer of the two races (6 miles & 2.3 were the offerings).  I did my warm-up checking out the 2.3 course and was surprised at how tough it was.  The climbing was no surprise, but the rough footing on the ¾ mile of single-track was something I wasn’t expecting.  They call it a “Cross Country” race but this version may have been better described as a trail race.  The single track would be tough with twists/turns and a lot of rocks/roots.  My goal was to survive that part then hopefully push the 195’ climb from Dungeon road to the Stone Tower.  After the tower the last ½ mile to the finish had 130’ of drop which would shake things out (but hopefully nothing would fall off).
 
I switched into race flats then heard the announcement that the short race would start 10 minutes after the long race (last time I did the race they went together but they wanted to avoid congestion on the single-track).  That gave me a little more time so I headed out for another 1.7 miles with a few strides thrown in.  I felt lousy.
 
After some instructions we were sent on our way.  I took the lead right away and could hear footsteps right behind me as we covered the first half mile (3:31).  It was mostly uphill climbing 100’, the first 400 was on the woods road then we hit the single track.  The guys behind me stayed right on me during the single-track, I considered offering to move over but they weren’t right on me so I held my lead.  The second ½ mile had 80’ of drop but you couldn’t take much advantage as the footing was pretty lousy, we then had a 40’ climb before the final 20’ of drop at the mile mark (3:44 = 7:15 mile).
 
We hit Dungeion road and two kids from Marblehead blew by, along with fellow “senior” runner Jason Barnes.  The lead guy (Oliver Jacob = 4:38 mile & :55 quarter) looked good, his teammate (Ian Strothers = 10:35 2 mile) sounded a bit ragged and he fell off during the .3 that climbed 115’.  I was a few seconds behind Barnes but close back on him as we dropped 20’ by the 1.5 mile mark (3:26).  The next .2 was pretty steep (80’ = 7.5% grade) and I got back up to Barnes and was just a few seconds behind Jacob.
 
After passing the Stone Tower and hitting the 130’ drop I pulled ahead of Barnes but didn’t close on Jacob (3:15 for ½ mile).  With about 200 meters to go he really accelerated and actually took a couple of steps beyond the final left hand turn.  I yelled for him to “go left” and he reversed direction and got back up to speed hitting the line 9 seconds ahead of me.
 
I was happy with the effort although the pace was “slow”, it was a shock to my system for sure!  I’ll have to hit the trail or roads at least one more time before the 5 mile.
 
 
 
Lynn Woods Summer Cross Country            Lynn, MA July  27,2016 6:40 PM
2.3 Cornell to Stone Tower Trail Master: Jeff Laine & Greg Esbitt          138 Finishers
   Pl       Name                S Ag      City, St             Time    Pace 
    1 Oliver Jacob             M 17 Marblehead, MA       15:12  6:37
    2 Dave Dunham          M 52 Bradford, MA           15:21  6:41
    3 Jason Barnes            M 53 Salem, MA              15:27  6:43
    4 Ian Strothers            M 16 Marblehead, MA       15:32  6:45
    5 Tony Mwangi            M 17 Lynn, MA                17:20  7:32
    6 Brandon Mendez       M 17 Lynn, MA                18:04  7:51
    7 Brittani Atkinson        F 23 Peabody, MA            19:09  8:20
    8 Kyle Saulnier            M 15 Marblehead, MA       19:13  8:22
    9 Lai-Sahn Hackett       F 24 Peabody, MA            19:15  8:22
   10 Eric Bowden             M 47 Lynn, MA                19:48  8:37
 
 

Looking back - July 2011

 

July 2011 (Ten years ago): I was recovering from injury and only raced once.  I went to Carver MA for the USATF NE 5m championships.  It was very hot and humid (mid-80s) and breezy.  The race had very little in the way of water-stops and the ones they had were poorly managed.  My goal was 5:40 pace in deference to the weather and my lack of racing.  I met my goal and scored for the team (4^th man) as we placed second in the 40+.

 

33rd Annual Carver Cranberry 5 Miler Road Race

1 24:42 4:56 1 16-29 Kevin Johnson Ludlow,MA GSH

2 25:03 5:01 1 30-39 Justin Freeman New Hampton,NH RUN

3 25:15 5:03 2 16-29 Dan Vassallo Reading,MA Addidas

Some CMS and the CMS 40+ team

7   25:36 5:07 4 30-39      Jim Johnson       Salem,MA           CMS

32 27:07 5:25 4 40-49      Greg Putnam      Wakefield,MA      CMS 40+

34 27:14 5:27 5 40-49      Joe Shairs          Peabody,MA       CMS 40+

38 27:31 5:30 7 40-49      Dan Verrington    Bradford,MA        CMS 40+

52 27:53 5:35 19 30-39    Jim Pawlicki        Beverly,MA         CMS

57 28:20 5:40 13 40-49    Dave Dunham     Bradford,MA        CMS 40+

60 28:32 5:42 14 40-49    David Quintal      Salem,MA           CMS 40+

68 29:01 5:48 16 40-49    John Pajer          Leicester,MA       CMS 40+

 

Looking back - July 2006

 
July of 2006 (15 years ago):  I raced nine times over the month of July while also covering 380 miles in training and finished off the month with a running of the “Pemi-Loop” bagging 11 Four thousand foot peaks in a fell swoop.  I started the month running the Finger Lake Fifties, but I did the 15km (not the 50k or 50m).  I got plenty of running!  The race was kind of unusual as you went through a bunch of gates that had to be closed to keep the cows from wandering!  In the early going the pack would come to a gate and Dan Verrington would open the gate and let everyone through then lock it up.  He ended up pulling away around 4 miles and I ran alone from that point on taking 3^rd place in 1:54:17, Dan won in 1:51:30.
 
Three days later I ran the Carson memorial 2m in Chelmsford.  Tom Doody topped the master’s field running 9:55 and Dan was 2^nd in 10:05.  I took 5^th (and 22^nd overall) in 10:40.  Four days later I was back in the mountains running Cranmore, a 2 loop monster course with 2,400’ of climb/descent.  I took 4^th in 50:23, close behind Dan who won the 40+ with a 50:11.
1 David Hunt       48:15 Fryeburg ME           WMM     M 20 M19-39
2 Tim Livingston 50:07 Conway NH            WMM     M 31 M19-39
3 Dan Verrington 50:11 Bradford MA           CMS      M 44 M40-49
4 Dave Dunham 50:23 Bradford MA           CMS      M 42 M40-49
5 Patrick Rich      53:39 S Hamilton MA        CMS      M 29 M19-39
6 Todd Callaghan 53:56 Somerville MA         PR Mse M 36 M19-39
7 Donald Pacher 55:31 Bennington VT                    M 34 M19-39
8 Jeremy Huckins 56:24 Loudon NH             CMS      M 23 M19-39

 
Five days later (07-13) Dan and I were back out there racing again, this time in Haverhill on a Friday night.  Dan took the overall win in the YMCA 5k road race (16:39) and I took 5^th nearly a minute back (17:33).  Two days later I was race directing the Mt Ascutney road race in Windsor VT.  Although I wasn’t an official entrant, I ran the 2^nd fastest time of the day (33:42) behind Paul Low’s winning time of 29:39. I ran at 7am then put the race on at 9am.
 
The following Friday it was another night race in Haverhill.  This time Dan and I ran the Sapienza race which had moved dates and changed distance (to 4 miles).  It was hot and humid after a downpour during my warm-up.  I ran 22:20 to take 6^th, again nearly a minute behind Dan.
    1 Roberto Santoro        M2029 QUINCY MA                       20:41  5:11
    2 Ryan Miller               M2029 HAVERHILL MA                   20:45  5:12
    3 Matt Germain           M2029 HAVERHILL MA                   20:52  5:13
    4 Dan Verrington         M4049 BRADFORD MA                   21:22  5:21
    5 Chris Apkarian          M0119 NEW DURHAM NH               22:05  5:32
    6 Dave Dunham          M4049 BRADFORD MA                  22:20  5:35
 
Two days later (07/23/06) it was off to Portsmouth (with Dan) for the Loco road miles.  They had multiple heats, so of course we signed up for multiple races!  First up was the master’s mile which Dan destroyed with a 7 second win in 4:39. I took fourth place.  We had just enough time to jog back up the course to the start and then were off again in the Open mile.  We were surprisingly consistent with Dan slowing only 2 seconds (4:41) and I slowed 4 seconds to a 4:57. We definitely surprised some by racing twice.
Masters Mile
    1  4:39 Dan Verrington 44 M    CMS       
    2  4:46 Eric McKenna    40 M                                
    3  4:51 Don Tuttle        49 M                                 
    4  4:53 Dave Dunham  42 M    CMS       Splits: 70/73/77/73
    5  4:55 Brad Lebo        49 M    COASTAL AA
 
Open Mile
    1 4:19 Cory Thorne      19 M                             
    2 4:29 Rich Marion       44 M     BAA 
    3 4:32 Aaron Binkley    29 M                                 
    4 4:35 Casey Carroll     34 M    PR MOOSE MILERS RT          
    5 4:38 Taylor Peterson 18 M    ROCHESTER RUNNERS           
    6 4:41 Dan Verrington  44 M    CMS       
    7 4:42 Erik Johnson      28 M    PR MOOSE MILERS RT          
    8 4:46 James King       18 M                                 
    9 4:48 Matt Cyr            17 M                                 
   10 4:57 Dave Dunham   42 M   CMS     Splits: 72/74/77/74
 
I wrapped up the month taking a shot at a win at the Lynn woods summer series (07/26/06).  I thought I’d have a good shot in the “short” race as most of the CMS guys ran the 5.5 mile race.  When we split off from the longer course Al Bernier was in the lead, and took the win 13 seconds ahead of me.
 
2.5 Miles
1.  Alan Bernier                14:40     CMS
2.  Dave Dunham             14:53     CMS
3.  John Davis                  15:17
5.5 Miles
1.  Dan Verrington           32:07     CMS
2.  Joe Shairs                  32:40     CMS
3.  Jim Pawlicki               34:38      CMS
 
I closed out the month with a visit to the Pemigewasset wilderness in the White Mountains.  Eleven hours in the wilderness bagging Bondcliffs (4265), West Bond (4520), Mount Garfield (4480), Mount Lafayette (5240), (Mount Lincoln) 5089, Mount Guyot (4560), Little Haystack (4760), Mount Liberty (4459), Mount Flume (4328), South Twin (4902), Galehead Mtn (4024).         

 

Looking back - July 2001

July of 2001 (20 years ago): I only raced twice but had a total of 58 miles of racing! I took 10th place at the USATF NE 8 mile road race championships at Stowe VT in 41:12. I was disappointed with the time and place and noted in my training log "felt lousy, Dan almost got me".

1          39:47    Paul Mwangi                   34         OSSINING NY     WESTC
2          40:21    David Hinga                    25         LOWELL MA        MVS
3          40:29    Greg Wenneborg             33         TUCSON AZ       
4          40:35    Chris Magill                     28         ALBION RI          BAA
5          40:36    Craig Fram                     42         PLAISTOW NH     WHIRL
6          40:39    Eric Morse                      36         BERLIN VT          CMS
8          40:44    Byrne Decker                  34         YARMOUTH ME    CMS
9          40:48    Larry Sayers                   41         BELLOWS FLS VT CMS
10         41:12    Dave Dunham                 37         BRADFORD MA    CMS
11         41:16    Dan Verrington                39         BRADFORD MA    CMS
12         41:25    Alan Bernier                    26         EXETER NH         CMS
15         41:39    Mike Payson                   38         FALMOUTH ME    CMS
21         42:17    Rod Viens                       33         SUNAPEE NH       CMS
25         42:33    Scott Clark                      35         GILMANTON NH   CMS
27         42:53    Kevin Beck                     31         CONCORD NH     CMS

Two weeks later (07-28-01) I headed out to Crystal Mountain WA for the 50 mile trail championships. I ended up finishing second to Bill Emerson who power-walked away from me on the big climb from 30-36 miles. I kept him in sight (as close as 30 seconds at 46 miles) but was never able to pull him back in. I ended up taking 2nd place in 6:59:15.
 
From Racewire:  The men's competition could hardly have been deeper or more exciting. Seven men, including the finest trail ultrarunners from around the country (and Canada) remained within a minute for the first half of the race. Only near the end of the second long climb, after 38 miles, did local hope William Emerson and pre-race favorite Dave Dunham pull away, both scorching the following 5 mile gravel road downhill (the only non-trail section of the course) at under 6 minutes per mile. Emerson had led the way, exhibiting one of the most unexpected phenomena in the sport. Specializing in fast-packing and long-range power-walking, Emerson was actually able to WALK away from a running Dunham (one of the world's top-ranked mountain runners), on the steepest uphills. The two were never more than two minutes apart, and at 44 miles Dunham had closed to within 30 seconds. But this was Emerson's turf and he was not to be denied, responding by pulling away to a close but secure victory over the last 6 miles of gnarly, rocky trail along the raging White River.
 
1    William Emerson         M37    Redmond WA        6:58:14   8:22
2    Dave Dunham             M37    Bradford MA           6:59:19   8:23
3    Clark Zeland               M28    Lynchburg VA         7:07:56   8:34
4    Dennis Poolheco         M40    Glendale AZ           7:17:17   8:45
5    Eric Clifton                 M43    Albuquerque NM    7:17:51   8:45

Week Ending 07/25/21

 Not a bad week, slowly eased back after calf issues last week.

 Week – 85

Month – 315

Year – 2,291

Life – 151,237

M – 445am Depot double out/back 6m in 845s

        1130am Industrial park 6 in 802s

T – 430am Depot double out/back 6m in 808s

      1115am Salem & Windham rail trail 6m in 740s

W – 445am Depot double out/back 6m in 753s

        1030am Ballardvale 7m in 725s

Th – 440am Stateline rail trail 6m in 800s

         1120am Winnekenni trail run with Doug 6m in 824s

F – 435am Bradford rail trail o/b 6m in 801s

      1130am Hyatt loop 6m in 702s

Sat – 7am Freeman rail trail7m with D-la (Petey on bike) in 849s

           930am Nice relaxing 4m in 933s

Sun – 730am group run on the Narrow gauge, Reformatory, Old North bridge, Great Meadows 14 miles in 825s

Looking back - July 1996

 July of 1996 (25 years ago): Five races over this month, mixing it up on the roads and trails from 5k to 10 miles.  I started with the  Bridgton 4 on the Fourth - I led through a slow opening mile (4:52) then Rusty Snow took the lead for the climb to 2m (10:00/5:08).  Rob Pierce, Dan Verrington, and I were a step or two behind.  I took the lead on the downhill into 3 miles (14:54/4:54) with Rusty right on me.  I tried to drop him on the final little uphill but couldn’t shake him loose.  He flew by with 200 to go and won by 2 seconds (4:37 to 4:39 for our last miles).

    1   M1934 Rusty Snow              26 M Watertown, MA        19:32  4:53

    2   M1934 Dave Dunham           32 M Bradford, MA            19:34  4:54

    3   M3539 Robert Pierce            35 M Alfred, ME                19:55  4:59

    4   M1934 Sean Livingston         27 M Pawtucket, RI          19:59  5:00

    5   M1934 Dan Verrington          34 M Bradford, MA           20:01  5:01

 

Four days laer (July 8, 1996) Dan Verrington and I took on the Cranmore hill climb.  This was one tough course with ¾ mile of flat running then 1,200’ of climb in the next 2.25 with four distinct tough climbs.  Back then it was all run on the cat track with little (to no) downhill.  Dan went with me for the first 1.5 then fell off the pace.  I went on to set a new CR and took home a pair of snowshoes for the win. Those snowshoes are what got me interested in snowshoe racing, and I wore them when I won the first ever USA snowshoe national championships!
1 Dave Dunham 20:15                  2 Dan Verrington 21:15
 
Two weeks later (07/19/96) I competed in my “Hometown” race, the Sapienza Memorial 5M.  Newcomer on the scene Richard Bolt (sporting a Mohawk) took off at the start.  Craig Fram and I reeled him in after the mile (4:56) on the big climb.  I led until 1.5 when Craig moved to the front. We hit 2 in 10:08 (5:12) and 3 in 15:08 (5:00) when Craig pulled away to a 14 second victory.
    1 Craig Fram                M3039 Plaistow, NH                      25:05  5:01
    2 Dave Dunham           M3039 Bradford, MA                      25:19  5:04
    3 Richard Bolt              M2029 Lunenburg, MA                   26:39  5:20
 
On the 28^th I headed up to Manchester Vermont for the Race for the Cure.  I’m not sure why I did this race, but I was shooting for Eric Morse’s course record (1995-15:03).  I took it out in 4:46 and was all alone from ½ mile in the field of over 4,000 (mostly walkers).  I missed the CR by 3 seconds with a win in 15:06.

 
Two days later (07/30/96) I ran in the USATF NE 10 mile championships at Newburyport (Yankee Homecoming).  It was only 65 degrees but very humid.  I went with the second pack as Jerry Lawson, Art Smith and Abidi Bouazzo took off at the start.  Craig Fram and I fronted the pack with CMS teammates Gary Gardner and Dan Verrington.  We dropped some of the guys at 5 and Craig dropped me at 5.5, but I still thought I had a shot at sub-50 even as late as 8 miles…but wasn’t even close at the end as I ran out of gas.
 
1          48:45    Jerry Lawson      30         M3034   San Francisco, CA            NIKE                            
2          48:59    Art Smith           28         M2529   Cambridge, MA                                      
3          49:20    Abidi Bouazzo     25         M2529   New Paltz, NY                                                    
4          49:57    Craig Fram         37         M3539   Plaistow, NH               CMS                                         
5          50:23    Dave Dunham     32         M3034   Bradford, MA            CMS                                         
6          50:47    Gary Gardner      25         M2529   Keene, NH                 CMS                                         
7          50:49    Jon Russell         21         M2024   Wakefield, MA        Whirl                             
8          50:56    Eric Beauchesne  26         M2529   Chelmsford, MA       BAA                              
9          51:03    Jim Brunswick     27         M2529   Cambridge, MA       BAA                                          
10         51:07    George Luke       30         M3034   Waltham, MA           GLRR                                        
12         51:41    Dan Verrington    34         M3034   Bradford, MA            CMS                             

Looking back - July 1991

 

July 1991 (30 years ago): I ran five races, four on the road and one on the toughest trail I've ever run. I started the month winning the July 4th 5.2 mile race in Stoughton (24:47). The following week I took first in the 5m Carson Memorial race (running 23:49). I kept the winning streak alive with a 25:22 first place at the East End Club in Lowell, a gritty old-school race. I won $50, taking the lead from Jim Quadros after the 3 mile mark and was definitely feeling tired from the Carson race on the previous day. The following weekend I took first in a slow time (25:14) at the Sapienza 5m. I think everyone had a slow time on this 100 degree day. I closed out the month with a sixth place finish at the Escarpment trail 30k. This was (and remains) the roughest trail race I've ever done. I never felt like I could run a full stride, it was so rough and either climbing up a mountain or descending one. Petey asked me at about halfway if I minded if he went ahead. I wished him luck and off he went. About 5km later I went by him on a climb (he was walking and I wasn't going much faster). I was glad to just survive this one and swore I'd never go back ... so far I've been true to my word. Rich Fargo won the race in 2:47:51, I ran 3:02:54, and Petey ran 3:14:31.

1,500 races

The Bill Luti 5 mile on Saturday was my 1,500^th race.  I’ve raced in 317 different cities/towns with Lowell leading the way.  Concord (NH) has been surging with my focus being on the Capital Area Race Series (CARS).  I’ve also been lucky enough to race in 35 states and 13 countries.  No surprise that the top states for me to run in are New England (and NY).  I’m looking forward to another 1,500 races.  😊
 
Last date         Location          #          St         Rank                           
10/21/18         Lowell              82        MA      1                                 
12/12/20         Boston             65        MA      2                     
04/14/18         Andover           48        MA      3                                 
07/17/21         Concord           45        NH       4                                 
07/31/18         Newburyport   37        MA      5                                 
02/22/20         Tewksbury       36        MA      6                     
11/27/20         Chelmsford     33        MA      7                                 
06/15/19         Greens Grant  32        NH       8t                                
12/12/09         Worcester       32        MA      8t                                
10/09/16         Methuen         31        MA      10                               
05/01/16         Billerica           29        MA      11                               
05/25/19         Westminster   24        MA      12t                              
10/11/20         Nashua            24        NH       12t                              
02/11/17         Haverhill         22        MA      14t                              
01/07/18         Hanover          22        NH       14t                              
05/06/18         Wilton             21        NH       16                               
03/06/16         Cambridge      20        MA      17                               
08/21/19         Lynn                 20        MA      18                               
05/02/21         Bedford           19        NH       19t                              
08/31/18         Conway           18        NH       19t                              
 
Rank    Last date         St         #          Last location    %
1          05/23/21         MA      814      Georgetown    54.27%
2          07/17/21         NH       398      Concord           26.53%
3          06/05/21         VT        61        Colchester       4.07%
4          10/18/15         NY        33        Saratoga          2.20%
5          09/16/18         RI         32        Chepachat       2.13%
6          01/21/18         ME       31        Lewiston          2.07%
7          04/15/06         CT        15        Union               1.00%
8          12/13/14         PA        10        Bethlehem      0.67%
9          07/15/07         CA        8          Stinson beach  0.53%
10        08/25/12         NC       7          Laurel Springs 0.47%

Most popular distance over the 1,500 races I’ve run was by far the 5k.  If you add 8k and 5m together they would be the next most popular.  Not surprised by the number of marathons (39) but would have thought I’d run more half-marathons (37).
 
Rank    Dist      #          Notes
1          3.11     298      (5k)
2          6.22     126      (10k)
3          5.00     119     
4          2.00     94       
5          10.00   71       
6          1.00     57       
7          26.22   39        (Marathon)
8          4.00     38       
9          13.11   37        (Half-Marathon)
10        3.00     35        (Mostly High School XC races)
11        7.60     30        (Mostly Mt Washington)
12        4.96     26        (8k)
13        0.25     24       
14        0.50     21        Includes some 800m
15        2.50     20       
16        9.32     19        (15k)
17        3.50     18        (Weird distance)
18        1.86     16        3,000 meters (metric 2m)
19        7.45     15        (12k)
20        4.30     14        (Mostly Wachusett Mountain)

I’ve been lucky enough to place in the top 10 over ¾ of the times I’ve raced.  Still hoping to get a few more wins.

 
Place   No.      
1          398      26.53%
2          234      15.60%
3          154      10.27%
4          91        6.07%
5          75        5.00%
6          53        3.53%
7          37        2.47%
8          21        1.40%
9          40        2.67%
10        39        2.60%
11        22       
12        20       
13        11       
14        19       
15        5         
16        10       
17        8         
18        12       
19        6         
20        8         
21        5         
22        7         
23        5         
24        4         
25        5         
26-30   23       
31-40   21       
41-50   14       
51-60   15       
61-70   8         
71-80   8         
81-90   10       
91+      33       
DSQ     2         
DNF     6          0.40%
Relay   55       
UNK     16       
            1500