Looking back - 25 years ago

 25 Years ago (Oct 1995):  I got in 384 miles during this month while racing four times and taking three wins.  I started the month with a visit to New Castle for the “Great Island 5k”.  This “big” local race (670 finishers) basically ran on every street in the tiny town of New Castle.  CMS Teammates Scott Clark and Rod Viens took the race out hard, and then Dan Verrington moved into the lead just before the 2 mile mark.  I was a few steps back with Mike O’Brien trying to hold on.  I took the lead in the last ½ mile and put some distance on both Mike and Dan as we entered the final loop in the park.  I picked up $150 for the win in 14:59.

Left to right (ones I know) Rod Viens #225, Scott Clark #14, Mike O’Brien #2, Dan Verrington #10, Me #6, Paul Hammond #12

 

The following weekend I got another win, this time in Peabody MA at the Brooksby farm 5 mile cross-country race.  I couldn’t find any online results (this was in the early days of Coolrunning), but I took first in 26:56 in a field of 31 finishers.  The next weekend was the Mayor’s cup XC race in Boston.  This race has always attracted the hardcore XC racers as can be seen with my 27^th place in 24:41.  I noted in my training log that I “went out hard but was way back”.  CMS had a big presence due in part to a brief merger with “Sev’s team” (Bob Sevene) from Boston.  That merger didn’t last very long.

   Event 1 Men's 8,000 Meter Cross Country (7935M)               

   1   Seamus McElligott    27 Nike                            23:09.0     

   2   Brad Barquist            27 Mizuno TC                   23:12.0      

   3   Abidi Bouaza             24 Westchester TC            23:20.0    

   4   Jonathan Hume       27 Reebok RC                   23:26.0     

   5   Gary Giffen               26 New Balance Coastal    23:35.0    

   20    Eric Morse             30 Central Mass Striders    24:18.0    

  27    Dave Dunham        31 Central Mass Striders   24:41.0   

  33    Bill Bland                26 Central Mass Striders   24:53.0    Sev’s

  34    Scott Clark              29 Central Mass Striders    24:54.0   

  41    Jamalh Prince        25 Central Mass Striders    25:09.0    Sev’s

  54    Chris Bianchi          27 Central Mass Striders    25:36.0   Sev’s

  55    Richard Bolt           25 Central Mass Striders    25:37.0   

  58    Greg DeMeo           34 Central Mass Striders    25:43.0   Sev’s  

  79    Nathanial Halsey     24 Central Mass Striders    26:18.0   Sev’s  

  91    Bob Hodge             40 Central Mass Striders    26:38.3   Wow!  A 40-year-old Hodgie cranking fast time!  

117    James Pawlicki        21 Unattached                  27:34.0   Future CMS racing team manager  

118    Pat Callahan            22 Central Mass Striders    27:36.0    Sev’s 

I finished the month with a small XC race in the Middlesex Fells (Stoneham, MA).  The Hurtin’ for Certain club put on a 5k XC race which I won in 15:33.