CARS race #5 - Woodchuck classic (I kept calling it the Chipmunk race)

I was not feeling good leading up to the Woodchuck 5k race.  My adductor issues took a major turn for the worse during the week and I wasn’t sure how it would hold up in the crazy downhill start (first mile drops 150’).  I was hopeful that I’d be able to keep it together and felt that based on my other recent races I would be able to run faster than my 2019 time (18:27).  I had a slim margin over Ernie Brake in the age graded masters standings so I’d be looking to top him (he had run a solid 18:58 in 2019).  I met up with teammates Jim Pawlicki and Doug Deangelis and we headed out for a warm-up course preview.  I’m glad we did as my memory of the race and reality were not 100% in alignment.  The course dropped 160’ in the first mile but most of that was really in the first quarter mile (ouch).  There was a tough little hill a little after the mile and it had taken a beating in the recent rains and was very rough washed out at the bottom.  I’d forgotten how much of the course was dirt road.  After the little hill the course was pretty quick again until 2.5 miles when you have a half-mile of climbing but it was more of a climb/break then climb/break kind of thing so not quite as bad as I’d remembered.  After the warm-up I got into race flats and did another mile with some strides.  I was feeling very nervous, but my adductor wasn’t too bad.
 
The field of 168 had great conditions (50s, cloudy, and a little breeze) and ZOOM we were off.  Doug went out pretty hard (70 seconds at the first ¼ mile) and I was a few seconds behind him as the downhill gradient eased.  As I closed on him Ernie Brake caught me, I knew I’d need to beat him by at least 30 seconds to get him in the age graded (he is 60 now).  Ernie fell back a little as teammate Tim Cox caught me and we both went by Doug around the mile mark (5:25).  I never looked at my watch again as I was already a bit slower than 2 years ago.  I also was just focused on working with Tim.  We pushed the tough little hill and Ernie and Doug were no longer with us.  From that point until 2.5 miles Tim and I were never more than a stride ahead of each other.  Sometimes I got in front and sometimes Tim led.  We caught one or two guys as I kept focus on getting to the final climb.  Once we turned onto the hill I got a gap on Tim and would extend it to 10 seconds by the finish.  I hit the line in 18:18 and was happy to run 9 seconds faster than 2 years ago.  Ernie had a great race coming in 14 seconds faster than 2 years ago (18:44) which got him the win in the age graded by 1 second!  I took solace in a top 10 finish (9^th) and a win in the 50+ age group.  Now I’m hoping to hold it together for at least one more race.
 
Pl             Time       Pace       Name                      Age         Gend      City St     Team 
1              16:33     5:19        Michael Mott        19           Male       Alton NH               
2              16:49     5:25        Warren Bartlett    23           Male       Loudon NH            MUGWUMPS
3              16:56     5:27        Edward Stowell    20           Male       Sutton NH              KEZAR LAKE RUNNING CLUB
4              17:05     5:30        Drew Tuttle           26           Male       Alton NH                ALTON MOUNTAIN MEN
5              17:26     5:36        Ethan Dodenhoff 18           Male       Loudon NH           
6              17:38     5:40        Taylor Peterson   33           Male       Wolfeboro NH     
7              17:44     5:42        Timothy Lindberg 27           Male       Ashland NH          
8              17:47     5:43        Connor Downes   17           Male       Alexandria NH     
9              18:18     5:53        Dave Dunham       57           Male       Bradford MA         DUCT TAPE AND SPIT
10           18:28     5:56        Timothy Cox         48           Male       Northwood NH     DUCT TAPE AND SPIT
11           18:40     6:00        Ryder Downes      17           Male       Alexandria NH     
12           18:44     6:02        Ernest Brake         60           Male       North Sutton NH  KEZAR LAKE RUNNING CLUB
13           18:54     6:05        Terrence Ferns     52           Male       New London NH   KEZAR LAKE RUNNING CLUB
14           18:58     6:06        Doug Deangelis    55           Male       Newbury MA        DUCT TAPE AND SPIT
15           19:02     6:07        Benjamin Laplume 16         Male       Bristol NH             
16           19:05     6:08        James Brady          20           Male       Newbury NH         KEZAR LAKE RUNNING CLUB
17           19:06     6:09        Russell Newton     32           Male       Hooksett NH         TEAM NEWTON
18           19:08     6:09        Christin Doneski   50           Female   Hopkinton NH      
19           19:23     6:14        Maya Brochu        16           Female   Bow NH 
20           19:36     6:18        Allison Davis          34           Female   Concord NH         
21           19:37     6:19        Sam Wood            35           Male       Laconia NH           
22           19:42     6:20        James Smith          62           Male       Concord NH          KEZAR LAKE RUNNING CLUB
23           19:53     6:24        Dylan Tuttle          24           Male       Alton NH                ALTON MOUNTAIN MEN
24           19:54     6:24        Tate Lefebvre       37           Male       Middleton NH      
25           19:54     6:24        Heather Searles   38           Female   Nashua NH            NHTI XC
26           20:12     6:30        Darin Brown          54           Male       Madison NH          DUCT TAPE AND SPIT
27           20:25     6:34        Michael Barry       65           Male       Northwood NH     MUGWUMPS 2
28           20:35     6:37        Michael Laplume 48           Male       Bristol NH             
29           20:42     6:39        Mike Poreba         34           Male       Somerville MA     
30           20:43     6:40        Benjamin Strauss 50           Male       New Boston NH   
31           20:46     6:41        Alison Fairbairn    23           Female   Dover NH              
32           20:46     6:41        Leo Bunkartas       16           Male       Hudson NH           
33           20:54     6:43        James Pawlicki      46           Male       Lynn MA                DUCT TAPE AND SPIT
 
Age Graded results:
 
Place Time    Agtime  Agegrd% Name                     Sex Age Hometown                  
    1   18:44   15:14   85.24 Ernest Brake             M    59 North Sutton NH        
    2   18:18   15:15   85.15 Dave Dunham              M    57 Bradford MA            
    3   19:42   15:46   82.41 James Smith              M    62 Concord NH              
    4   20:25   15:55   81.57 Michael Barry            M    64 Northwood NH           
    5   18:58   16:03   80.86 Doug Deangelis           M    54 Newbury MA             
    6   18:54   16:23   79.26 Terrence Ferns           M    52 New London NH          
    7   18:28   16:30   78.69 Timothy Cox              M    48 Northwood NH           
    8   21:17   16:44   77.58 John Tuttle              M    64 Alton NH               
    9   22:16   16:55   76.80 Len Hall                 M    67 Enfield NH             
   10   22:05   17:04   76.07 Brian Collins            M    65 Canterbury NH          
   11   20:12   17:14   75.32 Darin Brown              M    54 Madison NH             
   12   22:54   17:51   72.72 Peter Wasylak            M    65 Dunstable MA           
   13   21:28   17:53   72.59 Vincent Perelli          M    57 Penacook NH            
   14   20:43   18:14   71.21 Benjamin Strauss         M    50 New Boston NH          
   15   22:30   18:18   70.97 Stuart Siegler           M    60 Alton Bay NH           
   16   21:39   18:28   70.28 Mark Fisher              M    53 Chichester NH          
   17   25:50   18:44   69.33 Tom Walton               M    72 Contoocook NH          
   18   20:54   18:57   68.50 James Pawlicki           M    46 Lynn MA                
   19   26:52   19:29   66.66 Brewster Bartlett        M    72 Loudon NH              
   20   23:10   19:37   66.20 Bruce Dyke               M    54 Chichester NH          
 
Top Teams Woodchuck 5k
 
  1. 246.92  KEZAR LAKE RUNNING CLUB                                      (82.31)
  1   85.24  Ernest Brake                          M  60
  2   82.42  James Smith                          M  62
  3   79.26  Terrence Ferns                      M  52
  4  (76.68) Edward Stowell                    M  20
  5  (74.32) Sherry Smith                         F  14
  6  (68.04) James Brady                         M  20
  7  (47.47) Thi Smith                               F  45
 
  2. 244.70  DUCT TAPE AND SPIT                                           (81.57)
  1   85.15  Dave Dunham                        M  57
  2   80.86  Doug Deangelis                      M  55
  3   78.69  Timothy Cox                           M  48
  4  (75.33) Darin Brown                           M  54
  5  (68.50) James Pawlicki                       M  46
 
  3. 238.52  MUGWUMPS 2                                                   (79.51)
  1   81.57  Michael Barry                         M  65
  2   80.14  Gini Nichols                             F  61
  3   76.81  Len Hall                                    M  68
  4  (76.07) Brian Collins                            M  66
  5  (69.34) Tom Walton                            M  72
  6  (66.67) Brewster Bartlett                    M  72
  7  (66.43) Betsy Black                               F  61