Thursday, June 15, 2023

Looking back - June 1998

25 years ago (June 1998): I was still coming back from my 5 month lay-off in 1997 (Fractured navicular) and had only started racing again in late April.  I raced four times, 3 mountain races and a road 10k.  I started the month with a win at Pack Monadnock (06/07/98).  I targeted teammate Mike Casner from the start and was able to pass him when we hit the state park (and the real tough climbing).  A week later I changed gears, running a 10km road race in Portsmouth NH.  The USATF NE championships was held during a pouring rain and 60 degrees.  I got out slowly in 30th at the mile but slowly moved up to 20th by 2 miles and ultimately 13th at the finish in 31:33.  A week later (06/20/98) I was back at Mt Washington getting my ass kicked by Matt Carpenter (60:27) among others.  I finished in fourth place in 1:03:38.  My final race of the month was the USATF New England Mountain running championships at Stratton VT.  French mountain runner Thierry Icart had stayed after Mt Washington and picked up a win here running 51:27 over the 10km course with a big 1,700’ climb from 6k-9k.  I took third in the field of 85 runners in 53:36.                                             

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