Club News

Nahant 30K Needs You!
by Mike Pelletier
Monday, August 25, 2008

NAHANT, MA - Annajean McMahon, Anne Pelletier, Neil Bernstein and Nancy Wilson have all been working very hard on the Nahant 30K. Now we need every other Strider to pitch in and help us by volunteering on race day: Sunday, September 14, 2008. Registration begins at 6am. The Sunshine start is at 7:30am; the main start is at 8:30am. It takes a while to run 18.6 miles, so we may need your help until at least noon, if not 1pm. I know that is a long time, but it is only once a year that I ask this of you.

We need volunteers for 5 water stops, for course marshalls, for registration and the finish line, and we need a couple of pickup trucks and strong backs to distribute water, ice, and tables to the water stops and to place 18 heavy mile markers out on the course. (George Geis no longer has a truck to carry the mile markers, nor does he have a strong enough back.)

We also need 4-5 volunteers for finish line duty at the Progeria Race in Peabody on September 6. If you positively cannot help at Nahant because of a scheduling conflict, please volunteer for Peabody.

Please e-mail me and Vicky Yee who will organize all of the volunteers and tell us you will help. If we have to call you, Tom McMahon has volunteered to make the calls. If you don't have enough race tee-shirts and want a cotton volunteer shirt for the Nahant 30K, please let us know.

Thank you in advance for the help I know you will give us.

Paper Mache Runners 2008
by Mike Pelletier
Monday, August 25, 2008

BEVERLY, MA - Five Days to Glory: Striders who completed all three of these races will receive as-yet-to-be-determined prizes.

Amazing: racing 6.6 miles in only three days with only a single day of rest between each race!

Quotes from participants:

"This is my greatest honor since I was elected hall monitor in 4th grade."
"Everyone doubted me except my old girlfriend, Zelda."
"When I finished the last race, I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes."
"I wish I had trained smarter for this competition."
"When I finished the last race, I had a rock in my shoe and a pain in my gut. I guess I shouldn't have eaten that second doughnut, just before the start."
"When I found out the prize was not a trip to Everett , I was really bummed out."
"I'm hoping the prize is a piñata with the winner's face on it."
"What?...Are you kidding me?"
"Where's the porta-john?"
"How was I supposed to know that the Lynn Woods were in Lynn ?"
"Why did the Derby Street Mile start on Fort Ave. ?"
"I couldn't have done this without my teammates to inspire me."
"At last I am vindicated."

6th Annual Marcia Lemkin 5K
by Mike Pelletier
Sunday, August 24, 2008

LOWELL, MA - Race Director Melissa Behl once again did a great job with this race held in memory of her mother, Marcia Lemkin.

Sean Kay jetted to Boston from Dublin, Ireland, just to run this race and was rewarded by finishing as 1st Strider. Frank Lanzillo got up extra early for the race, arriving in Lowell by 9am, carrying his breakfast, a one-gallon jug of orange juice. Fortified with 1600% of his minimum daily requirement of vitamin C, Frank was able to run 7:01 pace. (Compare this to Frank's pace of 7:38 at Lynn Woods.)

New Strider Laura Pomponi put her training on the track with Melissa Behl to good use and finished as 1st Strider woman and second in her age group.

Nancy Giannone was 2nd Woman 60-69. The ever gracious Nancy let each of the four guys riding in the SUV with her hold her medal for a minute and then she hung it on the mirror so that we could admire it all the way back to her house.

Ken Watson and George Geis each took 3rd in their respective age groups although George came within 2 seconds of 2nd, nosed out by a sprinting Steve "The Kid" Kanaracus (63 years young).

Kate Gage just missed the medal stand when she finished 4th in her age group. Kate blames long runs with Dennis Ryan and me for her newly acquired lack of speed.

I took revenge on Tom McMahon for kicking my butt in the Derby Street Mile by running just off his shoulder for 2.1 miles and then sprinting across the bridge on the sidewalk while Tom dodged the traffic on the roadway. (Wiley beats speedy.)

Full results at Cool Running.

Derby Street Mile
by Mike Pelletier
Friday, August 22, 2008

SALEM, MA - Gary Freedman was the fastest Strider at the Derby Street Mile, running a 5:27 mile, and Melissa Behl was the fastest Strider female with a 6:04 mile. Melissa was 2nd in her age group and 4th woman overall.

Jay Kumar was the only Strider Master besides Gary to run under 6 minutes, recording a solid 5:58.

Gary Freedman in the Master category and Dave Jefska in the Senior category each missed a fifth place medal by a mere 3 seconds. Dick Buchanan continued his comeback from injury by finishing 1st in the 70+ category and Gail Sullivan easily ran 9:31 in her first run of any kind in a year.

Mario Fagone won an unofficial award for best fan base. His run down Fort Avenue was accompanied by hoards of female fans, jumping up and down and screaming, "Mario, Mario, Mario" as he ran by. Buoyed by their enthusiasm, Mario was on record pace until he reached Derby Street at ½ mile, whereupon his fans evaporated and a piano jumped on his back. The end wasn't pretty as Mario was reported to plead, "No mas" as he crossed the finish line.

I knew just what he meant. I thought the same thing when Tom McMahon easily blew by me just before the finish: "No mas."

Full results at Cool Running.