Recap by Linda Desjardins.
Winners Circle Running Club’s 40th Annual April Fool 4 Mile Road Race.
April 1, 2023.
The first race in the North Shore Striders Grand Prix had a tremendous club showing and impressive results. On a day when everyone had second thoughts about blowing off the race after awakening to downpours, a host of Striders still laced up their running shoes and reported to the starting line. Fortunately, the heavy gully washers let up and toned down to just light and very manageable rain for the four-mile sojourn. With a 42-degree temperature, the weather did not really become a factor as the puddles were quite easy to avoid and there was no wind to complicate matters. A decent-sized crowd, 236, finished the race.
The course is one familiar to past participants: Rabbit Road for about .8 and then a right hand turn on to a neighborhood side street to a cul-de-sac at 2 miles and then back to the finish. The terrain couldn’t be flatter even if it was steamrollered! Scenery was only so-so with trees not yet budding and flowers not yet in bloom and we had an overcast sky, but it’s always interesting to run an out-and-back course and see how long it takes for the speedsters to blur by on their return route. It can be discouraging when one is expending maximum effort and has just passed the one-mile mark to see the leaders coming back through their mile 3. The water stop, just short of two miles, is always welcome. A man spewing cigar smoke at said stop? Not so much, and he was still puffing away on that cigar on the return. Yuck! But once the realization occurs that the race is half through, runners put on their afterburners for the charge to the finish and little annoyances are left in their wake. The receptions hosted by the Winner’s Circle always feel welcoming and the snacks, beers, and video of the race help keep everyone charged up. The Winner’s Circle stayed with the traditional awards ceremony and it feels right to be able to cheer for all the award winners. The post-race gathering is always the frosting on the cake in a well-organized event, and this one was just that.
Your participating Striders and their placements:
- Women 40-49
- Joy Erickson, 33:09, Age Group 3 rd , 10 th Woman overall, 49 th Finisher
- Siobhan Stoney, 37:12, Age Group 9 th, 100 th Finisher
- Karen Batt, 42:10, Age Group 14 th , 150 th Finisher
- Patty Santos, 45:16, Age Group 22 nd , 197 th Finisher
- Women 50-59
- Rebecca Imperiali, 32:31, Age Group 2 nd , 7 th Woman overall, 44 th finisher
- Jill Page, 35:24, Age Group 7 th , 79 th Finisher
- Rosie Kyes, 37:12, Age Group 13 th , 99 th Finisher
- Women 60-69
- Jennifer O’Neil, 33:58, Age Group 3 rd , 61 st Finisher
- Sally Fowler, 37:31, Age Group 8 th , 102 nd Finisher
- Men 60-69
- Rich Tabbut, 34:25, Age Group 12 th , 66 th Finisher
- Ron Imperiali, 40:25, Age Group 19 th , 132 nd Finisher
- Women 70-79
- Linda Desjardins, 43:42, Age Group 2 nd , 170 th Finisher
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