Frosty Four runners kick off the new year in style
By Jay Kumar
Correspondent
About 450 runners got the new decade off to a running start yesterday at the third annual Wicked Frosty Four road race in Salem.
Runners convened at Old Town Hall in Salem before starting the race on Front Street. They followed the course out of the downtown and into Salem Willows before the turnaround. The last half of the race took runners by Dead Horse Beach, which still had plenty of snow on the ground.
Unlike last year’s event, which was marred by subzero temperatures and bitter winds, the race yesterday enjoyed nearly perfect winter running conditions: Little to no wind, temps in the high 20s. Mike Quintal, 31, of North Andover won in 21:22, a 5:21 per mile pace. Alex Gomes, 21, of Peabody finished second in 21:40 (5:25) and Dave Dunham, 45, of Bradford was third with a 22:22 (5:36).
Crystal Anthony, 29, of Beverly was the top female finisher with a 24:26 (6:07) time. Becky Hutchinson, 28, of Boston was second in 25:34 (6:24) and Katie Sinnott, 33, of Salem finished third in 27:58 (7:00).
Anthony, who was the top female runner at last year’s race, said she’s currently training for triathlons later in the year. “This is my offseason,” she said.
Noting the relatively mild weather yesterday, Anthony added, “Compared to last year, this was easy.”
Race director Rich Tomlins of Salem’s Wicked Running Club was thankful for the good race conditions, but also noted that the event’s success was equally due to his crew of about 45 volunteers and support from the Salem Park, Recreation and Community Services Department.
“It’s still exciting every time out,” he said. “This is our biggest year yet.”
The Frosty Four also benefits from being the first of six events in the 2010 Salem Race Series, Tomlins said. Runners who complete all six races win a commemorative hooded sweatshirt.
In addition, however, it seems as though there’s a running resurgence on the North Shore. The Salem races have increased in attendance each year, and there are more races being held now in the area than there was a decade ago.
“Running has gotten more popular,” said Tomlins. “American runners are getting better, so there’s more attention being paid to running.”
Doug Bollen, director of the Salem Park, Recreation and Community Services Department, agrees that more people are running than in recent memory. Bollen is director of the Salem race series, which is in its third year. Last year, 300 people signed up to run the series, and this year, there are more than 400 runners registered.
“I do think there’s a running boom and a fitness boom going on,” he said, noting that women now make up 60 percent of race entrants in what was once a primarily male-dominated sport.
In addition, older runners are taking up the sport again. At the Wild Turkey Thanksgiving Day race, there were 60 runners over the age of 60 and 15 runners over 70. “It’s in all ages,” Bollen said of the increasing number of local runners. “People are starting later in life, in their 40s.”
Next up for Bollen is the Olde Salem Greens Snowshoe Classic next Saturday, a 5K snowshoe race/trail run, and next in the Salem race series is the Olde Salem Greens 5K cross-country race on March 21.
