Here is a group picture from today’s run from Forest River Park. Remember, the Club meets every Saturday morning at 8 am at Forest River Park in Salem. Hope to see more people out there next Saturday!
Monthly Archive for May, 2008
Welcome to the debut of the new Wicked Running Club website!
In keeping with our rapidly increasing enrollment, it is very fitting that we now introduce a newly revamped website to spotlight our Club. The site will evolve over time with our goal being to provide an informative, entertaining, and interactive experience for all who visit the site. We encourage you to share any ideas you may have on how we can make our site best meet our members’ needs as well as attract new members.
Special thanks go out to Wicked members Tim Short and John Mahoney who along with Aaron Toleos have worked very hard to make this new website a reality. We hope you all enjoy it and learn from it.
This Memorial Day weekend proved to be a busy one for Wicked members. We were very well represented in a variety of races throughout the state.
On Saturday, nearly 250 runners braved strong winds to compete in the US Coast Guard F.I.R.M. Duathlon down in Bourne. Running 2 miles, biking 12 miles, and then running another 2 miles were Wicked’s Patrick Smith, Jay Curry, Dan Cooper, Denise Murphy, and Stephanie Cooper. While he has competed previously in triathlons, this was Dan’s first duathlon–not bad for a first attempt (with a nasty cold, to boot). A special commendation to Steph for even attempting this grueling event, still recovering from an injury and pretty sick with a cold.
Everyone in this group is registered for the Timberman 1/2 Iron Man in August (as well as a slew of other triathlons and multi-sport events) and will be doing swim and bike training in addition to running. If you are interested in multi-sport training, contact Steph Cooper for group workout schedule.
17 Patrick Smith 1:00:21
41 Jay Curry 1:04:50
49 Dan Cooper 1:06:07
96 Denise Murphy 1:13:21
164 Stephanie Cooper 1:25:33
Also on Saturday, Deb, Liz and Steve Touchette ran the Wachusett Mountain Run, first race in the La Sportiva USATF New England Mountain Series. There were 338 finishers. Steve left the family behind, but mother and daughter ran together. It was noted that at one point in the race, Liz said to her mom, “Hey, how come we don’t do ‘normal’ mother and daughter things together like manicures, massages, and facials?” Well, lucky for Wicked, family time means running time. AND, scoop here. Rumor has it that another member of the Touchette family has been training and will make her debut at an upcoming race. HINT: They don’t allow guys in this one. Congratulations, Deb, for finishing third in your age group and thanks for the “bag of goodies” you saved for your friend. Best of luck with Mt. Washington.
160 Steve Touchette 39:30
189 Liz Touchette 40:49
190 Deb Touchette 40:50
Sunday’s Run To Remember 5 mile and Half Marathon in Boston drew the largest contingent of Wicked runners. It was a beautiful run through the historic streets of Boston, heating up towards the end. 1,702 runners competed in the 5 miler and 3,477 runners finished the half marathon. Beth and Doug ran the 5 miler with very respectable times:
240 Beth O’Grady 39:55 7:59
258 Doug Bollen 40:21 8:05
Great running, you two. Top 15%. It was great seeing Beth and Doug’s familiar faces cheering us half marathoners onto the finish.
Half Marathon results are as follows:
274 1/40 Billy Prentiss 1:39:19 7:35 (1st. in age group)
602 32/171 Billy Shea 1:45:49 8:05 (top 17%)
608 95/376 Danny Leadvaro 1:45:53 8:05 (1st half marathon)
1503 213/630 Paula Novelli 1:58:09 9:01 (top 44%)
1577 318/512 Chip Bott 1:58:20 9:02 (missed PR by 16 sec)
1594 110/356 Sally Holtzman 1:58:37 9:03 (top 46%)
3072 155/171 Frank Kilroy 2:22:51 10:54 (1st half marathon)
3073 295/356 Darla Johnson 2:22:52 10:54 (1st half marathon)
Darla reports that she and Frank had such a fun experience on their first half marathon. They ran “to finish; not for time.” Both had “plenty left over, and can’t wait to do it again next year.” I have to compliment Darla. For someone new to running, she has put her heart and soul into it–training regularly, competing in races, participating in the Thursday night track workouts. And it all shows. She’s getting better and better. It seems to be rubbing off also on her partner, Frank. Darla is very sweet and an inspiration and role model for all the new runners out there. Congratulations also to Billy Prentiss, another inspiring runner who proves that age doesn’t have to slow us down, for coming in first in his age group. Too bad we didn’t stick around for you to accept your award. The Chip and Sally team were in fine form, with Mr. Bott barely missing capturing a second PR within a week’s time. If this morning’s run is any indication, it’s only a matter of time. Paula, one of our newer members, “Great job!” It was fun meeting up with you at the start. And Danny boy, well, I think we all know how you did. A terrific first! “Whawooh!”
Down in beautiful Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, Rachel Hunt and Colin Maclay ran the Oak Bluffs 5K Memorial Day Road Race on Sunday. Out of 511 runners, Rachel (23:19:19) and Colin (23:20:20) finished 71st and 72nd. Great runs! Speaking of running (more specifically, flying), Colin is back to Switzerland to meet with “world leaders” to discuss the ethical use of technology in our society (or something like that! Hey, he taught me how to text!).
The Dory Run 5K in Swampscott on Monday drew a crowd of 165 including some of Wicked’s fastest runners. It also included Jen Toomey, our Thursday night track coach, who was first overall female with a blazing time of 17:56. Not far behind were the following proud Wicked runners:
8 Rich Tomlins 2/33 18:38 6:00
9 Steve Nickerson 3/24 18:43 6:02
10 Tim Short 3/7 18:51 6:05
35 Steve Touchette 8/24 22:53 7:22
46 Liz Touchette 1/7 23:50 7:41
48 Deb Touchette 1/5 23:53 7:42
88 Annalisa DiPalma 5/12 26:56 8:41 (ran w/ husband, Dino)
115 Ruth Brediger 10/17 29:52 9:37
A warm welcome goes out to Steve Nickerson, one of our newest members. Unfortunately, he joined right after last week’s Beach To Beach Race where if he had been a Wicked member, we would have finished 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Good recruiting, whoever!
Welcome also to Ruth Brediger who looks forward to “getting in shape and getting a little quicker with help from the Club.”
You’ll find many in the Club who share your goal, Ruth.
Kudos to award winners: Rich Tomlins, Steve Nickerson, Tim Short, Liz Touchette, and Deb Touchette. Not bad, Wicked. Not bad at all.
Last, but certainly not least, Karen Giroux ran the Pineland Farms 25K Trail Run in Maine. While not official yet, Karen clocked in at 3:04:42, a great showing despite worn trail shoes and resulting blisters on both feet! Trooper that she is, though, she was at Front Street this morning at 5:30 AM with both feet bandaged and ready to run. Great job, Karen.
Some New Member Tidbits:
Jason Matulewicz writes that he had no results to report but that he is working with Aline Systems, testing foot beds for them. He writes that this is “a really cool company out of Marblehead that is reshaping orthotics.” Learn more about it at http://www.aline.com/Default.aspx?Page=stay Also,check out Jason’s website at http://www.29photographs.com/.
Welcome to the Club, Jason.
Melissa Jaynes also did no racing this weekend, but shared with us a little about herself. Melissa is 27 (until June) and has been running for about a year. Her best pace was a 36 minute 4 miler (at our very own Frosty 4!) Her favorite distance is half-marathon and she recently completed New Bedford in 2:15, a PR. Her next race is the Covered Bridge half marathon on June 1 (I believe Doug and Beth are also doing this one). She has recovered from an IT band injury and claims to have survived ice baths after long runs (see Dan Cooper about those!) She is the proud owner of Otis, a 10 month old Rottweiler pup and likes to knit in her spare time. She admits, though, that knitting during running could be dangerous. Hhhhmmmmmmm. Welcome, Melissa. Hope to meet up with you soon.
And that’s it. Again, my apologies to anyone I may have left out.
Also, thanks to those who sent me blurbs. It helped to put this together.
I hope everyone has a good week ahead. Remember, Lynn Woods starts Wednesday night at 6:30 PM.
This past Sunday morning was a beautiful day for racing, and Wicked members surely took advantage of it by choosing among the more scenic spots on the Northshore: Marblehead, Essex, and Newburyport as well as one in a more urban setting: Central Square in Lynn.
At the inaugural running of the Beach to Beach 5K in Marblehead, Wicked threw a 1, 2, 3 (and 5) punch to capture the top spots in the race: Jason Barnes (1), Dave Dixon (2), Rich Tomlins (3), and Tim Short (5). Billy Prentiss (12) and Moe Kelley (19) were not far behind. Theresa Johnson (and her baby) ran for the first time together as a team and newcomer Michelle Campbell completed what turned out to be a terrific Wicked showing of enthusiasm, determination, and athletic prowess. 214 runners participated in this race which was sponsored by the Junior Aid Society, Inc.
Close by in Lynn, the scene changed from the seashore to the city streets for another inaugural 5K race, Our Angels 5K, a charity event benefiting the March of Dimes. Helping out the cause by running were our very own Doug Bollen (22), Beth O’Grady (23) and Annalisa DiPalma (40). 72 runners participated. Great running for a great cause.
Heading north to Essex, the Happy As A Clam 5K also made its debut. With a field of 65 runners, Tim Clarke finished 15th overall and 4th in his age group. Excellent job, Tim! A “shout out” also to Aaron Toleos, our new web designer, who also ran this race and came in 7th and placed 3rd in his age group. Looking at the entries here, a lot of us “older folk” are “kicking ourselves” for not running in this one! This race benefited the Essex Elementary School and its children.
Veering off the road and into the woods, Wicked’s Karen Giroux made it a family affair by running with her two sons, Kinnon and Forest, in Trav’s Trail Run, a 3.0 mile cross country race in Newburyport. This race attracted 264 runners, and Karen placed a very respectable 173 with a time of 26:51. Kinnon made the top 25% finishing in 21:18 and Forrest achieved 24:37 (Better hurry up, mom!) We all wish Karen an injury free season as she trains for the Mount Desert Island marathon in Maine on October 19. An injury prevented her from running Stonecat marathon last year.
What’s up for Wicked this coming weekend? The Touchette’s (Steve, Deb, and Liz) will be running up the mountain on Saturday at the Wachusett Mountain Road Race—a taste of what’s to come for them when they tackle (or embrace!) Mt. Washington in June. Several of us (Chip, Billy P, Billy S, Danny, Sally, Darla, Frank, Paula) will be running Sunday through the streets of Boston in the Run To Remember Half Marathon. Doug and Beth will be running the 5 mile portion of the Run To Remember. Heading down to Cape Cod for the FIRM Coast Guard Duathalon: 2 mile run, 12 mile bike ride, 2 mile run, will be Dan and Stephanie Cooper, Patrick Smith, Denise Murphy, new Wicked member Jay Curry and their friend Bill Morse. This group likes to “shake things up” and always inspires us with different and unusual athletic endeavors. Karen will tackle the Pineland Farms Trail Challenge 25K this weekend. Rich Tomlins and Tim Short will blaze through Rich’s hometown in the Dory Run in Swampscott on Monday. With our rapidly expanding membership, I have probably not included everybody’s weekend racing plans here. We’ll soon have a better mechanism set up to assure we account for everybody.
For all you “Woods” people, the Lynn Woods Cross Country Series officially begins “Spring Training” this coming Wednesday, May 28, at 6:30 PM. The regular season gets underway June 4. There is always the choice of running a shorter or longer distance. Lots of fun! And for those who prefer the firm ground, don’t forget the Danvers 5K Fun Runs every Wednesday night at 7:00 PM from Cody’s Brewery. Looking for a more relaxing run? Run on Monday nights with John Mahoney’s crew where the pace is set by the slowest runner. Up early in the AM? Come down to Front St. in Salem at 5:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays for an invigorating 5.3 mile run through the Willows and Winter Island. After a long, cold winter, it actually begins in the daylight now. Saturday, of course, is our Wicked feature run starting from Forest River at 8:00 AM and running the trail to Marblehead and back.
Fridays you can rest…. or not!
Congratulations, all, for this past weekend’s accomplishments and good luck in whatever you do this coming weekend.
Happy Memorial Day. Happy “unofficial” Summer. May it be a Wicked one for all.