Monthly Archive for January, 2010

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.

Runners take off at the Start of the Wicked Frosty Four.

What a great day for the Wicked Running Club! The 3rd Annual Wicked Frosty Four was a huge success. There were a total of 532 registered runners and 449 runners finished the 4 mile course. This was our largest turnout yet for the race. The Frosty Four would not be the success it is without the hard work and dedication from the members of the Wicked Running Club.

Members of Wicked pose for a group photo.

From our fearless Race Director; Rich Tomlins to our excellent volunteer coordinator; Alison Phelan and the countless other Wicked Runners who not only helped out with the pre-race planning but also day of race activities and supported the race overall, the reason why this race has been such a success over the past 3 years is because of the great people within Wicked. Below is a list of those who supported this years race (if anyone was missed in the list, please email newsletter@wickedrunningclub.com):

Shari Hewson, Amber Woolfenden, Mary Tolan, Alex Lane, Peter Raymond, Shannon O’Donnell, Robert Guay, Rich Tabbut, Ed Fogarty, Cynthia Rowley-Ekborg, Chris Chang, Debbie Shahidi, Stephanie Hagyard, Patty Carter, Dan Cooper, Steph Cooper, Billy Shea, Kendra Kelly, Susan Keezer, Chris Anderson, Bruce Campbell, Stacy Adams, Colin Maclay, Rachel Hunt, Adam Fitch, Meghan Debski, Robin Lermond, Aaron Toleos, Mariko Weston, Fred Bollen, The Tuttle Family, Jacquie Washburn, John McDonough, Deb Seeberg, Fred Bolen, Chrissy O’Donnell, Steve & Deb Touchette, Mara Mendelson, Sally Holtzman, Frank Kilroy, Liz Touchette, Dan Sullivan, Michele Campbell, Daniel Barrett, Gail Gordon, TR Ramsdell, Kathey Moskal, Tim Clarke, James DeLuca, Tracy McLaughlin, Kerry & Natalie Phelan, Chip Bott, Doug Bollen, Beth O’Grady, TR Ramsdell, Melisa Jayens, Darla Johnson, Kenny Hewson, Allison Rourke, Karen Giroux, John Mahoney, Mariko Weston, Kerry Gertz.

The party got started after the race with lots of great food and some sparkling cider!

While there were 449 finishers in this year’s race, there were actually 532 registered runners! Both records for the race. So how does one feed 449 runners after a 4 mile race? With tons of great food! One thing that the Wicked Frosty Four is famous for is it’s large food spread. Sandwiches from Chic-fil-A, bread and pastries from Panera Bread, soups from Kettle Cuisine, oranges/bananas from McKinnon’s, cookies from Shortcakes, Cape Cod Chips, and yogurt were just some of tasty food that greeted runners when they made their way up to the festivities on the second floor of Old Town Hall.

There were lots of tasty treats for runners that finished the race, including these Wicked cookies from Shortcakes.

After every runner left Old Town Hall and the clean up was completed from the race, members from Wicked took to the streets to run the Wicked Frosty Four course. What is becoming a tradition, also gives members a chance to unwind from a busy morning. There was a mini snowball fight between Rich Tomlins, Dan Sullivan, Tim Short and Liz Touchette. This group should probably stick to running as most of the snowballs missed their intended targets. The 3rd Annual Wicked Frosty Four is now in the books and there will be many great stories to come out that will be posted on the website.