Wicked Running Club

I first met Eileen Dunn late last year when the Danvers Fun Run on Wednesday nights first started. I had seen her previously a few times helping out at races, and I knew she had some connection to Doug Bollen, Park and Recreation Director, but other than that, I knew her only as a very friendly face, always pleasant and smiling. After a few Danvers runs and the spring running clinic of which both of us participated, I started to know her better and quickly came to admire her quiet but determined spirit as well as her superior athletic prowess. Watching her sprint up those hills at Collins Middle School, I couldn’t help but ask myself, “How does this girl do it?” It soon became evident that Eileen, like many other Wicked runners, has a vast repertoire of activities to keep herself physically fit. Most of us know that she recently returned from San Diego from a surfing adventure, followed by a backpacking trip to the White Mountains, and a week ago Sunday, she traveled home to Delmar, New York, to participate in her third Pine Bush Triathlon. This has become somewhat of a tradition with her brother, Danny, and at the same time serves as a worthy excuse to travel home to visit with the family. Eileen concedes that her brother is “Just naturally athletic” and that she is not particularly competitive with him. “He will always run faster than me.”

The weather started out fine for the event, with a threat of rain. It was muggy, but the downpour held off until right after Eileen crossed the finish line. The race started out with Eileen’s favorite part, the swim. “The swim can be a bit frightening though. You’re there with your wave standing in knee to waist deep water waiting for the start to be announced. Then everyone belly flops in and it’s a free for all. People swim on top of you, kick you, pull at your arms. It’s total chaos until it spreads out a bit.” Eileen finished the 325 yard swim in 5:53. Eileen enjoys the bike also. “Hey, you’re sitting down.” The course was fairly flat with very few hills. Usually plagued by bad luck with tires, Eileen was grateful to have escaped any flats. “I’m starting to feel more confident during the bike ride. Patrick (her brother) gave me some pointers earlier this year which have been very helpful.” Eileen clocked in at 43:40 for the 11.5 miles. Now, this is something that Eileen did not want me to share, but, hey, we’re all on the same team here, the run was her least favorite part. “It always gets me. I was exhausted. I actually took a tumble (I can relate to that!) It was in the first mile, and I got a little too close to where the pavement meets the dirt and rolled my ankle on the ledge. I hit the pavement, did a roll, and hopped back up and started running in hopes that nobody noticed. Of course everyone started yelling, ‘Are you OK?’ I was fine minus the road rash on my right hand, but it’s healing nicely.” Eileen reports she “made it through the run without walking, other than a few recovery steps after the fall, which is always my goal.” Eileen ran the 3.25 miles in 29:25 with an overall finish time of 1:18:57. Great job, Eileen!

Eileen has done two other sprint triathlons besides the Pine Bush, both down in New Jersey where she lived for a bit post graduation. This past June she did her first Olympic distance triathlon, the Mooseman in New Hampshire. Eileen’s favorite race of the year is the Reach the Beach Relay “200 Miles in 24 Hours” www.rtbrelay.com This September will be the third year she and her friends have entered a team. Eileen stresses, “I do this stuff for fun, not to be competitive.”

How did Eileen’s journey bring her to Salem? She grew up in Delmar, New York which is a hamlet of the Town of Bethlehem. She’s the youngest of 8 children and has 9 nieces and nephews. She went to the University of New Hampshire where she rowed her 4 years there and was a captain of the team her senior year. She graduated in 2004 with a B. S. in Kinesiology in Sports Studies with a minor in Psychology. She bemoans the fact that women’s crew has since been cut as a varsity sport. Prior to coming to work in Salem, Eileen lived in Davis Square in Somerville and worked for a small company called Marathon Tours & Travel located in Charlestown. She helped set up group travel to marathons around the world. The owner (her former boss), Thom Gilligan founded the Antarctica Marathon and the 7 Continents Club, a group for people that complete a marathon on all 7 continents. She started work for the City of Salem last June as the Recreation Supervisor for the Park and Recreation Department. And what a fantastic job she has done! Knowing how modest Eileen is, I sought out her supervisor, Doug Bollen, and asked him for his thoughts on Eileen. He had some pretty impressive things to say about her. “Eileen is our Recreation Supervisor, and she has brought to the position a high energy, super organized approach. She has helped our department take Recreation to the next level, always going the extra yard to make sure each program is meeting the expectations of each participant and assuring them a positive experience. I truly believe with Eileen on board, we have the top Recreation Department around and the best Salem has ever been offered! She is the perfect fit for the job! Pretty nice words to hear from your boss, Eileen. When asked how she got involved with the Wicked Running Club, Eileen states she joined last January when Doug, her boss, handed her an application, told her to fill it out and mail it in. “I did what the boss told me. I’m very glad I joined–what a great group of people!” We’re glad you joined, also, Eileen. Thanks for all you do.