Wicked Running Club

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.