WRR April/May 2013

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The Wicked Running RegisterApril-May 2013 • Priceless EST. JAN 2010

Race ReviewTARC Spring Classic Trail Race • Weston, MA April 27, 2013

Valerie Mathews

From what I’ve experienced, there are two different opinions out

there on trail running- either you

love it, or you don’t. Those who love it don’t understand how anyone could possibly not. And those who don’t love it can’t understand how anyone possibly could. Running trail is much different than running on roads, for a variety of reasons. For me, running trail is about getting “lost” in the woods, preferably without actually getting lost. I love go-ing out there and enjoying the sounds, smells, and feel of nature. And, as it turns out, there are many other people who feel the same way.

TARC, or the Trail Animals Running Club, is a free and fun group for anyone who likes to run on the trails. It’s a bunch of “animals”, really. All of the races that TARC sponsors are welcom-ing to everyone, no matter your speed, distance, or ability. The TARC Spring Classic, with a choice of four distances (10K, Half Marathon, Marathon, and

50K), is truly a race for anyone. Like all of the TARC races, the Spring Classic was inexpensive, with a potluck theme and reusable timing chips helping to keep costs down. Rather than trying to get big donations or spending money to purchase food, the TARC races rely on the runners to provide the majority of the sweet and salty snacks, divvying up required offerings based on the first initial of your last name. As an “M”, I was responsible for “salty”, and brought a container of peanuts.

The race itself was great- the course was what they call “fast and flat”, keep-ing in mind that this phrase typically means something different when talking about trail than when talking about road. As someone who typically trains in Lynn Woods, trust me when I say that the course was considerably easier than what I’m used to. The ground was covered in soft pine needles in most places, making for a comfortable foot landing. There were also a few stream crossings on logs and rocks, mud being a must for a true trail race! The Half Marathon course, which is what I ran that day, was two of the 10K

loops, with an extra little section to make up the missing mileage. Between laps, runners can stop at the aid sta-tion for snacks and beverages, say hi to friends and fellow runners, and/or hit the porta-potty as needed. And when you finish your personal race, you can sit on the lawn on a blanket or in a chair and cheer on your friends and fellow animals as they come through the aid station or the finish, all while sipping an icy cold adult beverage from your cooler and chatting with friends, both old and new.

If you’re thinking about giving trail a try, or a second try… think about checking out one of the TARC races- they are always a great time, with some of the best and most supportive people I’ve ever met! As far as the Spring Classic goes, I’d give this race five out of five cats!

Billy Jackson ran the 50K and shows off his mud at the TARC Spring Classic.

The Wicked Running Register • April–May 2013 • [email protected]

Presidential Perspective T.R. Ramsdell

Nothing like this was ever supposed to happen. Never, ever, in a million years, or in your wildest thoughts, was anything like this supposed

to happen. But it did. It was a perfect day. Perfect in every way from where I stood. It was cool, so much different than the inferno that the runners suffered through last year. This was going to be a fast field. We had the top Kenyans and Ethiopians, as per usual, but we also had a hometown Olympian, Shalane Flanagan, taking part in her first Boston Marathon. Wicked had 16 runners taking part in the greatest race on the Earth that day, and we were eager to see them and cheer for them, and live through them for a short amount of time as they swallowed up every step of their 26.2 mile journey. We even had two special “guest” runners that day. Wicked was given two club entries into the race as a thank you to the club for manning the gel stop year after year. Our guest runners were Amber Woolfenden and Rich Tabbut. One was celebrating their first Boston, the other, perhaps, their last. The runners were ready. They trained their asses off over a very dif-ficult winter. They fought through snow, cold, sickness and injuries. They logged the miles, hit the gym, did core torture, and deprived themselves of certain luxuries and treats over the holidays. Some raised money for various chari-

ties, some claimed that all-powerful BQ. Each had a different agenda for why they were there. For some it was pay-off for getting that BQ, others did it just simply to prove they could, and that’s good enough for me. But there they were. Toeing the line with the best run-ners in the world, on that perfect day. I joined 59 of my Wicked teammates at mile 17 to hand out gel to the runners. I’ve done it for 4 years, and enjoy it immensely. It is such a great feeling to know that you are part of the greatest event, helping the runners get what they need to get to the finish. Sure, it seems simple enough. Hold out a gel pack at arms length, wait for someone to snatch it away, repeat as necessary. But proba-

bly more importantly than just “handing out goo,” we are “on” the playing field. No one is allowed closer than we get, and there’s a certain magic that comes with that. We were there, carrying boxes, handing out gel, cleaning up so it looked as if nothing had ever taken place, on that perfect day. We yelled words of encouragement to the runners. We handed out the goo, we cheered wildly when one of our own ran by, or better yet, stopped for a hug. We had an amazing time, and when it was all cleaned up, we walked to our

cars for the ride home. We were sticky, dirty, and exhausted, but so very happy to have been part of it, even in our small way. And as we walked to our cars, a neighbor nearby called out to us, and asked if we had heard what happened at the finish. What a sickening feeling came over us. I hoped for the best, but soon realized the worst. This couldn’t really be happening, could it? How? After all, this day had been perfect. Runners continued to do just that, not knowing what lie ahead for some time. Eventually they were stopped and diverted around the area. Sent into unfamiliar neighborhoods to wander around and search for friends and fam-ily. On-lookers and bystanders helped

the runners by offering blankets and water. There was utter chaos for many hours as we struggled to get through to our friends and family with virtually no cell service. One by one, we accounted for each of our little running family. But as we soon learned, not everyone escaped unscathed. Two members of our family had been injured that day. That perfect day.

“Weallhadthathelplessfeelingnotknowingifeveryonewassafe.Weallfeltsorrowandcompassionforthoseinjured.Westrugglewithamyriadoffeelingsandemotions.Yearsfromnow,wewillallrememberwherewewerethatday.Thatalmostperfectday.”

The Wicked Running Register • April–May 2013 • [email protected] 3

Presidential Perspective, continued

You need not have been physically at the race to have been affected by the bombings. We are a running club. We are runners. We all knew someone that was on the course that day. We all had that helpless feeling not knowing if everyone was safe. We all felt sorrow and compassion for those injured. We continue, even now, to try and come to terms with what happened and why. We struggle with a myriad of feelings and emotions. Years from now, we will all remember where we were that day. That almost perfect day. Now, it would be very easy for me to go off on a tirade now about the actual act

of terrorism that took place that day. The event that affected, and continues to affect, so many people, but I want to focus more on the runners. More specifically “our” runners. It’s easy to

look at only the big picture, the bomb-ing, and forget the little picture, the runners. As I’ve found out from talking with a couple councilors that came out to meet with Wicked recently, it’s OK for you to feel badly, and have some re-sentment for having the end of the race taken away from you. It’s normal. You’re normal. If you were one of the almost 5,700 runners that were stopped before the finish, you have a right to feel ripped off. This wasn’t some act of God that prevented you from reaching your goal, or a late race injury, or other malady. This was done to you deliberately, and you have a right to be upset.

Now, I’m not taking anything away from the magnitude of the situation, or making light of the deaths and injuries that were inflicted. I’m just saying, go ahead. Be pissed. Be really pissed. And

Photo left: Rich Tabbut (left) and T.R. at the Last Mile event in Salem. Thousands came to the Salem Common to show sup-port for Boston Marathon bombing victims. Photo right: Some of our awesome gel stop volunteers on Marathon Monday.

take that pissed attitude, and run with it, literally. Channel it into not giving up, and pushing on. Make new goals this year, and when you are struggling to reach those goals, think back to how pissed you were. Force all that energy, and anger, and sadness, and rage into achieving those goals. You can’t finish the race that was taken from you. There are no do-overs, or rewind button. You can ceremoniously cross the line in one of the various “last mile” gatherings, or you can show up next April after train-ing your ass off again all winter, and run the whole thing all over again. Whatever you decide, I’m cool with it and sup-port you whole-heartedly. But it’s not the same. Move forward and don’t look back. There’s a reason that your rear view mirror is so much smaller than your windshield. Think about it. Next time, you may just have another great day. A perfect day. —T.R.

“There’sareasonthatyourrearviewmirrorissomuchsmallerthanyourwindshield.Thinkaboutit.”


Wicked Is Boston Strong Friends Taking Back the Boston Marathon: Caring, Sharing, Healing

From Melissa Jaynes Happy Moments from BostonI had a blast watching and jumping in with some friends who really helped me out during last year’s Boston. I took the train to Wellesley and met some other folks jumping in with people and anxiously awaiting loved ones to dart by us so we could power them a few miles with our split second yells and whistles. I passed the time goofing off with my boss’s finger puppet “Mr. Tiger” and snagging some photos for our work team newsletter. Then, Mr. Tiger went back into his happy place, which I won’t disclose but you can assume he is one lucky puppet, so I could jump in and not lose him (what I thought at the time was one of my biggest fears of the day).

I jumped in with speedy Suzanne Chaves for almost a mile and a half. She looked amazing to me and was cruising along at a swift sub 7:00 pace. I wish I could have gone further with her, but I would have been exhausted for mission #2. I caught my breath and cheered loudly for strangers wearing any thing I could yell. “Go Dame, go Purdue!” Got my Hoosier blood excited, but I found myself just as excited to yell for Greater Boston and Lowell.

Next thing I knew, I was back on duty. Meghan Toomey appeared waving her hands in the air just in case I missed her, I jumped around too (which is silly because I was in a pretty open spot actually), happily handed her the second pair of sun-glasses I had been wearing all morning, and away we went. We chatted about the miles, the wonderful weather, and silly signs while I checked in on what she needed for each aid station. We powered up and over heartbreak hill and laughed about the strong smell of a brewery through the BU crowd--one of my favorite spots from 2012. The run got hard, but Meghan dug deep and never stopped running towards the finish line and the smiles of her husband, Mike Toomey, and 7 month old Mad-die. Seeing Mike and Maddie with a mile to go powered Meghan through and we even picked it up as she cruised down Boylston to an amazing finish for any runner, let alone one that gave birth 7 months ago! (I really wanted to yell to the spectators that this woman was amazing and may have actually told a few on the other side of the fence after Meghan finished.) I’ll never forget the mass of nerves I felt early in the day as I worried about messing up a friend’s pace or annoying the crap out of them, but mostly I’ll never forget the excitement of sharing such a personal expe-rience with them — thank you Suzanne and Meghan — thank you for sharing your day with me.

Mr. Tiger

Melissa (left) with Meghan Toomey

Dawn Cobak and Jay Carraro on the bus to Hopkinton.

From Tim Short:Though a huge shadow will always remain on what was an absolutely wonderful day, I just want to thank John Mahoney and all the volunteers at the Mile 17 Gel Station for doing an outstanding job. My heart goes out to the Woolfenden Family. Like everyone else, WRC will be back in Boston for 2014. GO WICKED!

From Jacquie Washburn:Beth O’Grady and Mike Higgins had pretty amazing times — they both should be so proud.


Top: Shari Hewson and Beth O’Grady bus it to Hopkinton. Bottom: Shari entering Athlete’s Village.

From Michele Campbell:This has been a tough time for all of us. But I want to share a touching show of national and global support. When I was in Jamaica on vacation in mid-May, Gif and I had a lot of Boston gear with us. (I mean, you have to represent.) Gif wore his Boston Strong shirt (from B&S Fitness - proceeds to the Woolfenden Family Fund) and people from all over the world shared their stories with us of how they are showing support locally to those in Boston. A guy named Dan from New Jersey (a runner AND tennis player like me!) said that he and his running club went down to a race in Philly where ALL runners wore red socks (can you imagine THAT sea of red?). I was constantly touched and amazed by strangers telling us why and how they are standing one with Boston. Amazing, and still brings tears to my eyes.

From Brian ChisholmHere’s a picture taken on April 15th at 11:21am. This was at the tip of Zone 1 of the Medical Sweep. We were right at Dartmouth and Boylston streets, behind Medical tent A, 275 feet from the finish line. Patsy Emberley was the zone Captain, my boss for a day. The guy in the middle is Al, who is the HAM radio operator assigned to shadow Patsy all day. If more help is needed then the Medical Sweep can provide, Al is in contact with race control in Framingham and can call in reinforcements. And, yes, that’s me on the right. All three of us worked Zone 1 together last year also. Remember that race? It was 150 in the shade. We had thousands of sick runners and hundreds were transported to hospitals but we had no fatali-ties. We worked hard last year and I didn’t think a race could be much worse then 2012, until 2013 rolled around. This year the race started out great. We had just over 17,000 runners come by and most were in good shape. Only a handful were wheeled into the tent. The weather was perfect, cool temps with clear skies and bright sunshine. Everything was perfect, until the race clock hit 4:09hrs.

Gel stop gal pals: Kate Swails, Joan Meagher, Valerie Mathews, Marie Duignan, and Kelly Gifford at the Mile 17 gel stop.


From Sarah BrandtHappy! Healthy! Healing! Here is a photo of me greeting my 3-year old daughter, Fiona, at mile 17 on April 15. She ran the 2009 marathon in utero (I was 9 weeks pregnant!) and now got to see Mommy run again in 2013 for Children’s Hospital. So proud to have run for such a great team and amazing cause, particularly given the outcome of that day. Can’t wait to represent the spirit of Boston, Wicked, and Children’s Hospital again in 2014! And my beautiful medal, acquired 4/17, which I will always treasure given the love, perseverance, and spirit it represents.

Wicked Is Boston Strong, Continued

Rich Tabbut (left) and Jay Carraro goof off for the

camera in Hopkinton.

Right: Julie Arrison (left) and Amber Woolfenden at the Boston Marathon start. Editor’snote:Forthoseofyouwhoknowthecrazytale,thiswasbeforeJuliestolemypants!

From Rich “Hammer” Tabbut:I read about John Young and Julie Windsor running as the first dwarfs competing in the Boston Marathon the weekend before the race on Boston.com. John and I know each other via MyTeam Triumph, meeting his family at a church fair in Beverly, and social media. I saw an athlete moving very quickly ahead of me in the middle of the course. I came up directly ahead of Julie and called to her “You are looking great. Good luck to you and John Young.” A huge smile came across her face. I will always warmly remember how that gesture made her so happy at that point in the Boston Marathon.


From Alana Bresnahan I am a brand new club member and ran the marathon this year as a charitable runner for Girl Scouts of Eastern Mass. (white shirt). I was beyond exited at Athlete’s Vil-lage and the excitement was truly in the air. I met the two women in the photo with me (in red running for Museum of Science) back in December through the Marathon Coalition which I trained with. We became fast friends and ran all of our long runs together as well as the marathon. We made it to mile 25.5 before we were stopped but we stuck together. And we have already vowed to run Boston next year. I just wanted to share. True friendship and long lasting friendship was my happy moment that day!

From Sandi “Pomegranate Blueberry!” Dalton I truly did have an amazing day prior to the tragedy that occurred. Keep sharing that with people and hope it catches. Glad you are too! Photo far right: Me and the hubs! So glad to be part of something so positive!

Our friends the Woolfendens, Amber, Steve and little Leo, are amazing and the definition of Boston Strong. They came out to support Wicked member Shannon Downey’s race, The Patrick Downey 5k, on Mothers’ Day. Here they are with Mary Bruno (in blue jacket). Much love to the Woolfendens!

Left: New member Sandy Armstrong at mile 12 handing out water, and with another new member Krissy Kozlosky.

Right: The energy in Hopkinton was infectious. Big smiles from Mary Bruno,

Amber Woolfenden and Michele “teeth like Chiclets”

Campbell (left to right.)


Wicked Grand Prix Series 2013 T.R. Ramsdell

REGULAR race series: March 17 Olde Salem Greens 5k

Cross Country, Salem.May 2 Pipestave Hill 5k trail race,

W. NewburyJuly 30 Yankee Homecoming 10

miler, NewburyportAug. 16 Derby Street Mile, SalemSept. 15 Lone Gull 10k, GloucesterOct. 20 Baystate 1/2 or full mara-

thon, Lowell (your choice, both will be scored)

Nov. 28 Wild Turkey 5 miler, SalemDec. 15 Festivus 5k, Salem And the relays (all dates TBD): Aug. Lynn Woods RelaySept. Lake Winni RelayDec. Mill Cities Relay

For more on the series: http://bit.ly/16PRKmF

What a way to start the 2013 edition of the Grand Prix Series. First the Salem Greens golf course, then the Pipestave 5k trail run. Trust me when I say that the worst is behind us. There were 33 of you little red hill climbers at this “challenging” course in W. Newbury on Tues night, May 2. What had been a very warm early

May day, quickly got very chilly as start time approached. It was actually a pretty nice course as far as trail races go. There were fields, woods, hills, and a very steep uphill finish (almost forgot that). All in all, I think everyone had a great time. Great job guys! The next race in the series isn’t until the end of July. Tuesday evening, the 30th of July to be exact. The Yankee Homecoming 10 miler in Newburyport. This race is notorious for being HOT and sweaty, but more on that one next time. For now, check through the results and check for accuracy. If you spot a mistake, drop a line to Don Gallucci at [email protected] , and he’ll get things squared away for you.

From Elaine Goldman:Q: I plan on doing the marathon clinic in July to help train for the Philly mara-thon in November. My dream goal is to qualify for Boston (3:40 or under). I started running “seriously” about a year ago. I consistently run about 15-20mi a week 8-8:30 pace. This will be my first marathon (I’ve done 3 halves, PR of 1:48). Is this BQ realistic? What should I be doing PRIOR to July’s clinic to help me achieve this goal?

A: I love the Philly Marathon! I think a time of 3:40 is very realistic based on a 1:48 PR in the half. The best approach prior to clinic is get in some consistent training and make sure the body is healthy come July. For a long run, if you can work your way up to 8-10 miles at a comfortable pace, you will be off and

running on day 1 of marathon training! Be sure to include core training, nutri-tion, and plenty of sleep in the build up. :)

From Jason Carraro:Q: Hill repeats or track intervals which is better and why?

A: I like to use both in training...de-pending what the goal is. Both improve running, speed, economy, efficiency, etc. We are lucky here on the North Shore because we can incorporate hills into our daily training and don’t always need to dedicate a certain day to be a “hill day.” When “hill” days are needed, the event you are training for dictates the type of hill work you do. For example, my 800 meter athletes do a lot of 50 meter hill repeats while my marathoners

would focus on 200 meter repeats.Interval training has to be part of any training program, especially when time goals are part of the deal. This train-ing helps overall fitness for the reasons above and helps greatly with pac-ing. Done correctly, I believe interval training helps the athlete stay healthy and gets them away from just running straight mileage day in and day out. Simply put, you can’t run fast if you don’t run fast. My coach at Reebok, Bob Sevene, had his marathoners on the track every week for repeats — peo-ple like Joan Benoit, Blake Russell, and Rusty Snow to name a few.

If you have a question for Mike, send it to [email protected] and it will appear in the next newsletter.

Q&AAsk the Coach With Mike Toomey


Race ReviewGreat Bay Half Marathon • Newmarket, NH • April 7, 2013

Mickel McClish

I have run the Great Bay Half Marathon for 3 years in a row. What keeps me coming is the beautiful course, which begins and ends in the nice

old mill town of Newmarket, NH. The race is in early April, this year on the 7th, and for me it celebrates the changing of the seasons and the arrival of more sun. There is also a 5K that fin-ishes in downtown Newmarket as well.

There is some limited parking available downtown, but runners and specta-tors are advised to park in an industrial park a couple miles from town. There is plenty of parking there and shuttle buses run continuously to take everyone to the high school gym, which is where you can register or get your bibs and tech shirt. From there, a short walk to the high school is where the start line is for the half marathon and 5K race. Since the finish line is in downtown Newmarket (not the high school), there is a bag check at the high school prior to the start. Your bags can be retrieved nearby at the finish line.

And yes, there were plenty of porto-johns at the high school gym AND at the high school (where the start line is located). There were two

stops along the course, I think at mile 6 and 10, which had porto-johns. There was plenty of water stops along the course too. I can’t remember how many, but it seemed more than ample.

In a nutshell, the first two miles and last mile are in the town of Newmarket. The rest of the course goes along a peaceful forested road and then along the Great Bay shoreline, which offers great views of wildlife refuges and conservation areas. And then, there are the hills. Oh, yes. There are a few hills on the course. None of them are too high, but there are a few steep ones that will test you. The hills are challenging but it adds to the course “character”, shall we say.The course is USATF-certified. All runners start at the high school head towards the center of town. A turn then takes you two miles in a quiet residential area before heading back towards town. You then run on Main Street, head-ing towards Durham and cross over a bridge that has Lamprey River and Lam-prey Falls below. Just beyond the bridge, the course turns right and takes you on a real quiet, scenic, forest-lined coun-try road. Out there all you can hear is sound of running and nothing else. This road crosses the town line into Durham at about three miles, and shortly thereaf-ter the road turns from asphalt to hard packed dirt and gravel. The packed dirt

road is easy to run on and well main-tained. Even if it were rainy, I think the dirt road would have been fine. Once on the dirt road, the course takes you through a nature sanctuary, and a densely forested area. It’s very nice.At around mile 6, where you return to an asphalt surface, “quiet” and “peace-ful” gives way to rolling hills, some of which are pretty steep but short. This road takes you parallel along the scenic panoramic Great Bay shoreline. The course passes the Lubberland Creek Nature Conservancy area and then The Great Bay Office of the Nature Conser-vancy at mile 9.

At mile 10, the course turns left for a (relatively) flat, out-and-back run towards Moody Point. Out at the point, runners will be greeted by a collection of gyrating belly dancers doing their thing. They have been doing that at mile 11 for at least three years now. At that point you have a little more than 2 miles to go. The course takes you back on Main Street and you run towards down-town along the mills and the Lamprey River to the finish line.

The finish line has medals for the half marathon runners and is well stocked with post-race food and water, and has a medical team right on station for any emergencies. LOCO puts this race on and as always (and thankfully!), Smut-tynose is one of the sponsors. Every runner gets a cold one. Ahhh! LOCO does an excellent job on this race and I’ve never had anything but a great time. I will definitely be doing this for a 4th time. FIVE CATS!


Race ReviewCox Providence Marathon • May 12th, 2013

Marie Duignan

Six months after signing up and four and a half months of my most intense training in all weathers, the time had

finally come to toe the line and join this 26.2 club that I’d heard so much about. The speed workouts, tempo runs, mara-thon pace runs, long runs, recovery runs and a few warm up races all came down to a morning of racing in Rhode Island. Wicked was well represented with me, Mike McKie and Mickel McClish running the full; and Leeanne Nagle, Angela Lanzillo and Scott Crader running the half.

Everything was aligning in the best way possible. The weather was set for over-cast, slight drizzle, but not freezing. Our room in the host hotel for our pre-race relaxation and post race celebrations was enhanced with a ‘triple-upgrade’ to the Presidential Suite no less (seriously!). The pre-race evening meal was perfect at Angelo’s italian restaurant on Fed-eral Hill. Race morning arrives and the ‘commute’ from the 25th floor to the start line took all of a few minutes. City Hall Park where the race started and finished provided the perfect place for a few warm up laps. Even the lines to the porta johns were short. As we found our way to the start and our respective pace times, the nerves that had been building over the last few weeks were finally dissipating. It was time to trust the training. Finally, we were set to go!

The route wound out of downtown Providence, crossed two bridges and we were quickly on the roads of East Providence. The 3:30 pacer had set off too quickly and lost his balloon within the first half mile, so the decision was made - stick to my own pace plan and stay in control of my own race. The field of approximately 1300 runners soon thinned out and the first few miles whizzed by with no great issue. Relatively flat overall, with a few rolling uphills and one sharp steep downhill (that would later come back to bite on the return leg). Breaking the distance down into smaller chunks (marked by taking GUs and water) helped to not get overwhelmed by the whole occasion. And then in the distance I saw the blue and yellow Boston jacket of Julie Arrison, holding her British-themed

signs and cheering like only Arrison knows how to. Safe to say my pace as I passed my own personal cheer squad increased with the excitement of high fives and encouragement. The route from miles 10 to 17 looped around local neighborhoods, making it easy for sup-porters to move around and see runners at several points. Each time I passed my friends the smile on my face that they caused just got more and more fixed. It also helped that the course was beauti-ful - neighborhoods reminded me of Juniper Point where locals stood in their front yards cheering us on, looking out over golf courses rolling down to the water, mansions springing out of the mist, and the even the bike path winding through the trees. It was peaceful.


I found myself in a group where we were all keeping pretty much the same pace and naturally fell into a pattern of using each other to keep going.... in that unspoken way that runners manage to communicate. I was enjoying every second. I loved that the training enabled me to keep pace and feel comfortable. I loved that I crossed the half way point on target pace. I loved that when we got to mile 16 my informal pace group spoke a collective ‘yes!’ with encourage-ment of a single digit countdown to the end knowing we were now most defi-nitely on the back stretch. At the end of the bike path and after giving Julie a sweaty hug at mile 21, knowing the next time I’d see her would be at the finish line, the battle was on to get the job done within the elusive Boston qualifier time. I was on target. But the hard work was really about to start. That steep downhill that had been so nice at the beginning was now looming up ahead around the mile 22 mark. And we had to go straight back up it. Having given my-self ‘time in the bank’ I took the chance to walk up that hill, and walk through one more gatorade/water station at mile 24.5, just to try and re-charge. My hips, legs and feet were starting to ache now. Our old friend Brendan, who moved to Providence last year, was waiting at mile 25 to run the last stretch with me. His cheeriness counter-acted my exhaustion and gave me the last lift I so needed. There was no stopping now. He peeled off just before the mile 26 marker, and then the reality really hit home. The crowds were increasing, I could hear the loudspeakers and music at the finish line and pure adrenaline kicked in. I turned the last corner and even the slight uphill to the finish line couldn’t slow me down. I kicked it to the end, with tears

streaming down my face, all the while still smiling. Job done! Finished. 3:26:16. BQ’d. Joined the club. Amazing! Oh, and when I got my finisher’s medal, the Chariots of Fire theme music started playing. No joke. It was awesome.

I give the race 4.5 out of 5. The route was improved (I’m told) from last year as they no longer used the footbridge and switchback section at mile 24, the aid stations were plentiful, well stocked and manned by enthusiastic volunteers, the mile markers were fairly accurate (my garmin ran long at 26.47 miles but I’m told that’s normal considering its hard to stick to the tangents), the start/finish line area had a great atmosphere even with the visible increased security measures in place, there was plenty of food and drink for finishers and the medal was pretty cool (an anchor). The race t-shirts were a decent tech T, but I hear they ran out of certain sizes, which is not good if you’re paying close to $100 and you have the option to pre-se-lect a size. It would also be nice to have more recorded split times and mobile tracking for supporters, but for what is a relatively small marathon I guess you can’t expect it all!

Finish on the 50 5K at Arrowhead Stadium John MahoneyOn May 18th, I was able to run the Finish on the 50 5K at Arrow-head Stadium. It was great to finish on an NFL 50 yard line, see my brother on the jumbotron as he crossed the finish line, and tour the Chief’s locker room. It was also cool to see a University of Missouri track team member (with a bright orange mohawk hair style). He demolished the competition finishing many minutes ahead of everyone else.

Unfortunately, there were significant downsides. No official clock, no race results, and no easily accessible water at the end. This was the inaugural race. Maybe they will fix these short comings next year. Let’s give it 2 cats. Don’t travel 1500 miles just to run this race.

Harpoon 5-Miler Sandra DaltonI ran the Harpoon Brewfest 5 Miler on May 19 and thought it was kind of cool. Flat, fast race with great (festive) people and great after party (of course!). I would give it four cats. I really liked the crew and it all went to benefit The Angel Fund. I am partial because I finally broke a sub 8 min pace in a 5 miler, but the day was beautiful and the beer was cold - bonus!


Where in the World is Wicked?

From March through early May, Melissa Jaynes (MJ), packed her bags with some suits and a large pile of running gear to go about the country for her job as a Federal program auditor. Most weekends she returned—often squeezing in a long run (or pacing friends at the Boston marathon), family dinner, and some laundry before repeating the packing process. She traveled to California, Geor-gia, Virginia, Indiana, trekked all over Massachusetts, and made three separate trips to Seattle, WA where she has threatened to move and start a Wicked Wet Cat running club. Through all the trips, she didn’t miss a run and even found a few unexpected running partners that she could show her new-found running routes. Running highlights included running the Napa marathon, 85 degree runs in Georgia in April!, fox sightings in Virginia, running the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon (the largest ½ in the US), literally touring all of Seattle on foot, and a seal sighting in the Puget Sound.

ABOVE LEFT AND LEFT: Photos of MJ sporting her Wicked Gear at the top of Queen Anne (one of the best views of Seattle) with some new running buddies from her office and finishing the Indy mini-marathon.

RIGHT: Well, that would be Jamaica-mon! And there is a special award to my dear friend and Wicked member Michele Campbell who registered for and ran the Third Annual Patrick Downey 5K in the heat of the island,while on a much-deserved vacation. She donned her bib, plaid running skirt and flannel Chucks to run circles around the resort, all in an awesome and fitting tribute to my brother. She may have not been here physically but her spirit was definitely with us that day. Thank you, Michele, please enjoy the “Farthest to Travel to Run 3.1 Miles Award” or “How to Scare the Locals While on Vacation Award” - both names apply here!

—Shannon Downey


Running Personals

North Shore Road Race Guide 5K Run in Partnership with New England Running CompanyNorth Shore Road Race Guide is excited to announce that we will be hosting free monthly Monday night 5K runs starting and finishing from New England Running Company in Beverly at 6:45pm. Join NSRRG and our partner NERC for the first 5K run on June 24th.

These runs will be timed and results will be posted on the North Shore Road Race Guide website. Runners will receive a 15% discount off of their food order at Not Your Average Joe’s when they mention that they have participated in the run. More information can be found at www.northshoreroadraceguide.com

Get Out and Race!

Running Dead Zombie 5K, SalemSeptember 28, 2013 starting at 5:30 pm at Gallows Hill Park in Salem. Benefiting NSMC Cancer Center and onefundbos-ton.org.

The goal of the race is not best time so much as survival… Runners will follow the designated course while the zombies try to “kill” them. Runners will be wearing a flag belt, similar to the ones worn in flag football. The zombies will try to grab the flags off the belt, which “kills” the runner. Once a runner loses their flag, they are “dead” and become a zom-

bie who also tries to “kill” other runners. As the race goes on, there will be more and more zombies. The new “runner” zombies won’t look like the course zombies so runners in the race will always have to be on guard for people trying to “kill” them whether they look like zombies or not.

Everyone who finishes will receive a medal, a “Survivor” medal for people who still have flags and “Victim” medals for the poor souls who are killed.www.runningdeadz5k.com

Bridge & Back 10K August 4, 2013 @ 8:00 am – 9:30 amHosted at Tavern in the Square, with all proceeds going to the Boys & Girls Club. Wicked member Doug Bollen is the race director. You will not want to miss this race as it will be crossing the Salem/Beverly Bridge! Register at racewire.com.

Wicked Board 2013:

President: T.R. [email protected]

Vice President: Kenny [email protected]

Treasurer: Melissa [email protected]

Secretary: Alison [email protected]

Membership Director: Tennille [email protected]

Clothing Director: Michael [email protected]

Member-at-Large: Doug [email protected]

Member-at-Large: Michele [email protected]

Member-at-Large: Mike [email protected]

Non-Board Positions

Newsletter Editor: Michele [email protected]

Grand Prix Series Co-Coordinator:T.R. [email protected]

Grand Prix Series Co-Coordinator:Rich [email protected]

Webmaster: Tennille Doyle [email protected]

Social Activities Coordinator: Tennille Doyle [email protected]


Seen and Heard on the Run

From Melissa Jaynes:Quote from Jacquie Washburn after the Run to Remember: “Here Melissa, put my pants around your neck to help warm you!” Wow! And I thought only Michele and Julie shared pants. This is a whole new level:)

From Cynthia Johnson:Was running by a house on Derby Street at the same time a man was walking out of said house carrying an antique whaling spear. Nearly became the first speared runner in history.

From Michael Harvey:At The Pipestave 5k, from T.R. Rams-dell “I’m currently between injuries.”

Wicked Kudos

From Melissa Jaynes: Thank you so much to Jacquie Wash-burn for zipping me along to the Run to Remember race and congrats on an awesome finish! Special shout out to Beth O’Grady on a great race and qualification for the NY marathon!

A huge bright red Channel lipstick sort of shout out to Shannon Downey for putting on an awesome race at the PD5K and then running her heart out in Vermont — fighting through a rough marathon is KICK ASS AWESOME-NESS!

From Michele Campbell (Hey! That’s me!): Thanks to Julie “triple wash” Arrison for giving me a happy memory at this year’s Boston Marathon. Thank the stars Mary Bruno was there to translate. After Arrison stared me down — a woman on a mission — firing ran-dom questions at me regarding my capris, Mary felt my confusion and declared,“She wants your pants!” So, I gave my pants to Julie. Because that’s what friends do. And she washed them three times before returning them — also what friends do!

This past month and a half has been a very difficult one. I want to thank every-one in this club who offered support to friends during what was an unthinkable tragedy. I am constantly amazed by the generosity of people in this club and I am blessed to have you all as friends. Together, we will heal as a community, because we have each other. Thank you!

From Shari Hewson:To Kenny Hewson for keeping us “grounded”, together and organized when all was wrong with the world. He retrieved bags, secured transportation,

got us to the hospital, fed us and got us out of the city.

To Christine Poff (FPC ED) and Kenny Hewson - awesome team for checking in FPC members, contacting emergency contacts and hospitals.

To Mocha a/k/a Alison Phelan for being with me, keeping me calm, sup-porting me and getting us to the hotel.

To Wicked Running Club and all its awesome members for reaching out - we truly are family.

From Valerie Mathews:Wow, so many people to congratulate this time around, so at the risk of miss-ing anyone... Congrats to all of you who ran in and/or finished Boston or Providence or Vermont Marathons and those who have already BQ’d for next year! You guys are amazing!

From Jay Carraro:Mary Bruno, Michele Campbell, Ju-lie Arrison for being amazing in trying circumstances.

From Shannon Downey:Special thanks to all my runners, volunteers and supporters who came out on a rainy Mother’s Day to par-ticipate in the Third Annual Patrick Downey 5K. My little race continues to grow and I couldn’t do it without all of your support. My life has changed for the better since I became a part of this group and I consider you all family. Thank you so much! GO WICKED!

From Doug Bollen:I just want to thank everyone who donated to the Boys & Girls Club Reach the Beach Relay team and those who ran the in the Massachusetts relay on May 17-18. We raised $10,000 for the Club.

The Question Is ...What is your favorite quote about running or facing challenges?

Val Mathews:It always seems impossible until it’s done.

—Nelson Mandela

Billy Hutchinson:Running has thrown me into adventures that I would otherwise have missed.

—Benjamin Cheever

Jay Carraro:Sometimes, the moments that challenge us most, define us.

—Deena Kastor

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When I’m not running I like to: I like to stay active in many ways: cycling, swimming, hiking, etc. I also derive immense personal happiness and fulfillment from being involved with volunteer activities through many different avenues. Finally, pursuing educational goals as a perpetual stu-dent and traveling, in my “spare” time, all bring a certain level of satisfaction.

RICK BRANDT SalemJoined Wicked because: I wanted to meet more runners on the North Shore.

Favorite race: Carlsbad 5000 (Carlsbad, CA)

Favorite Distance: In my younger days, 800 m; now, 5K.

Goal for this year: Qualify for USATF Club Nationals in the 5,000 or 10,000 m.

Secret talent: Mediocre voice impressions.

When I’m not running I like to: cook, Spend time with my family, eat wings, and watch hockey (Go, Penguins!).

a fun racing season. Please say hello if you see me!

Favorite Race: California International Marathon – The course is deemed one of the fastest in the U.S. but it can be deceiving. The cheering crowds were amazing when I ran it with some friends in 2007.

Favorite Distance: 10K or Half-Marathon. I have been running for over 28 years, beginning with 10K races. One can run at maximum effort without usually feel-ing the residual pains of doing so in a marathon. I was ecstatic to accomplish substantial PRs for both distances in 2009 before turning 40.

Goal for this year: I would like to focus on either qualifying for Boston, simply running the Marine Corps Marathon for fun, or rekindling my desire to compete in triathlons. I have continued to cross-train for the latter but need to discover some fun events on the east coast.

Secret Talent: I have been known to write poetry. Please do not reveal this tidbit to many people, especially my former Marine Corps buddies!

DAVID GREAVES PeabodyJoined Wicked because: To get involved in the local running scene and meet new people.

Favorite race: Northshore Cancer 5k.

Favorite Distance: 5k

Goal for this year: Complete the Wicked Half Marathon.

Secret talent: Carving Pumpkins.

When I’m not running I like to: Scuba.

TONY GRECCO MethuenJoined Wicked because: I moved from the west coast (CA/OR) in September last year to begin working for Phil-ips Healthcare in Andover. People at work, church, and school have been so welcoming. I am very happy to report the same sentiment regarding the Wicked Running Club. The goal was to find a club similar to Team Red Lizard in Portland, OR, and it appears to have been reached. I am happy to meet such positive and healthy people who sup-port the local community. It should be

Contact Ann Sousa at [email protected] to be featured in Member Spotlights.

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WRR April/May 2013