Looking back - Sept 2016

 10 years ago (Sept 2016): I raced three times over this month, a mountain race and two road races.  I started off with the Mt Greylock race which was now part of the USATF NE mountain circuit. Teammates Kevin Tilton and Dave Lapierre for the drive out.  Being part of the Mountain Circuit definitely helped the attendance as 167 turned out and more than half were USATF members. Teammate Matt Veiga shot out at the start with Tim Van Orden following.  A second pack formed, and I trailed by 15 seconds at the mile. Not much changed as we entered the park and the climb got a bit steeper.  I knew I was in 6^th place now and also knew that everyone ahead of me was CMS which meant I wouldn’t score for the team unless I moved up a place.  The weather was ideal, sunny, dry, and just a little breeze.  I ended up taking 6^th place and 3^rd in the 50+. CMS swept the team titles with take the first 6 places in the open, top 3 in the 50+ and top 4 in the 40+.

Pl       Time   Name                      Age    City, St                   Team 

1        55:14  Matthew Veiga                 29      Lynn, MA      CMS   

2        56:51  Tim Van Orden                 48      Bennington, VT       CMS   

3        57:43  Kevin Tilton           34      Conway, NH  CMS   

4        57:48  Erik Vandendries              51      Chestnut Hill, MA     CMS   

5        58:33  Ed Sheldon            52      Hooksett, NH CMS   

6        58:43  Dave Dunham                  52      Bradford, MA CMS   

20      1:10:11         David Lapierre                  52      Chelmsford, MA          CMS   

 

Next up was the USATF NE 20km championships (Seasons 20k).  My plan this year was to try and be competitive with my fellow Senior (50-59) runners.  Race day was just plain nasty, although not “hot” it was 75 degrees and the dew point in the 70’s made it about as humid as possible without actually raining.  Around the mile Jim Pawlicki strode by and I latched on.  Jim and I ran together, and he’d gap me on the uphill parts and I’d come back on the down.  I was 38:52 at 10k which was only 15 seconds slower than last year, before 8 miles it got ominously dark and then the skies opened up.  I pulled away from Jim Pawlicki on the climb after 10 miles.  I had my head up looking ahead at the line of guys in front of me when I heard Jim yell out “No!”.  I looked back and realized we missed the turn!  I started yelling “No, no, no” to the guys ahead who’d missed the turn ahead of me as I quickly reversed direction.  In all I ran an extra 50 seconds but others had it much worse. Jason Bui went back by me with 200 to go and powered to the line, I struggled in running 1:18:48 and taking 5^th in the 50+. 

Kicking for the finish

50+ (41 finishers)

1        1:12:12         Peter Hammer         50      M        BAA

2        1:18:31         Michael Cooney       54      M        WRT

3        1:18:34         Scott Anderson        51      M        WRT

4        1:18:39         Charlie Bemis 53      M        WRT

5        1:18:48         Dave Dunham         52      M        CMS

6        1:19:23         Robert Cipriano       56      M        SRR

7        1:19:52         Ed Sheldon   52      M        CMS

8        1:21:11         Martin Tighe 58      M        CMS

15      1:29:42         David Lapierre         52      M        CMS

16      1:30:54         Philip Savoy Jr         54      M        CMS

 

My final race of the month was the USATF NE 10km championships (Lone Gull):  I was gunning for a sub-36 and would be looking for teammates Ed Sheldon and Jim Pawlicki to key off of.  Right from the gun it felt “quick” to me.  Every time someone went by I’d want to latch on but it always felt just a little bit too fast.  I reached the mile in 5:40 which was right around the time I thought I could run but it felt a lot tougher than I’d hoped.  I was fortunate always having someone around me.  Jim Pawlicki caught me before 3 miles (17:15) and we strode through 5k together in 17:56.  I still felt I had an outside shot at breaking 36 if I could hold pace.  Jim took off on the final climb to the 6 mile mark (I suck at hills) and Charlie Bemis (WRT 50+) went by at the crest of the hill.  I gave all I had left but every step I lost ground.  I crossed the line in 36:11 (clock time) with a chip time of 36:06.  The 50+ field was strong and I did not crack the top 10 (finishing 11^th).  Our team took 3^rd behind Whirlaway and a strong Somerville Road Runners squad.

50+

DvPl   Name            Age    ChipTime GunTimeTown              Club

1        Peter Hammer         50      0:33:14         0:33:18         Needham          BAA

2        Greg Picklesimer     50      0:33:24         0:33:28         Brighton                  SRR

3        Pete Bottomley       54      0:34:58         0:35:04         Cape Elizabeth          Dirigo

4        Robert Cipriano       56      0:35:17         0:35:22         Brighton                  SRR

5        John Ayers    50      0:35:36         0:35:39         Hamilton                 WRT

6        Ed Sheldon   52      0:35:42         0:35:45         Hooksett                 CMS

7        Scott Anderson        51      0:35:47         0:35:52         Truro            WRT

8        Mark Reeder 56      0:35:53         0:35:57         Brighton                  GLRR

9        Douglas Martyn       56      0:35:53         0:35:59         North Andover          WRT

10      Charlie Bemis 53      0:36:00         0:36:05         Derry            WRT

11      Dave Dunham         52      0:36:06         0:36:11         Bradford                  CMS

18      Martin Tighe 58      0:37:43         0:37:51         Providence    CMS

23      John Pajer     53      0:39:56         0:40:04         Leicester                 CMS

24      David Lapierre         52      0:40:02         0:40:11         Chelmsford          CMS

26      Dan Verrington        54      0:40:03         0:40:12         Bradford                  CMS

27      Philip Savoy   54      0:40:28         0:40:37         Shrewsbury   CMS

 

Looking back - 2011

 15 Years ago (Sept 2011) – I raced three times this month while my focus was a bit more on peak bagging.  I wanted to race before I headed off with Eric to bag some state high points and I settled on a Thursday night race (Atkinson Road Race). Teammate David Quintal took it out hard with the lead pack of Pat Fullerton, Kevin Alliette, Casey Carroll and Andie Colon. I found myself off the back and alone in the first half mile. When David stopped to tie his shoe I motored by him but could hear him right behind me as I hit the mile in 5:24. I caught Colon with about 1/2 mile to go working the downhill for all it was worth. We turned the corner for the final uphill 400m and he took off like a shot. I ended up taking 5th place in 16:34 with DQ 6 seconds back. The course was a bit short of 5k, maybe 15 seconds.

 

1 15:04 Pat Fullerton M2029

2 15:39 Kevin Aliette M3039

3 16:07 Casey Carroll M4049

4 16:24 Andie Colon M3039

5 16:34 Dave Dunham M4049

6 16:40 David Quintal M4049

 

Next up was a small trail race in Chester NH at Wason Pond. I ran the 10km version of this race last year and had fun so I was back this year for a 5km race. I checked out the course as a warm-up, it had a lot of variety. I felt pretty lousy; the head cold I'd picked up this week left me dragging. I went out hard but controlled. By 200m into the race I was in the lead but I could hear footsteps close behind. Eventually they faded.  I was happy to get a win! I gave a good effort and topped 90 miles again this week.

 

1 18:13.1 Dave Dunham 47M

2 18:59.9 Patrick Connelly 47m

3 21:53.4 Richard McNeel 14M

                                                                                                             

The final race of the month was the Lone Gull 10km where I was hoping to run a “fast” time.  I was not feeling good. I'd woken up with a sinus headache each of the last few mornings and my throat was still lousy from whatever I was still sick with. Dan Verrington, David Quintal, and I were all in about the same shape, so it looked to be an interesting race. I was hoping for a 40+ PR (34:28) but knew that the wind would make for a tough second half of the race. I hit three miles in 16:26 and was very happy with that. I caught Dan just after and he said "go get 'em" as I went by but about a quarter mile later he went by me like I was standing still. With about 1/2 mile to go I started to close on Dan and finally got him on the last uphill of course. I hit six miles in 33:33 (5:44) just a stride or two up on Dan and I pushed as hard as I could on the downhill and flat. I hit the finish (actually two strides beyond the SECOND timing mat) in 34:41 missing my PR by 13 seconds.  Our team had a solid run, just missing beating GBTC in the open and taking the masters team title. We did beat GBTC in total age of scoring members.  CMS = 144 GBTC = 74

 

Team results

1. GREATER BOSTON TRACK CLUB         32:30 34:28 37:01 = 1:43:59

2. CENTRAL MASS STRIDERS       34:41 34:48 35:00 = 1:44:29

3. GREATER LOWELL RR              35:41 36:45 42:50 = 1:55:16

 

40+ Team Results

1. CENTRAL MASS STRIDERS       34:41 34:48 35:00 = 1:44:29

2. GREATER LOWELL RR              35:41 36:45 42:50 = 1:55:16

Individual results

1 32:30 Brennan Bonner    26      M2039 GBTC

2 33:20 Brian Deal  26      M2039

3 33:30 Mark Mayall 40      M4049 NB-BOSTON

4 33:36 Ethan Crain 38      M2039 GCS TRIAD

5 34:20 Joe Donnelly         43      M4049 WHIRLAWAY

6 34:28 Caleb Evanter       24      M2039 GBTC

7 34:41 Dave Dunham       47      M4049 CMS

8 34:48 Dan Verrington     49      M4049 CMS

9 35:00 David Quintal        48      M4049 CMS                                                                        

 

Rounding third at the “Field of Dreams”

Looking back - Sept 2006

 20 Years ago (Sept 2006) – I raced four times over this month, three of those races were within 24 hours.  I kicked off the month (09/04/06) at the Greylock mountain race.  I was having trouble with a sore toe (Morton’s neuroma) and was still recovering from the trail 50km champs a couple of weeks prior.  I basically ran the race alone finishing fourth, four minutes behind the winner and 1:30 ahead of fifth place.

1 Jon Korhonen M23          54:28

2 Andy McCarron M23        55:25

3 Kent Lemme M39  56:26

4 Dave Dunham M42         58:47

5 Donald Pacher M34         60:17

 

Next up (09/15 & 09/16) was the Reach the Beach relay a 200+ mile race from Bretton Woods to Hampton Beach with the “Loco Banditos” team.  I’d done this race once before running the anchor leg, this time I’d have a totally different experience by running the lead-off leg.  Each runner would do 3 legs as we rotate through twelve runners.  I got to kick things off at 2:30pm on Friday with a climb up and down over 900’ at Bretton Woods.  I completed the 3.1 mile leg in 18:55 then drove to the end of the next leg for a 2 mile warm-down.  We followed legs until our six guys (two vans each with 6 runners) were done.  After that it was off to my next leg which was in Madison.  I had a 3.8 mile leg that 150’ of climb and was held in dense fog in pitch black darkness.  I managed a 23:49 for the leg, did a quick 2m warm-down, then we headed off to Bear Brook state park for a couple of hours sleep.  I had an early morning long leg of 9.1 miles with about 400’ of climb/drop which I completed in 63:05.  It was a tough final leg for me.  After a 1 mile warm-down we followed all of our legs until our team finished.  We covered the 210 miles in 24:08 narrowly missing the magic 1 day mark (average pace 6:54 per mile).  We ended up taking 7^th overall and topped our age category.

Looking back - Sept 2001

 25 Years ago (Sept 2001) - I only raced twice in this month, I was trying to recover from my Ultra-running exploits. The first race was the Pisgah Mountain 50km trail race in Chesterfield NH. Ben Nephew gave me grief for all the gels and water I was carrying (he was shirtless and carried nothing), but I was worried about a DNF after the disaster at the World 100 km. I took no chances, basically running the race alone in third place. I caught Leigh Schmidt at 26 miles but never saw Ben. I took second place in 3:56:11. Two weeks later I went to the always surprisingly fast Eliot Maine 5k (certified) and finished in 10^th place with a 15:33 (4:55/9:58).  35 guys broke 17 minutes!

 

09-16-01 – Pisgah 50km trail

1        3:46:20         Ben Nephew M26    Course Record

2        3:56:12         Dave Dunham         M37   

3        4:01:27         Leigh Schmitt M29   

4        4:36:52         Bob Dion       M46   

6        4:45:04         Nikki Kimball F30    

7        4:45:04         Paul Young   M36   

 

09-30-01 Eliot Maine 5k

1        14:42  Rusty Snow             31      Randolph, MA

2        14:47  Michael Digennaro   23      Essex, MA

3        14:48  Eric Morse               36      Berlin, VT

4        15:04  Guy Stearns            42      New Castle, NH

5        15:12  Wilson Perez           23      Keene, NH

6        15:13  Michael Payson                  38      Falmouth, ME

7        15:21  Alan Bernier            27      Exeter, NH

8        15:30  Paul Johnson           24      Gorham, ME

9        15:31  Casey Carroll           30      Dover, NH

10      15:33  Dave Dunham                   37      Bradford, MA

22      16:14  Byrne Decker          34      Yarmouth, ME

 

Looking back - Sept 1996

30 years ago (Sept 1996)- I kicked off the month with a less than stellar run at the World Mountain running championships.  It was foggy and 50s on the muddy single-track in Telfes Austria and the course seemed to get steeper the higher you got.

1        56:21  Antonio Molinari                Italy

2        58:42  Severino Bernardini Italy

3        59:25  Helmut Schmuck               Austria

4        59:27  Peter Schatz            Austria

5        59:28  Aaron Strong           New Zealand

19      1:01:28         Dave Dunham        

41      1:03:58         Mike Casner 

45      1:04:14         Dan Verrington       

47      1:04:21         Eric Morse    

72      1:07:25         Peter Heck   

93      1:09:43         Lyndon Ellefson      

 

On 09/07/96 I took the win in 15:12 at the ULowell Alumni cross-country race over the Chelmsford High School course.  A week later I ran a 10.7 mile leg for the winning CMS team at the Lake Winni Relay.  I had a tough battle with Bob Winn (Ghosts of Pease) for 7 miles before pulling away to a 55:10 first place on my leg (5:09 pace for the moderately hilly leg).

 

65.9 Mi. Around Lake Winnipesaukee, NH (148 teams)

    1   CMS - X                                                5:39:14  5:09

    2   GHOST OF PEASE MENS OPEN               5:52:42  5:22

    3   LIBRA ATHLETIC ASSOC                        6:08:32  5:36

    4   GATE CITY STRIDERS MASTERS             6:17:42  5:44

    5   WILLIMANTIC AC                        6:18:50  5:45

 

On 09/19 I made a rare trip inside of Route 128 for a night race in Boston.  Lisa Doucett had convinced me to run this race which was in support of the Combined Federal Campaign.  It was windy and in the 70’s during the race (field of 180) and I won by a little over a minute.         

1        15:53  Dave Dunham         M35    Bradford        MA

2        17:18  Garth Shaneyfelt     M25    Brookline      MA

3        17:24  R Naser                   M35    Dedham        MA

4        17:47  Adelmo Couto         M35    Cambridge    MA

5        18:57  Joel Branosky          M25    Stoneham     MA

My final race of the month (09/29/96) was the USATF NE ½ marathon championships in Newport RI.  Craig Fram and I had been battling back and forth all year and were very close in points for the lead in the grand prix series.  I stayed behind the lead pack until just after 7 miles before moving toward the front.  I couldn’t shake Craig until ½ mile to go but got the win by 13 seconds.                                                                                  

1        1:06:48         Dave Dunham                   32      Bradford, MA CMS

2        1:07:01         Craig Fram              38      Plaistow, NH  CMS

3        1:07:22         David Marcus           26      Somerville, MA        BRC

4        1:08:38         Eric Morse               31      Barre, VT      CMS

5        1:08:47         Edward Sheehan               39      Somerville, MA          BAA

6        1:10:21         Wayne Jacob           41      Mystic, CT     CMS

7        1:10:45         James Garcia           38      Westford, MA CMS

8        1:10:54         Kyle Caydle             31      Newport, RI  BAA

9        1:10:58         David Raung            41      New London, CT      CMS

10      1:11:09         Gabriel Heimlinger   30      Boston, MA   GLRR