Mt Archer Trail Race

Lyme, CT

Sunday, March 23, 2025

This was a last minute decision for me to run this brand new trail race and newest addition to the USATF-CT MUT series.  As in I signed up the night before.  I was already signed up for the first race of the RI Grand Prix (Aquidneck 10K road race) on the same date.  And I almost always run the races that I am signed up for.  BUT, having just run a disappointing time in the NYC Half seven days prior, after three straight earlier disappointing times in road races this year, I just felt I needed a break.  I also noticed it would be a windy day, favoring the trails over an open road course along the ocean, and frankly I was pretty sure I would have more fun running this new trail race.  When one of the Mohegan Striders reached out to ask if I'd be running in the men's master team, that pretty much made up my mind.

Race morning:  It was only about a 45 minute drive to Lyme.  I had never been to Mt Archer before, or frankly even heard of Mt Archer.  Arrived to weather of 29°F and a wind-chill of 17°F.  I've certainly raced in much colder weather, but this was a little chilly and breezy for late March in an open field while in line to get your bib, separate line to get your shirt, and then a line for the single porta-jon.  The first two lines moved really quickly, but overall this made my decision easy to wear a long-sleeve shirt to race, with my team singlet over the shirt.

I went for a 2-mile warm-up, starting off solo, but then joining up with speedy teammates Sam A, JP, and Mark Olivier.  Back to the car to strip a couple of layers, down an Untapped maple waffle, change into race shoes, and off to the starting line!

Race 1st half:  There were two distances today, a 9.2M (which I was running) and a 3M.  Our race started 15 minutes ahead of the shorter race, and it was running a different race, so there was never any overlap of runners.  I only caught part of RD Chris Colangelo's race remarks, as nature called, but I did hear his description of course marking that we should be following (pink ribbons and also spray-painted arrows in the dirt).  I know I didn't belong on the starting line, so I lined up about two rows back.

Other than a narrow single-file bridge very early on in the race, the trail was open enough that it was easy to pass (this would change later on), which was helpful as I passed a couple of runners and a couple of runners passed me, including a younger guy with long hair.  At a fork in the trail maybe half a mile in, long-haired-guy went straight despite the course markings clearly indicating the course went right.  I went right, but also yelled to him that he missed a turn.  He near sprinted back, and I motioned for him to go back ahead of me, and also reiterated that we need to follow the pink markings.  I thought to myself that a simple "thanks" from him would've been nice, but oh well.

Narrow single-lane bridge early on

In the first mile through a
stand of cedar trees

The first two miles were pretty flat and easy, and I knew from studying the map that at two miles "the fun" would begin.  Before the ascent, I ended up passing long-haired-guy back.  I figured he'd retake me on the climb, but never saw him again.  We had a 250' ascent, moderately steep, with 200' of that in about 1/3 mile.  Someone came up on me right away, and I know I'm a slow uphill runner, so I offered him to pass me, which he did.  Another runner came up on me, and I offered the same, but he said he was good.  

At the top of the climb, in the distance I could now see teammate Jared a couple positions ahead of me.  The course overall was NOT technical, but over the next couple of miles there were several rock gardens and the course was really undulating.  At one point just over three miles in, there was a sharp downhill with rocks in the middle of the trail leading up to a sketchy stream crossing.  At this point, I went ahead of the guy in front of me, who turned out to be Ryan Murdoch, who now lives in Westerly and I think is newer to trail running.  I took the rocky stream crossing really awkwardly and off balance, but I stayed upright and caught right up to Jared.  I was right on his heels, but on the next uphill, he pulled away from me.  

3+ miles in, just ahead of Ryan Murdoch

On a subsequent uphill, two runners passed me and then Ryan caught back up to me and ran alongside me before pulling ahead.  We pulled up to the first road crossing and only water stop, about 4.5 miles in.  I grabbed the plastic cup and it immediately shattered, spilling liquid on me.  Crossed the road to start the second half of the race.

Race 2nd half:  Jared, Ryan, and the two that had just passed me were not in the view for very long, and unlike the first half where I could see runners the whole time, I was soon running as an island.  I reminded myself these guys were all in their 20s and 30s and to run my own race.  I don't think I slowed, but clearly the terrain got easier and while there were still some rolling hills, the trail itself was pretty even and with few exceptions, no rocks or roots.

Seven miles in.  No one around me.

While course trail turns were marked and I never went off-course, I began questioning whether I had missed a turn because there were very few of what I call "confidence markers", and also I was now running without others in sight.  There was one trail intersection that I didn't see markings either way, and I opted to take the more established trail.  I spent at least the next quarter-mile worrying if I took the wrong turn until I finally noticed a pink spray-painted arrow.  (Not to toot our own horn, but we do get a lot of compliments from trail runners at our WTAC trail races with how many "confidence markers" we put out on the course, with about 1,000 flags at Grills 10M Trail Race.)

I saw no one the next few miles, but as I approached the next road crossing about seven miles in, I could hear the course marshals cheering me as I went past and then not long after I heard them cheering again.  Uh-oh, someone is on my tail.  I turned right onto Mt Archer road, as directed by the course marshal, who said I would see another course marshal in about 400 yards.  That part was all clear, and as I turned off the road back onto trail at the second set of course marshals on the road, I glanced back and saw the person behind me had caught up.  Ugh.  Over the next half-mile downhill, I put some distance on my pursuer, but at a sharp-right turn and start of another climb, he caught and passed me.  I noticed then that this was just a kid, so I focused back on my own race.

A little over a mile to go, and fast downhill.  This last mile went by very quickly, and soon we were back in an open field and I could see the finish line.  The kid was back in sight, but not within my grasp.  Hoofed it in.

Finish line in sight!

Final result:  1:15:03, 13th out of 199 overall, 1st of 12 in age group, 1st overall age-graded.  Full results here

Finished!

Caught up with Jared at the finish line, and then went on my own warm-up for two miles.  I thought I timed it to be back 5-10 minutes before the published time of awards ceremony for my race, but I missed the awards ceremony completely.  No big deal.  I got first in my age group and Chris got me my award, which was a goody bag.

What went well:

• First and foremost, I had a lot of fun out there!  
• There was zero pressure for me to finish in any specific time.  (What's your 9.2 mile trail race PR?)
• The Striders men won both open and masters divisions!  
• I won my age group.  In fact, I was both 1st 60+ and 1st 50+!
• For the first time in five starts this year, I was happy with my race performance.
• Very reasonable price (I paid $35 signing up one day before the race).
• Volunteers made it an easy experience, from parking marshals to check-in to on course marshals.
• Race communication was great, both before, during, and in the days after the race.  Top marks.
• Race course was great.  Single-loop, well laid out, mix of easy and moderately hard terrain, some good hill climbs, and a nice downhill finish.
• Free race photos!
• Race shirt.  I certainly did not expect a shirt at all given that I uncharacteristically signed up last minute.  And normally I wouldn't care, as how many race shirts do I need?  But this was a nice one!

  

  Cool shirt!  And blank canvas on the back.

  
  

What could've gone better:

• It would have been nice to have more than one porta-jon at the packet pickup.  Yes, the RD made it clear there were additional porta-jons (2 more?) on the way to the start, BUT I've just arrived and I need to go now.
• There could have been a lot more confidence markers out there on the course.  I would run quite a ways between markers, and although I never went off course, I often questioned whether I was still on course.
• The water cups were cheap plastic that broke easily.  Personally I think any kind of plastic is a bad look for our environment these days, and increasingly at our WTAC races we are being requested or required by the permit issuer (typically towns and/or state agencies) not to have any plastic cups or single-use water bottles.

Overall, just a great race and a fun experience!  So glad I ran this inaugural trail race.

NYC Half Marathon

 

New York, NY

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Applying:  I applied to get into NYC Half back back in October, using my 1:23 time from New Bedford Half from last year.   The qualifying standard for my age group is only a 1:41, so I felt confident I would get in, which obviously I did.

Race day minus one:  Took Amtrak with Matthew from Westerly last Saturday morning.  Got in with plenty of time to take the afternoon easy with nothing rushed.  Got a bagel sandwich at Liberty Bagels and walked over to the expo at Center415. 

Nova lox bagel was fantastic!

For a race with 28,000 runners there actually wasn't that much of an expo, but that was just fine as we weren't looking to spend much time there anyway.  Picked up our bibs and shirts and then checked in at our hotel, Hilton Garden Inn Central South-Midtown West.  What a mouthful!  Pasta dinner just a couple blocks away at Joe G's.  The linguine alla vongole dish that I had was really good.

Pretty easy check-in at expo.  Short lines.

My race "kit" is all ready next to
the bed for me.

Race morning warm-up:  After a very fitful night of interrupted sleep, the alarms went off at 4am.  Ugh.  I was tempted to wish Matthew a good race and sleep in, but after lingering for about half an hour more in bed, I was up and ready to get moving.  Had my usual oatmeal with granola, and we were out the door at 4:55am for a warm-up of about two miles.  Obviously it was dark (which I seldom run in) and I was initially a little leery of running in the dark in a large city, but there were many (like more than a hundred) NYC police officers on the streets already, and that made me very comfortable.  What was not comfortable was the strange and not at all pleasant smells emanating out of of grates and pipes on our run.

Travel to race start:  Large races in big cities can often make for difficult logistics, and this was compounded by a point-to-point race.  Ran to Times Square, where we took a subway to Franklin Ave in Brooklyn.  The anticipated 20-minute subway ride ended up being closer to an hour, on a packed subway train with a bonus of a couple of freaks in our car.  The main freak might have been under the influence of drugs, as he babbled incessantly to himself in gibberish, sometimes exploding into laughter, and sometimes just making guttural noises as he alternated standing, sitting in a seat, sitting on the floor, and precariously lunging towards subway riders with his Taco Bell tall cup full of some green liquid.  Between that, the guy playing rap music loudly, and just a lot of quick starts and stops making my stomach queasy, the subway ride couldn't end soon enough for me.

Race ready:  Fortunately, the security check-in and bathroom lines were both surprisingly fairly quick and we ran some strides in a coned off area not far from the start.  We were in Wave 1, Corral A, and just like Boston, you had to show your bib to get through a gate and into the corral, although the process here seemed much more lax.  We got as far to the front of the corral as we could and were soon packed in like sardines.  With about five minutes to our wave's start (7:20am), Matthew bid adieu to me as he wriggled his way further forward.  I went for one more pee break, and due to time constraints and crowds, I went behind the line of porta-jons, only to find three women squatting to pee.  Awkward!  I said sorry and was starting to turn around, when the first woman mid-pee just said "no problem" and said I can come back there also.  Time was really tight, so I opted to go there, albeit again awkward as the woman was pulling up her shorts as I got to the narrow area and went past her.  Got back into the sardines, took off my long sleeve shirt to toss/donate (much easier than dealing with bag check), and had an UnTapped Maple Waffle.

1st Half - Brooklyn to Manhattan:  After a countdown, we were off.  Kind of, as it took me exactly 30 seconds to get to the start line.  

Once we get started, we very quickly hit two right turns, right in the first quarter-mile.  The course is still very congested at this point; and there are a few runners that I bump into and vice versa.  But the difficulty of navigating these first two turns pales in comparison to the 180-degree cone turnaround about 2/3 mile in.  Here we came to a complete stop, with my analogy of "rounding the buoy" in either a sailboat race or triathlon, the latter where you're bumping into a lot of bodies at least for a slow swimmer like me.  I could feel hands on my back of runners coming up on me, but the runners in front of me were at a stop so it's not like I had a choice to continue running myself, and I also come to a complete stop and walk a few steps.

As we pulled away from the cone turnaround, I had one of my last minor bump ups against a runner, and unfortunately, unlike everyone to date, this person was not at all nice.  He turned to me and yelled, "YOU'RE GOING TO KILL US BOTH!".  I was dumbfounded and didn't say anything.  I'm honestly not sure if it was my fault or his, but who cares?  It was clearly unintentional and so minor that our gait didn't even change.  Since I didn't say anything and ignored him, he turned my way once again, and yelled the same phrase even louder.  This time runners around me were clearly annoyed with him, as I heard, "Oh, come on!", "What's wrong with you?", and other phrases.  I know I shouldn't let it get to me, but it did, and took my focus away from the race.

That first mile was a 6:42 split, way off anything I was looking for, but I accepted it based on the congestion and tight turns and told myself my pace would get faster.  Which it did.

We left Prospect Park on a straightaway and my Mile 2 split was a 6:28, despite being uphill.  Miles 3 and 4 were downhill and at least according to my watch, were both in the 5:50s.  I remember thinking to myself that OK, maybe it's game on again for this race, but that is failing to account for GPS inaccuracies in the city.  What I should've done was recalibrate how far off my watch distance was at the next mile split, like I successfully did at Detroit, but didn't even think about it here.

Mile 5 was our last full mile in Brooklyn, and at least according to my watch, was by far my slowest at 6:53.  Mile 6 was on the Brooklyn Bridge.  People were saying to me later, "wasn't it amazing to be on the Brooklyn Bridge?!".  It was interesting, I guess, but I wouldn't use the work amazing.  We were definitely in some pea soup fog on the bridge and I couldn't see the span completely for most of it.

2nd Half -  Manhattan finish:  I would say the descent off the Brooklyn bridge was more interesting than either the ascent onto it or running the main bridge section crossing the East River.  Miles 7-10 were along FDR Drive, on the west shore of the East River.  I heard and read about some people marveling about great this section was.  It was pretty flat here, but I really didn't like the vehicles headed southbound in the opposite direction towards you.  They were separated by a jersey barrier, but it still wasn't pleasant.  Just my opinion, of course.  My pace in these miles was mostly in the 6:20s and 6:30s.

Miles 11-12 head away from the water and through Times Square, but I was focused on my race and barely noticed when we went through there.  My watch pace shows 6:25 and then 6:04, but I'm pretty sure both are inaccurate as my GPS lines look really wobbly (instead of a straight line) through these sections, most likely due to tall building interference.

I was so glad when we finally entered Central Park, as I knew we roughly only had one mile left.  Just wanted this race to be over.  I was passing a lot of runners (many were also passing me) but my interest in the race and result had long disappeared.  

Final result:  1:27:06, 5th of 475 in age group.  82% age graded.   Full results here

I was super disappointed with my result here, borderline depressed.  I kept comparing to my 1:19 PR from just three years ago, and two 1:23 half-marathons that I ran just last year.  But that is neither helping nor healthy.

Did some soul searching a day later, and among many other takeaways, I need to focus less on past results and overall placing, and more on age group and age grading.  Which isn't bad then, to finish 5th out of 475 in my age group in a race with over 28,000 total finishers, 82% age graded, and 1:10:56 age-graded if you believe that.  I'll focus on at least the first two and be happy with that.

These splits are the only accurate ones, as they were based on actual checkpoints on the course,
as opposed to GPS on my watch with tall building interference.  When I look at these splits,
while slower than I would have liked for sure, I am happy to see the relative consistency.

Leaving my performance out of this, here is what I felt went well:

• Race communications to registrants
• Ease of check-in at expo
• Finish line efficiency
• New Balance tech shirt

And what could have gone better:

• Transportation to the start (not saying this was the fault of the race, just that the logistics of getting to the start were not good)
• The race and accommodations are expensive
• We were told repeatedly not to just toss extra clothing and that there was a specific place to put it, but that was far from clear
• The two immediate right turns in the first 1/4 mile were not good and jammed things up
• The cone turnaround less than a mile in was horrendous (I really wouldn't expect this from a major race with 28,000 total runners)
• While results were immediately available after finish, overall positions and age group placing were not available for a few hours
• Course map was not available until less than month before race day
• Post-race, many of the NYC Half links and pages were removed, including a link to a race recap highlighted in an e-mail sent out by NYRR CEO