Gaspee Days 5K

Cranston, RI

Sunday, June 14, 2025

First time ever running Gaspee Days, motivated by the race included in the RI Grand Prix this year.  In fact, I had never even run on these roads until just two weeks prior when WTAC joined the Tuesday Night Turtles (TNT) for a 50th celebration run and post-run pizza and drinks.

WTAC / TNT group run in Warwick, June 3

Met up with Justin Pearce and Matt Sweeney at the Ashaway Park 'n Ride, where we carpooled from there, with me driving.  Was made aware of traffic and parking restrictions, and studying options, opted to park at Fay Memorial Field, about 1/2 mile away from the bib pickup and finish via trail.  Arriving, I noticed many of the Newport Run Club opted for the same parking option, with one telling me that he runs this race every year and finds this to be the best parking for ease of avoiding closed roads, getting in and out quickly.  Vindication!

I've been having some trouble accepting slower times this year, and although I ran a 17:45 in March of last year, I cautiously set an arbitrary goal of sub-19.  After ~3 miles of warm-up, I was ready to go.  There were frequent announcements that unless you were going out in 5-minute pace or faster, you didn't belong on the front line.  That didn't stop a bunch of kids from occupying the front line.  I lined up with Matt maybe three rows back, and was ready to run.  64℉ and cloudy, so pretty good weather for mid-June.  

The course was basically an OAB on Narragansett Ave,
except for a short neighborhood turnaround midway
(much better than a cone turnaround!), and pulling off
onto a quiet side street at finish.

Race start and first half:  The gun went off, and it seemed instantly so many runners had sprinted out ahead of us, some legit of course but many not.  I felt I spent the first 1/4 mile doing a fair amount of weaving, before I was able to run unimpeded and in a straight line.

I ran a 6:09 first mile.  Not the 5:40s/5:50s splits that I ran in the past, but this isn't the past.  I thought the support lining the course was great, but a few folks that run this race regularly said there are usually many more fans out there, but it was lighter this year due to the weather (off and on light rain).

I'm not a big fan of OAB courses, but at least it was a 0.2 mile lollipop turn on local roads instead of a cone turnaround.  It was also fun to watch the leaders in this race coming towards me on the return.

I was warned ahead of time about the "hill" on the return, but it's only a 40' climb, so it didn't really affect me at all.  The race really went by quite quickly, and as we made the final turn and the finish line came in sight, I see rival Norm Bouthillier just ahead of me.  I had the element of surprise going for me, but unfortunately just couldn't close ahead of him in time.

Norm in front here, and you can see me as
the next runner coming up, but I couldn't 
close the gap.
(TNT Facebook page)

Final strides to the finish.
(TNT Facebook page)

Final result:  18:59.  69 of 1769 overall, 2nd of 58 in age group.  Full result here.

Gun time 19:03 (see clock in pic), chip time 18:59.
(Snippet from race video)

I was hoping I would get lucky and Norm wouldn't be in my age group, but unfortunately he just turned 60 recently.  He got the $50 first place prize, by 3.5 seconds!

I dropped from 2nd to 3rd place in the RI Grand Prix Masters Division, as Adrian Massie ran an impressive 16:40 (he's 47 years old) for an age-graded 85.3, as opposed to my age grade for this race being an 83.3.

Overall, this was a good race that I would come back to, and I had fun out there.  I made my arbitrary goal today of sub-19 with an official time of 18:59. Unfortunately missed out on winning my age group, but really happy with how consistent my splits were at 6:09 / 6:11 / 6:09.  Fun and well organized event.

Goodwin Forest 30K

Hampton, CT

Sunday, June 8, 2025

My second year running this trail race.  Somehow I won the race outright last year, so I had to come back to defend my title, right?  While that may have played some small part in me signing up, the bigger motivation was having a moderately hilly (~2,000' elevation) and non-technical trail race of this distance fit very well in my build up plans to Laugavegur 55K just five weeks away now.  Being only an hour drive from home and a bargain price of $20* added to the appeal.  

(*$20 was the discounted price for old folks over age 50, and I did add a small donation to Friends of Goodwin Forest as well as a small donation to offset food costs.)

30K start was 9am, with the larger field in the 10K starting at 10am.  I arrived right about 8am and was greeted by expert parking marshals directing me to back in to a field at an angle for vehicle optimization.  Very quick and easy bib pickup, where I was also greeted by the Race Director, Brendan, who remembered me from last year and was eager to show me pictures on his phone of where he had improved course marking from an issue last year where I went off-course (but quickly corrected) and others went off-course and did not correct.  I could tell he took this stuff seriously (as he should, but not all do) and it all looked good to me, but the proof would be in the pudding, and I took no risk by having the GPX loaded onto my watch and even through my phone into my pack in case any issues.

This year I seemed more efficient, had plenty of time for a 1.25 mile warm-up, back to the car to load my pack (ice, 2L water, 4 gels, 1 Untapped waffle, phone), with 15 minutes to spare to decompress before the race.  Just before race start, Alison came up to me and we chatted for a bit.  She was the only person I knew in the 30K field.

Today's race course
starting and ending at Pine Acres Lake

Race:  After some helpful words from the RD and a representative from the Friends of Goodwin Forest, we were off.  Unlike last year, when the race winner (me) was decided four miles in, today, the race was decided right off the starting line.  43-year old Ben Young took it out from start to finish.  There was the usual shuffling of positions in the first half-mile, including a 44-year old passing me about this position, and me passing a guy that I thought might me in my broad age group of 50-64.

Just prior to start.  I'm in red shirt on far right.

This is the guy I passed early on that that I thought might
be in my age group.  (Race photo)

At about 2 miles in, we exit onto a road.  It's the only paved section of the course, and it's less than 1/10 mile so I don't mind it, and it gives me an opportunity to glance back and see my competitors.  Exiting onto the road, I see the guy that passed me and is in 2nd place, I'm in 3rd, and entering back onto trail, I glance back to see the guy I think might be in my age group continuing to chase me and he is in 4th place now.

There is a switchback about 3 miles in, at this juncture I no longer see anyone ahead of me, nor can I see anyone behind me.  I remind myself not to get into a lull as someone can easily catch me or I might get lucky and catch one of the top two guys, although neither scenario happens as I run the entire rest of the race "as an island".

About 5 miles in, I get to the first of several open sections.  I remember this was a real hot and steamy section last year, but not the case at all this year as it's ensconced in an eerie kind of fog.   Besides the fog, the other interesting facet at this point is some animal runs right across the trail in front of me and disappears into the bog.  My best guess is a mink, but it was so quick I can't be 100% sure.

Seven miles in, we begin the rocky ascent adjacent to the waterfalls.  It's about 120' climb and for some reason much less challenging and much less technical than I had recalled from just one year ago.  I'm not sure if that's because a year ago this course was all brand new to me, and more likely because this year I'm putting in the time on harder trail races (Breakheart and Sunapee in previous month) as part of my ultra build.  But it is scenic and I pause to take my old photo on the course:

One of the few technical sections of the course:
trail is over the rocks on the right side of 
river / waterfall

After another 1/2 mile, we come to the infamous course split where several went off course last year.  The RD has overmarked this course split this year and it is just painfully obvious which way to go.  Top marks on the course marking!  This begins the 5-mile northernmost loop.

The loop went by fairly quickly.  There is a long flat section along the Natchaug River, before a 200' climb up to the General Lyon historical site and aid station.  People later were asking me about the boiled potatoes at this aid station, but if they had them there, I didn't notice.  I took out my disposable cup and asked a volunteer to fill it with Gatorade, and I was on my way, awkwardly drinking while running and then stashing my cup back in my pack.

Back on the 2-way section, I run into a woman approaching me from the opposite direction.  She looks confused to see me coming towards her, so I explain she is going in the right direction as I go past her.  The only remaining person that I see on the course (besides the aid station volunteers) is in a clearing where a man has ridden in and parked his bike to spectate.

The rest of the run is a blur and I soon find myself on the final dirt road approaching the finish line.  I am almost out of water in my pack, so I either planned that well or got lucky by not filling to full capacity at the start and I never had to refill along the way.

Final result:  2:59:05, 3rd overall, 1st in age group.  Full results here

The good:

• Easy registration process.
• Very low priced entry.
• Good pre-race communication.
• This is a fun low-key trail race.
• Fun post-race gathering with good food.
• Neat awards!
• RD does a great job.
• Well marked and good course.
• I got 3rd overall, and 1st in age group.

The not so good:

• The race website could be a lot better.  There is a results page, but it hasn't been updated since 2023.
• Photos:  it's nice that there are free photos at all, but not so great that it took over four weeks for the organizers to post them
• 13 minutes slower than last year, and that's in better weather conditions this year

Finish line

Glad to get out of my now filthy races and socks

Nice post-race food
(there were additional options as well)

Sunapee Scramble

Newbury, NH

Sunday, June 1, 2025

(I'm one month and four races behind in the blog, so these next few posts will be more of abbreviated recaps.)

My first time running this race.  This year it was also the USATF national mountain running championship.  There is just not much infrastructure around here, so to avoid paying $300-$400 for lodging, we stayed the night before at a Best Western in Springfield, Vermont, about a 40-minute drive from the race site.  With a 9am start time, this gave me enough time to get "free" breakfast at the hotel before leaving.  Oatmeal and OJ would work well as kind of my go-to pre-race breakfast.

Arrived at Sunapee Ski Area with plenty of time to check in, use the real bathrooms, and go for a warm up run with Brady.  People who signed up early got a shirt and people who signed up late like me got a kind of cheap foam and mesh cap.  Not complaining.  I signed up less than two weeks before the race and didn't really expect any give-away.  Picked up my two bibs.  Why two?

Regular race bib for the front.

And USATF age-group bib to be worn on
your back.

Got in a decent warm-up of about 1.5 miles with Brady.  Tried to stay away from the hills / mountains, as I would be getting in plenty of that soon enough.  Temps would be favorable today, with just 46℉ at race start.  However, as it pretty much poured all day yesterday, mud would the feature of the day.  Back to the car to strip down to race gear, one final visit to the inside bathrooms, and ready to go.

Race course:  we would run the inner loop first,
and then the longer outer loop, both in a CW direction.

Very few flat parts on the course today!

Race start and loop 1:  I lined up quite a few rows back, especially given the elite runners from around the country in the field.  A very punctual start at 9am sharp.  Should be the goal of every race.  We start pretty much right away going up a muddy ski slope.  It's hard to get any traction going uphill on mud, so most of us are running on the edges of the mud, where there is at least a little bit of grass to grip onto.

Initial ascent up muddy ski slope.  The fast runners are way ahead of us.
(I'm in blue singlet and blue cap, just ahead of guy in yellow cap)

After a 500' climb on the muddy ski slope for about half a mile, we exit onto a dirt service road for the rest of the way to the summit.  We then start downhill on another ski slope, before hitting the single-track glades section.  This section is really muddy, before exiting onto another ski slope for the rest of the run down to the base.  The ski slope itself has some crazy sections calf-deep in mud!

Single-track through the glades section

I can only assume that my weird pose keeping my arms outstretched
is to give me some sense of balance through a tough muddy section

This pic and the next one will give you a sense of
the downhill calf-deep mud sections just after the glades

It was fun running through this, but I do remember
feeling like I might go down in the slippery mud (I didn't)

Finishing up Lap 1.
Time to go back up the mountain again.

Loop 2:  As I start the second climb up the mountain, I notice a 60-64 bib just in front of me that I have caught up to.  He puts a little distance on me on the 2nd climb of the muddy ski slope, but once we get onto the dirt service road again, and then start a long single-track uphill slog in mud and puddles, I catch back up to him.  I'm right behind him and think about passing him in a deep mud section that he slows down on, but then I realize as nice as it is seeing the 60-64 bib ahead of me and knowing where my competitor is, as soon as I go back him, the advantage will be his with my own 60-64 bib on my back showing.  I decide to hold off on any takeover attempts until we're done with my nemesis, the uphill climbs.  One by one, the lead three women come through, and as there is not much room to pass here, I get out of the way for each.  When Lauren Gregory comes by in 2nd place (females started 15 minutes after the men), I quickly got off the trail, but in my haste it was rather awkward as I was hanging onto a tree trunk for balance.  She is racing for a spot in World Championships, and actually takes the time to ask me if I'm OK.  Not necessary at all, but what a class act!

We reach the top of the climb, and one male runner goes past me and then past the other 60-64 runner, and then another younger runner goes past me in rapid succession, so I join in with them and make my move to go past the other 60-64.  I realize I'm fully exposed now with the age-group identifying bib on my back, and when the three of us run through thick mud, I'm hoping to lose the 60-64, but he stays right with us.  Now what?  Once we hit downhill mud, I make my move and go past the two younger guys that had overtaken me.  I stepped on the gas the whole rest of the way down and end up running the final 1.7 mile downhill section 40 seconds per mile faster on the second loop than the first, despite obviously being more fatigued.

Not only do I hold off the other 60-64 runner, but I pass one more on the way downhill to the finish.

Finishing strides

Final result:  1:46:21, 111th of 279, 2nd in age group.  Full results here

I had no idea of where I stood in my age group until the awards ceremony.  The medal I received is not much of an award, but to me it's more about how I placed as opposed to what I may have received for an award.  First place in my group was from PA and a good eight minutes ahead of me, whereas the guy that I chased on the uphill portion of second loop and he chased on downhill portion was just 39 seconds behind me.  He was a nice guy from Washington State that came over to talk to me at the finish.  He also passed the same 60-64 runner that I passed downhill to eke out 3rd place by 7 seconds.

Shorts and legs were just a little muddy after 
this one!

With my award

With Brady post-race

Overall this was just a really fun event.  The only real downside I experienced was absolutely NO post-race food included.  After hosing the mud off my legs and shoes, we headed home with a stop in Hooksett for a hearty lunch at The Common Man on I-93 rest area.