Bobby Doyle 2025

Narragansett, RI

Sunday, August 10, 2025

Having struggled recently trying to remember details as I write race reports from six weeks ago, I actually smartened up on this one and am writing it on race day when I actually remember stuff!

This race served as the USATF-NE 5-Mile championship.  I have run this race several times before, but I have never run this course before as it's a new course this year.  The change was forced by Point Judith Country Club as they no longer allowed the Bobby Doyle race to run on their private Windermere Road as the race had been run there in the past few years.  I don't know the background of what precipitated this, but regardless it's a shame.  I don't love the new course, but it also wasn't as bad as I feared.  More on that in a bit ...

New 2025 course:  no cone turnarounds,
but a fair amount of OAB and three more turns than last year

My usual goal (not always met) is to get to races 1 hour early.  In this case, knowing from past experience that bib pickup lines and bathroom lines have been long, we opted to get there at 7:45am, which we were successful at.  Parked at the high school for the short walk to the middle school, where packet pickup and race finish would be located.  (Note:  we didn't really have a choice in where to park.  It seemed that parking marshals filled the middle school lots first, and then had subsequent car arrivals park at the high school.  Very efficient, by the way.)

Bib line was pretty short, and the portajon line was pretty long, but not horrendous.  Was thankful for the earlier arrival, but if I were to run this race again next year and if it were again a USATF-NE race, I would opt to arrive even earlier.

After a 2-mile warmup with Brady, I turned him over to Jana and we headed to the start.  Ran a couple of strides and lined up about ten rows back.  I catch up with a few runners I know, and when asked about my time goal, I mention that anywhere between 31 and 32 [minutes] I'll be happy with.  Had I run this race last year when I was running faster, I might have attempted the M60 course record of 29:56, but I feel that window has passed.

Mile 1:  It's a crowded packed start, and as the race starts, I get elbowed and pushed.  Norm is right behind me, and says, "Looks like you are really getting pushed around, Jeff!".  Indeed.  Norm passes me, and I remind myself to run my own race.  It's basically the same first mile as Blessing of the Fleet, downhill on South Pier Road to Ocean Road.  I watch Norm move ahead and tuck in just behind Scott Grandfield, both of them my age group competitors.  Again, I remind myself to run my own race.

Start of 2025 Bobby Doyle
I'm probably about ten rows back

Mile 1 split 5:43.  That was a bit spicier than I planned, even for a downhill mile.

Mile 2:  After a very short distance on Ocean Road, we turn inland and begin the only perceptible hill.  We are in open sun now, and with a temp at start of 74°F, it feels like about 80° here to me.  I am surprised to catch up to David Principe here.  I run beside him for most of the mile, dodging and passing other runners along the way.  We are only supposed to run on the left side of Kinney (the shaded sylvan road I'm used to from the Blessing), and it's coned off as runners will be returning on the right side, but a number of runners are seemingly slowing down here (as I'm not speeding up!) and they're in my way, so since no runners have come back yet, I occasionally cross the yellow line to go past them.  Wow, that was a long run on sentence.

Mile 2 split 6:10.

Mile 3:  As we make a left onto Old Point Judith Road (running in opposite direction as Blessing Mile 6), looking to my right, I can just see a RI State Police vehicle coming from that direction with flashing lights.  I had hoped to see the top runners coming at me, but the timing didn't quite work out.  I am dreading the next right turn, as it's puts us onto the infamously sunny and hot and worst part of the Blessing course (Rt 108), BUT it's only 1/3 mile and nearly completely shaded this time of day, so no issue at all.

As we make the right turn off of Route 108 and onto Kinney, we are at the highest point of the course.  At the turn or just after, I'm happy to hear Chris G call out to me, and I see "18:22" on a clock at the 3-mile marker.

Mile 3:  Glancing at photographer Chris Garvin
as I hear my name called.  Kinney Ave.

Mile 3 split 6:13.

Mile 4:  Mile 4 is pretty much entirely the length of Kinney Ave.  Shaded and a very slight downhill.  I can still see Dave P in front of me, but again I'm just running my own race, and actually feeling pretty good here.  Sometimes you can just tell when you're going faster, and in retrospect now looking at my splits, I did pick it up just a bit.

Mile 4 split 6:06.

Mile 5:  My watch beeps and displays "4 miles" just as I turn onto Gibson.  This is again a very slight downhill short section.  As we round the corner from Gibson to South Pier for the stretch home, I'm thinking we have half a mile to go and am dismayed looking at my watch to see 4.3 miles.  I'm hoping for any kind of landmark to break up the remaining 0.7 miles with a slight incline, but South Pier is kind of non-descript until you get back to the school.  I'm pushing hard, even passing a few runners, when I see a "1/4 Mile to Go" (or something like that) as we get to the school field.  The rest is a blur as I do my best to "kick" to the finish.

Just before the finish

Final result:  30:32 (average pace 6:06), 256 out of 1,018 overall, 5th out of 60 in age group.  Full results here.

So against my goal of 31-32, for once this year I ran quite a bit faster than I expected.  Obviously, my goal was somewhat arbitrary, so I decided to dive in to the stats a bit more:

Geek stats:

• Number of runners ahead of me at 3-mile split, but finished behind me:  10
• Number of runners behind me at 3-mile split, but finished ahead of me:  2

(In other words, I improved my position from Mile 3 to Mile 5 by 8 places.)

Age Grade Results:

Subjectively, I felt this race went really went for me for this year.  But how could I measure this
objectively across multiple distances I've run this year?  And then an idea popped in my head!
Age-graded is a formulaic leveling across ages and distances.  I included all certified road races
I've run this year.  This resulting chart reaffirms my gut reactions:
Boston Marathon was by far my worst performance this year,
I ran well at Clamdigger, 
and my best performance was at Bobby Doyle!   

Sure, I'm not forgetting that I finished 5th in my age group at Bobby Doyle, but other than NYC Half and Boston, this is by far the deepest and most competitive age group field I ran in this year.

Race performance take-away:  After this analysis, I am feeling even better about my performance in this race.  Maybe this will be the proverbial "lighting a fire under my a$$" that I need to end my wallowing self imposed torpor and get some training and confidence in my racing.  I have no illusions of battling against Father Time and I'm also not saying I'll ever best my 2:47:57 marathon PR from three years ago, BUT maybe, just maybe, with a little guidance and a better attitude, I can still (or once again?) be real competitive in my age group.

---------------------

I'll wrap up this race report with my own personal take on pros and cons:

Pros:

• Pre-race e-mail communication was very good.
• Parking was very efficiently managed.  Parking marshals were great.
• Course is USATF certified (it is a requirement of races in the USATF-NE races).
• Price was really good at $25 for a 5 mile certified course.
• Race is popular and super competitive.
• Course was closed to traffic.
• Fun post-race get-together with food on athletic fields.
• Ice cold water at finish!
• Refreshing fire hose at finish!

  

  Post-race mingling on athletic fields

  

  That fire hose was very refreshing!

Cons:

• Registration site:  I had never even heard of GetMeRegistered, and it's not the friendliest, including that you can't see who else is signed up, and there is seemingly no provision for posting results or photos.  I think you can't beat RunSignup for road races, and then you also have the advantage of being able to see all your registrations in one place for multiple races you've signed up for.
• Results site:  RaceWire is OK, but not the easiest to navigate.
• Environmentally friendly:  Or rather lack thereof.  Paper registration day of, plastic cups at water stations.
• Website refresh:  The race website itself is good, but two days post race, it would be nice to see some mention or photos of the race that took place, as well as a link to results.
• Check in process:  Unlike many races (especially of this size) using more modern and efficient processes including check-in on phones or computers, this race still uses paper check-in and you have to go to a table according to the letter your last name starts with.  I ended up waiting in an albeit relatively short line, but there were other tables that were empty with idle volunteers.
• New course:  It actually wasn't terrible, but it also wasn't the clean loop of the former course with fewer turns.  (Understandably a course change had to be made.)
• Shirt design:  I know this is subjective, and I certainly don't need more running shirts, BUT at least to me this is a pretty ugly shirt destined for the scrap pile right away (either next clothing clean-out / donation or wear it to the starting line of a colder late fall / winter race to keep warm pre-race and then discard it)
• Generic bib:  Obviously not a deciding factor in the race, but in a race of this size and depth, it would be nice to get a bib that actually referenced the race!

To each his own,
but not for me, thanks

I just don't find the RaceWire results platform to be
very appealing or easy to navigate.  And yeah, that pace
might be just a little bit off!

Blessing of the Fleet 2025

Friday, July 25, 2025

Narragansett, RI

The basic background going into this race:

• This was my 23rd consecutive Blessing.  
• Last year I went for the M60-69 course record, and was successful.
• This year it was hot (it was last year as well) AND it was quite humid.

So I had nothing to prove, my race times have been markedly slower to date this year, and I neither enjoy nor thrive in this weather.  So I decided this would be an easier, more comfortable pace this year, and basically just running it to 1) keep the streak going and 2) have fun out there.

After my usual warm-up routine of running down to a public "real bathroom" with no line, and running back, I lined up about four rows back with Tom, Shara, and Matt and chatted until the race started.

NOTE:  Due to earlier thunderstorms, the walker start was moved from 5pm to 5:30pm.  Until I was on the starting line, it hadn't dawned on me that this would impact my race by encountering walkers much earlier than the usual spot on Route 108.

Race start:  Started off running about 6:30/mile pace.  I got to the first water stop maybe two miles in, but as it was clogged with walkers, I opted not to even try.

I got to the next water stop, at maybe 3.5 miles, and decided I need to get water.  So I weaved into the line, got cut off by a walker cutting right in front of me as I grabbed my cup of water, did my best to weave around her (I'm just behind her) without hitting her or even contacting her, and in doing so, I accidentally spilled some of my water on her.  I thought that was better than an actual collision, but I still loudly got called "What a f#&king a$$hole!" by the walker behind me.  I tried to just let it go, but it bothered me for at least the next mile.

I got out to Route 108, my least favorite section of the course, and said to myself, "What am I doing?".  I'll finish this race, but it's hot and humid, I'm not having fun, and I have nothing to prove or shoot for this year.  Decided to just have fun and slowed down.  JV caught and went past me as we exited Route 108, and as he did, my initial reaction was to go with him.

Nah.  Spent the final four miles high-fiving every kid, went through every sprinkler whether on my side of road or not, asked kids to hit me with their super soakers, and at Mile 9 this kid at heart took a running dive onto a slip 'n slide.  Slid until I ended up face down in a pool of cold water.  Ahh, that felt so good.  Do I have to get up and finish?  Yeah, I do.

Ran the last 1/4 mile in with Tyler Faubert as he was shooting for a PR, and asked me to run him in.  (He did get it!)

Final result:  1:08:04, 3rd in age group.  Full result here

Just before finish

Immediately after finishing, I didn't feel great.  Not terrible, not injured, but just that feeling of mild heat illness.  They don't have fruit anymore (I've politely written in to organizers about this), and I'm certainly not eating a hot dog.  Checked out paid food offerings at the adjacent seafood festival, but it just about all fried food, so decided to just leave and eat elsewhere.

Immediately post race.  I (bib #913) am the only one that looks like death warmed over,
but that's pretty much how I felt!
(Photo by Jana)

Laugavegur 55K 2025

Landmannalaugur, Iceland

Saturday, July 12, 2025

I ran this race in 2022, and have a detailed post here.  Since I've run this before and also because the race was over a month ago now, this year's posting will be more abbreviated and focused just on the race itself, not the race preparation, transportation, etc.  

Having said that, the impetus for me to run this race again this year was really that Matthew had expressed interest in running it back when he was a spectator at the finish line in Þórsmörk three years ago, and I had told him that if he were ever serious about running it, I'd be happy to accompany him.  And this year that came to fruition.

I really didn't know what to expect for a target time this year.  I ran a pretty good time of 5:31 back in 2022, but I've slowed a bit.  Also, three days ago I honestly wasn't sure if I could even start nevermind finish the race, as I was having a lot of pain in the coccyx area that had just come on the day before and was so debilitating that I scratched from the weekly Fun Run 5K, as I was limping in pain on my 1/4 mile warmup.

Race start:  After a short warm-up with Matthew, I checked in my bag to be sent to the finish line.  Milled around for a bit before showing the requisite race items (space blanket, whistle, cell phone, light jacket) to race officials to gain entry to Wave 1 line-up.

Start of the famed Laugavegur 55K trail

Arrived at Landmannalaugar

Taken during our warm-up.  It's beautiful terrain here already,
and we haven't even started the race yet.

Lined up maybe a third of the way into Wave 1, and we were quickly off.  SO nice to start a race in July at 49°F!  The first 10K is mostly uphill, climbing about 1,500' up to the Hrafntinnusker aid station.  Andrew (LePage) passed me a few miles into the race, and I figured I wouldn't see him again.  

The start line being setup

After Hrafntinnusker, there were occasional sections of snow to cross over, but unlike in 2022, this time the snow sections were few and far between and the snow was soft.  In 2022, we were on snowfields for miles at a time, and it was also easier to run on back then.  In about Mile 7 or so, I was very confused when Andrew passed me for a second time, until he explained that he had stopped at the previous aid station.

Hrafntinnusker aid station!

Snow crossing about an hour into the race

I was careful not to get too close to the collapsed hole in the snow!

Mile 11 is a long steep downhill section on scree.  I passed so many people in this section, including passing Andrew.  At about Mile 12, the terrain levels off for about the next nine miles, and this was the start of my struggles.

What a view!  At Mile 10, just before the big descent

Andrew re-passed me for the final time about 13 miles in, and from there my pace just continued to slow.  By the time I got to Emstrur aid station at 38K (23M), I just was not feeling good at all.  The aid stations workers must've sensed it, as they asked me if I wanted to see a doctor that was onsite.  I said no, I just wanted to use the bathroom, get a lot of food, and then rest for a bit before continuing.  There might have been something lost in translation, as after I returned from the bathroom (surprising to have flush toilets and running water way out here!), she asked me if my stomach was feeling better.  Stomach?  I just had to pee.  Gorged myself on chocolates and watermelon, sat down in the sun on the deck for probably a good 10 minutes before getting up and going again.

Mile 14:  One of our first water crossings

Mile 17:  A deeper and colder river crossing coming
into the halfway mark at Bláfjallakvísl

The final ten miles were pretty rough as all I wanted to do was finish, and it seemed an inordinate amount of time before reaching the final river crossing of the River Þröngá.  Unlike 2022, when I really enjoyed the river crossing, this time I'm not enjoying life at the moment.  A few final slow miles to slog out and I reach the finish, almost two hours slower than three years ago.

Mile 21:  The trail is pretty flat and easy here, but unfortunately
I'm just cooked and checked out.

Mile 23:  I loved this snow-capped mountain view,
just before Emstrur aid station, where I would spend 15 
minutes stopped for rest and recuperation

Final result:  7:29:54, 451 out of 754.  Not even in the top half.  Ouch.  Full result here.

No temper tantrum.  I'm not even upset.  I ran very well in 2022, and for today, well, I spent the day in a beautiful location in a beautiful country, and I finished the race despite being still injured and questioning my ability to run this at all.

Mile 25:  It might not have been my day here, but I did finish the ultramarathon,
and it's hard to be upset when you're out here in this beautiful landscape!

Arnold Mills 2025

Cumberland, RI

Thursday, July 4, 2025

A month late on this race report, and I've run it before, so this will just be a short pictorial essay.

Pretty crowded start

But look:  still no start timing mat, meaning
this race is a gun start / chip finish.
With almost 1,000 runners (878 finishers this year),
might it be time to have a chip timed start?

Mile 1:  just ahead of teammate Matt
(Photos by Kim)

Late in the race (Mile 4, I think)

Finished!  (Official race photo)

Team WTAC today (minus Bob, but plus Mango!)

About 1 minute slower than last year,
but still enough for 1st place in my age group and
over a minute ahead of second place

Nice that Jana jumped into the race today!

Picking up my age group win award
(a medal, plus $25 Marathon Sports gift card)

Catamount 25K

Stowe, Vermont

Saturday, June 21, 2025

This was my 2nd time running this race.  My first Catamount was back in 2021, when I ran 2:01:42, 11th overall, and 1st in my age group.  This would also be my final training race before Laugavegur 55K three weeks later.

Matthew and I stayed in an Airbnb the night before in Montpelier, which made for an easy half-hour drive to the race on race morning.  Parking was real easy in a dirt parking lot adjacent to the start/finish.

Beautiful clear sunny day, with temps at a comfortable 59°F at start

Race start:  After a warm-up with Matthew and Steve Brightman, I took a Untapped waffle and was quickly ready to go.  I lined up a few rows back with Maine Jeff Walker, and we chatted for a bit waiting for the race to start.

Start of the 2025 25K
You can see Matthew and Steve Brightman
(the latter is shirtless on Matthew's right)

I do remember passing and getting re-passed by the 
Notch girl.  I don't remember this shirtless guy.

Early first few miles in the race

The first few miles are rollers, but I know the biggest climb of the day is coming at about 2.5 miles.  The climb is only 700' and it's spread out over two miles, but hill climbing is not my forte relative to others.  A few runners go by me easily on the uphill, including Maine Jeff Walker.

From miles 6 to 10, we drop about 800'.  Honestly, this is where I was hoping to catch back up to Maine Jeff Walker.  I feel like I'm running well, but it is not to be.  In retrospect, comparing my times here to 2021, I'm actually running 60 to 90 seconds slower per mile.  I know, I shouldn't compare my 60-year-old times to my 56-year-old times.  It's not helpful.  But I think it's natural?

By Mile 11, we are so close to the finish line that I can hear the announcer.  But it's deceiving as you're sent further away from the finish line and into a several-mile loop in the woods before you reach the finish.  I'm doing what I can to hold on here, and I'm both passed by several runners as well as passing several runners myself.  

Final result:  2:18:37, 30th overall (of 95), 1st in age group.  Full results here.

Coming into the finish line.  Glad to be done!

The good news is I took 1st place in my new 60s age division.  The bad news is I end up 17 minutes slower than four years ago, or just over a minute per mile slower.  I take it all in stride.  Matthew is out on a cool down that I don't have the energy for, so I grab a veggie taco kind of bowl (it's either that or pulled pork), and since I'm not much of a beer drinker, I try the kombucha they are offering.  It's not my thing, but I did try.

The best think about the kombucha wasn't the
kombucha itself, but rather that it was
served in this take-home race glass.

Fun race overall.  Would I run it a 3rd time?  Yes, probably, but there are so many good trail races out there, and I'd like to mix it up.