New Course Record:
Best Three Performances:
Worst Three Performances:
2002 Races
Race Number 15:
Race: Talking Turkey XC
Date: November, 30
Location: Holyoke, MA
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 30:30
Splits:
Place: 1st
Link to results: www.coolrunning.com
Link to article: Springfield Union News
Link to article: Hampshire Gazette
Comments: Winning the second largest race in Western Mass is pretty cool, eh?
Race Number 14:
Race: World Mountain Running Trophy
Date: September 15th
Location: Innsbruck, Aut
Distance: 11.7 km +1331m
Time: 1:03:48.4
Splits:
Place: 32nd
Link to results: www.tlv.at
Comments: Apprehension abounded at the start of the 2002 World Mountain Running Trophy. With the starting line situated in the Innsbruck city center with its narrow and rain-soaked cobble streets and no markings to separate runners from different teams (nationalities), the first 200m promised to be the unfortunate sort of “excitement” that is best avoided during a race of such importance. Fortunately, a repeat of the pile up that occurred at the beginning of the junior men’s race which involved roughly 67% of the US team was avoided. The first 1.5 km of the course runs through the city center and then along the river before beginning the 1331meter climb toward the finish at Seegrube. At the gun, fellow American, Simon Guitteriez shot immediately to the lead pack while I ran comfortably about five seconds in arrears. Although I did not see the first and second kilometer markers, we were probably running about 3 minutes/km pace for the first 1.5km. After one km of climbing, I caught and passed Simon and ran through three km in 10:55 at which point I began to feel dizzy and light-headed. This worried me as ten minutes into an hour-long race is a bit early to begin experiencing such symptoms. Keeping in mind that this was a team race, I decided to reduce the intensity with which I was running in order to recuperate. One km thereafter, Simon passed me along with about ten other runners. Heading into the “really steep” portion of the course, my race began to stabilize and I felt strong and comfortable (as comfortable as you can be while running an all-out km in 8:33). I passed Simon (again!) during the initial portion of the “really steep” bit which included a trail following an alpine ski area without the aid of any switchbacks. Finally, at about 8km, runners began coming back to me. Slowly, I (re)captured a few positions, mostly on the flatter, road portions of the course before coming to a short, gradually downhill section of rough, muddy singletrack just before the 10km mark. The change in arm motion required during the faster running caused me to notice that I was beginning to lose feeling in my arms, quite possibly a consequence of the continuous rain combined with the inverse relationship between altitude and temperature. A short stair climb bridged the trail with the road that would take us the final distance to the finish line. Atop these stairs, I found that I had caught up to a group of eight or so runners while running through the woods. The final 1.7 km was alive with hundred(s) of spectators clanging cow bells, banging pots and pans (an Austrian tradition), ringing noise markers, cheering fervently, and even playing the bagpipes in 40 degrees, rain, and 10meter-visability fog. This excitement allowed me to pass a few of the runners from the group in front of me. At this stage, unless you are passing someone who is suffering from the late-race effects of an egregious miscalculation of pacing, every gained place requires a dogfight. With the finish in sight (metaphorically in this case since switchbacks, gradient changes, and fog did not allow a view of the finish until 30meters out) and with many rain-soaked spectators screaming for you (many by name), however, passing can, in fact, be accomplished! 20meters of flat running at the top allowed me the chance to pass one more runner to finish in 32nd place, much higher than my previous best placing of 42nd in Malaysia (1999). The race was followed by several minutes of dry heaving (I had eaten only PowerGels that day and so there was nothing to throw-up), the 10 minute period of trying not to pass out that accompanies end of a well-run uphill-only race, another 10 minutes of shivering, and a cooldown back into town (which was faster than the tram). My race at the 2002 World Trophy helped me to leave behind my dismal performance two years prior in Bergen and to realize two lifetime personal goals of finishing as the top American at the World Trophy and beating Rob Jebb.
Race Number 13:
Race: Mount Skip Fell Race
Date: September 7th
Location: Mytholmroyd, England
Distance: 4.5 miles +/-1000'
Time: 29:25
Place: 1st
Link to results: www.cvfr.co.uk
Comments: In this final race in preparation for the World Trophy, my objectives were to, 1. push the climb, 2. win, and 3. break Greg Hull’s course record. The climb was not quite what I had expected as it was wore of a series of climbs, some of which were extremely steep. After a few minute run out along the Calder Canal towpath, there was a series of short climbs through the woods punctuated by stile vaults and stream crossings. Having taken control of the lead back along the towpath, I worked to push myself on the uphills in order to counteract my awful stile and gate crossing form. With a few short navigational errors (yes, even though the course was fully flagged) I reached the top and began my descent back toward the canal. I was surprised at how smoothly my descending was since I have not been properly training for that sort of racing. The fact that I lacked proper fell shoes meant that the muddy forest trails would have me slipping and sliding my way down slope, often into loads of nettles. Once on the piedmont, I realized that I was going to be over the record but I pushed hard along the flat toward the finish slowing only for a few turns on wet cobble.
Race Number 12:
Race: Challenge Stellina
Date: August 25th
Location: Susa, Italy
Distance: 15,450 m +1500m
Time: 1:29:02
Splits:
Place: 19th
Link to results: www.atleticasusa.it
Comments: Just three days prior to the race, I learned that I had the opportunity to run the Challenge Stellina. It would have been foolish to go; then again, it would have been foolish not to go. In this case, I chose to be foolish and opted to race the Italian classic rather than the Mount Toby Trail Run as previously planned. An overbooked flight out of Boston meant that I did not arrive in Susa until 6:00 p.m. on the evening before the race. After a quick run and shower, I headed down to eat only to fall asleep at the dinner table. On race day, I awoke to a most rare sight; a cold and rainy Susa (well, cold for Susa, anyway). All this time, I had been anticipating the arrival of another American who would complete the two-man national scoring unit. I even went so far as to bring his number to the start; however, he was nowhere to be seen during my stay. At the gun, I closely followed the leaders on an abbreviated tour of the village before the hill. The first km split of 3:12 attests to the long, flat paved runout. During the second km, the field began to string out behind what would become the course record-stetting pace of Jonathan Wyatt while I settled into a comfortable pace somewhere in the top ten. After about 30 minutes, my pace no longer felt comfortable and I was dropping rapidly through a very accomplished field. As runner after runner shot past, the kilometer markers could not come soon enough for me. Even the first (of three) downhills required an inordinate amount of effort with little gained in return. After the downhill, the course becomes really steep with some of the kilometers requiring over nine minutes to complete. Even if I were running well, this portion of the course would be agony. As things were on the day, it was truly awful. Finally, the course flattened out and I managed a 2:49 km; unfortunately, I had been beaten so thoroughly on the climb that no one was close enough for me to catch. I finished almost three minutes slower than I did two years ago despite the fact that my current level of fitness is noticeably superior. Nevertheless, it was still a grand opportunity and I am glad that I went; although, I will not be making any similar trips (one weekend in Europe) in the future.
Race Number 11:
Race: Course du Sierra-Zinal
Date: August 11th
Location: Sierra to Chandolin, CH
Distance: 11 km +1500m
Time: 1:08:30
Place: 20th
Link to results: www.sierre-zinal.com
Comments: For the second time this season, a race that I was running would be shortened due to weather conditions. During lunch on the day before the race, the organizers informed us that the race would be shortened in the event that the accumulative snowfall on the highest pass exceed 20 cm. Later that day, the abbreviation of the course was made official as we would be running 11 km from Sierra to Chandolin rather than the 31 km from Sierra to Zinal as originally planned. This was unfortunate as the second two thirds of the race are where my forte lies. The first 9k or so km of the race climbs 1500 m which, to the uninitiated, is really damn steep. After that, the course flattens and then descends into Chandolin. After a nausia-inducing ride down the valley to Sierra, the race started in a warm drizzle that was light in comparison to the heavier rains of the past few days. Comfortably running up the road out of Sierra, I moved into sixth behind four of the favorites and one unknown runner. Once we hit the path, the top four began to break away while I remained just out of fifth until a steep, muddy patch knocked me back into ninth. Happy to be through the mud, I continued in ninth before coming to an extended muddy section that would see me drop several places as I slipped with every step and, in many places, crawled up the pass with my fingers digging into the mud. When the muddy bit was over, I regained several places but ran out of track before catching enough runners to feel good about my placing.
Race Number 10:
Race: Barr Trail Mountain Race
Date: July 14
Location: Manitou Springs, CO
Distance: 12 Miles (+/-3360')
Time: 1:32:54
Splits:
Place: 1st
Link to results: www.runpikespeak.com
Link to article: Colorado Springs Gazette
Link to article: Coolrunning
Comments: With the huge disparity in prizes between first and second places in this race, it was very important for me to finish first. I was thus concerned when I saw Simon Gutierez (who won the last two races that I ran), Teddy Mitchell (former NCAA 10,000m champ, all around fast guy, and complete question mark on the mountains) and Matt Carpenter (the only man to win this race) on the starting line. After the gun, Mitchell took the lead taking Gutierez and I with him. Even though our pace was not all that taxing, the three of us quickly pulled away from the rest of the field. At six minutes into the race, Mitchell motioned for someone else to lead and I took over for the next 24 minute with Gutierez on my heels before he pulled ahead by step or two at a water stop and extended the lead to 20+ seconds by the turn around. After just 400 meters of decent, I had regained the lead which, despite slipping on nearly every switchback on the way down, I extended to a comfortable margin. I felt that I needed this margin because the final 400 meters are uphill and I thought that I might have to walk. Mitchell outkicked/held off Gutierez for second and Carpenter finished well back and looking quite relaxed after being quite possibly the only person in the race to run slower down the mountain than up.
Race Number 9:
Race: Vail Hill Climb
Date: July 7
Location: Vail, CO
Distance: 7.5 to 8 miles (with 2200' of climbing)
Time: 50:31
Splits:
Place: 2nd
Link to results: Vail Recreation
Comments: Coming into this race, I knew that Gutierez was the man to beat and that I would place either first or second. At one mile in, this prophecy had already been fulfilled. A 5:10 opening mile (flat but at 8500') provided to two of us with a 50 meter lead over thrid place. For the next 3.5 miles, Simon and I traded the lead wile running at a comfortable pace. Just before 5 miles, however, he began pushing the flats and I was not comfortable wit my transitions from steep to flat and down having trained specifically for a slow and uninterrupted grind. From then on, he would pull away more on the flats than I could make back on the ups and I wound up 22 seconds out of an automatic spot for the national team.
Race Number 8:
Race: Mount Washington Road Race
Date: June 15
Location: Pinkham Notch, NH
Distance: ~4 Miles (with some climbing)
Time: 28:46
Splits:
Place: 4th
Link to results: Coolrunning
Link to article: Coolrunning
Link to article: Daily Hampshire Gazette
Comments: After six months of preparing for this race, I arrived in the parking lot on the day to discover that the race had been shortened due to harsh weather conditions at the top. Instead of summiting Mount Washington, we would be racing to the 4 mile mark on the course and then running back down. At the time, I did not know whether or not this would help me or not as I can beat most of the top mountain runners in a road 10k and a shorter course should be beneficial to the faster runner. Speed, however, is not really a factor when running 7 minute pace up 11% grade. At the gun, eventual winner, Simon Gutierrez and Zablon Mokaya took off in the initial flat portion of the race. At the foot of the hill, a pack of Kenyans moved to the front and pulling Craig Fram, Eric Morse, and Gutierrez with them. After a few minute, however, the Kenyans dropped back and it was just Fram, Morse, Gutierrez, and I with more than 3 miles to go. Soon thereafter, Fram made a move and pulled the others along leaving me to run the rest of the race alone. For the rest of the race, I could see Morse and Gutierrez battling it out for the win while Fram was coming back to me. I ran out of road before catching him but also before Dave Dunham or Daniel Kihara could catch me. After running all out for 26 minutes, I was not even very tired at the finish. In retrospect, I would have welcomed the challenge of running the full course and I think that I could have improved my place in doing so.
Race Number 7:
Race: Pack Monadonock 10 Miler
Date: June 2
Location: Wilton and Temple, NH
Distance: 10 miles (with some climbing)
Time: 1:04:33
Splits:
Place: 3rd
Link to results: Coolrunning
Comments: After a spring of good races, I managed to begin the summer mountain running season with my worst race of 2002. Granted, preparations were a bit lacking but I ran the race anyway and thus, I deserve the unholy ass-thrashing that I received as a result. In standard bad race form, I felt fine for two miles and then endured 6 miles of watching the leaders pull away and people passing me before getting back into things with a good final two miles (ironically, the steepest of the race.) The only good thing on the day was that I managed to beat Dave Dunham for the first time in a mountain race. Nevermind the fact that he spotted me a hospital visit in the 12 hours preceding the race.
Race Number 6:
Race: Seven Sisters Trail Race
Date: May 5
Location: Amherst, MA
Distance: 12 miles (with some climbing)
Time: 1:43:17 (CR)
Place: 1st
Link to results: Official Site
Comments: Warm and sunny and a better day for spectating than for racing… Nevertheless, I had a good day as I took almost 4 minutes off of the course record while defeating the defending champion, Ben Nephew. With the exception of the climb up Mt. Lincoln (I think it was Mt. Lincoln, the climb in the middle of the return trip). The run went smoothly and quickly. Several colleagues and friends were on hand cheering and it was nice to have a local runner at the front of the pack.
Race Number 5:
Race: James Joyce Ramble
Date: April 28
Location: Dedham, MA
Distance: 10km
Time: 30:41
Splits:
Place: 6th
Link to results: Official Site
Comments: Cold and rainy but not entirely disagreeable weather greeted over 3500 runners who were on hand for the 2002 New England 10k championships hosted by the James Joyce Ramble in Dedham, MA. Even though it slows the race down a bit, I like racing in the rain mainly because, like big hills, I think that it bothers my competitors more than me. Anyway, the gun went off and two Kenyans (Paul Muwangi and other) shot to the front and took a few New Englanders through the mile in 4:37. Mile two brings into question the legitimacy of the mile splits as I went through two in 8:49 (4:11 for the second mile) while the leader pulled away. A few minutes later, I moved up one place in the New England champs. when David Hinga pulled to the side of the road to urinate. The race then slowly strung itself out as I ran with two BAA guys in 4th, 5th, and 6th place until mile 5 when we were caught from behind by the third Kenyan in the race. At this point, the two BAA guys fought out second and third New England between themselves and I fought the Kenyan for the all important 6th place finisher spot. My 72-second final 400 was evidently too much for him.
Race Number 4:
Race: New Bedford Half Marathon
Date: March 17
Location: New Bedford, MA
Distance: 13.1 Miles
Time: 1:09:25
Splits:
Place: 22nd
Link to results: Official Site
Comments: After yesterday's (scroll down for explanation) race, I had neither the mental nor the physical steam left to compete at a high level for this race. After an easy couple of miles, fatigue began to combine with the depressing funk that is created when several people pass you over the course of a few miles to prevent me from enjoying the sunshine on a beautiful (though too windy for fast running) day. At mile 9, it got really ugly as I ran 5:20-5:30 pace to finish in 22nd place, at least 10 places in arrears of where I should have been on a good day.
Race Number 3:
Race: Holyoke St. Pat's Day 10k
Date: March 16
Location: Holyoke, MA
Distance: 10 km
Time: 31:07
Splits:
Place: 2nd
Link to results: Coolrunning
Link to article: Daily Hampshire Gazette
Comments: 2,900 runners lined up for the Holyoke St. Pat's 10k this year making it the largest race in Western Mass. It is somehow odd, then that I ran the last 5 mile of it entirely alone with the leader tearing away and my pursuers a safe distance back. With prize money the went $1000/$650/$350/$250, I would have been happy with anything in the money but the rift valley sent but one representative to this race but I do not yet know all of the area/regional fast guys and so I was still apprehensive. Unfortunately, the lone Kenyan, Paul Mwangi, runner of a 3:55 mile and runner of the year for the state of New York put on a clinic in kicking your competition square in the ass. After a 4:43 first mile, he pulled away over the second mile, increased his lead up the hill (yes, up the hill) and then sunk the final nail in the coffin by running the downhill mile in 4:00. Meanwhile, I was running the gauntlet of cheering spectators whose number and enthusiasm was the best I have seen at a road race. Just before the hill begins (see 5:27 mile split in a 10k), the course rounds a 220 degree turn and I was afforded the opportunity to glance back at my pursuers. Nothing. With a surge of confidence, I hammered up the hill and still lost ground to the leader. At the top, I somehow ran 4:12 for, what is believed by many to be a legitimate distance, the next mile. The final mile was downhill but straight into a headwind and full of well-wishers. After the 6 mile mark, the course turns onto the final straightaway which is packed three deep most of the way with spectators. I took the opportunity to slow a bit and enjoy a feeling of crowd support that is rare in distance running.
Race Number 2:
Race: Stu's 30k
Date: March 3
Location: Clinton, MA
Distance: 30 km
Time: 1:43:41
Splits (average pace):
Place: 1st
Link to results: CMS
Link to article: Telegram (Worchester, MA)
Comments: Another odd race. After a few miles, it was already time to decide whether I wanted the security of the pack or a chance at the win as Kenyan, Gideon Mustiya started to run away from the field. Weighing in at about 90 pounds with rocks in his pockets, Gideon is perhaps the worlds least effective wind-block but I tried to draft behind his as best I could on this windy but unseasonably warm day. This lasted until just before 7 miles when he made a decisive move and pulled a large gap on a downhill stretch. At that point, I figured that it was just a surge; 14 km later I had still not made up any ground (nor was I losing much.) Already comfortable with the prospect of a second place finish behind my Rift Valley opponent, the gap closed suddenly and, on a steep incline just following 25k, I moved into first past a walking Gideon Mustiya and into the town of Clinton for a few admittedly slow uphills before crossing the finish line several minutes ahead of second place.
Race Number 1:
Race: Jones Town and Country 10 Miler
Date: February 24
Location: Amherst, MA
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 52:26
Splits:
Place: 1st
Link to results: Sugarloaf Mountain Athletic Club
Link to article: Sugarloaf Mountain Athletic Club
Link to article: Daily Hampshire Gazzette
Comments: Considering the ice storm in which the 2001 edition of this race was run, the weather could not have been much better in 2002; sunny, 50 degrees with a slight breeze. If you look and the splits for this race, they fall into two discrete categories, 4:55-5:11 and 5:21-5:35. This is due to the hilly nature of a course that runs through a flat first mile, falls for the second mile, and then climbs to the Atkins Reservoir for the next two miles. The next four miles fall gradually which enabled me to average 5:04 for the stretch before the climb back into town slowed me to 5-20s for the remainder of the race. The race plan that I had concocted after previewing the course a few weeks before the race was to run with the lead pack until the bottom of the hill at 8.5 miles into the race. Eventual second place finisher, Art Gunther broke open a gap running up the first hill and I decided to cover the move only to find that it had taken enough of a toll on the instigator that soon after the top (before mile marker 4), I managed to pull away without really increasing the pace. I then ran comfortably through the middle miles of the race learning from race officials that I had a 20 second lead at 5 which grew to 60 seconds at mile 8. The final two miles comprise a substantial net uphill and, at this point in the race, I did not see the need to push it all that much so, in the imortal words of Eric Morse, "I shut it down".
