Mar/Apr 2012 - Level Renner

Under this Ground… 

New Balance Grand Prix 

Gansett Marathon 

Top X List 

1998 Stu’s 30K 

Outside Interactive 

Profiles on… 

Blake Russell 

Greg Hammett 

Robert Cipriano 

Becky Hutchinson 

Stirrat x2 

The Fast Legs Issue 

Mar/Apr 2012 

$7.50

welcome to the underground 

underground... 

underground 

Editor’s Note page 4 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

LEVEL RENNER ISSUE #6 

Lane 1: Performance page 6 Multisystems 

Lane 2: Nutrition page 7 Turkey Spinach Lasagna 

Level Event Feature page 8 Gansett Marathon 

Level Profiles page 11 Cipriano, Russell, Stirrat x2, Hutchinson, Hammett 

Level Bits page 24 survey, music, miscellaneous stuff 

Lane 3: Commentary page 21 Top 9, Top 5, Deconditioning, Outside In- 

teractive, Dealing w/ Disappointment 

Race Spotlight page 28 New Balance Grand Prix 

HSR Reissues page 34 Bennie’s, 1998 Stu’s 30K 

Robert Cipriano (432) kicking hard at Carver last July. Greg Hammett (2005) running with 

teammates at New Bedford in 2010. Do you know what both photos have in common? 

On the cover: We’re not sure but those are likely the fast legs of American Josh Scott. If 

those are his legs, they ran a 46.54 400m at the NBGP. 

Cover photo by Joe Navas/Organic Photography 

Photo on left by Ted Tyler. Photo on right by Krissy Kozlosky. 

Mar/Apr 2012 

Mini Masthead 

Contributors 

Joe Navas 

Ray Charbonneau 

Kathy Gorman 

Lesley Hocking 

EJN 

Kevin Gray 

Muddy Puddin’ 

Brett Ely 

Gary McNamee 

Scott Mason 

Ted Tyler 

Krissy Kozlosky 

Ed\Pub 

Kevin Balance 

3

Editor’s Note 

Let’s start with the big news first. LevelRenner.com 

is here. This news is so BIG 

that I want you to stop reading right now 

and head on over to the website. Wait! 

Before you go, let me tell you what you’ll 

find there. 

One: Subscriptions! That’s right. You’ll 

now be able to register for a free digital 

subscription to Level Renner. Sign up 

once and from that moment onward you 

will receive an email with an electronic 

file of the latest issue attached. No more 

laborious mouse clicks for you. Just sit 

back, open your email, click a download 

button, and start reading. The goal here is 

to make The Level as reader friendly as 

possible. Keeping it free is step 1. Putting 

the magazine right under your nose is 

step 2. 

Two: a Blog. The Level “staff” is going to 

keep this as up to date as possible with 

race reports, photographs, and videos. 

Three: Back Issues. Missed an issue over 

the holidays or busy fall? No problem. 

The Back Issues tab will allow you to catch 

up on everything you missed. 

Four: About Us. Read an extremely brief 

history of Level Renner and find out more 

Level Communications A Level Rap 

NEW: 

Cool stuff at levelrenner.com 

subscriptions, pics, latest news 

Like us on facebook 

www.facebook/levelrenner.com 

Follow the founder on twitter 

@kevbalance 

about our excellent authors. 

Five: T-shirts. You can even get a limited 

edition Level Renner T-shirt if you so desire. 

Okay, enough website promotion: let’s 

get to what’s inside issue # Bill Russell. 

We got two lists for you. A Top 5 and a 

Top 9. Developed independently by two 

great minds (Hocking and Charbonneau), 

these easy to read articles will 

save you some dough and make you 

chuckle. And thanks again to Ray Charbonneau 

for his Winter Running article 

from the Jan/Feb issue. That wonderful 

jinx is still on. 

We also got two featured events. One 

that’s happened and one that will occur. 

Joe Navas hooks us up with some awesome 

photographs from the New Balance 

Grand Prix (event report too) and Muddy 

Puddin’ offers a diagnosis on a marathon 

that you simply need to run: Gansett. 

I’m running out of space and haven’t even 

mentioned the 5 great profiles firmly ensconced 

in the middle of this mag. In no 

particular order, get motivated by Susan 

and Reno Stirrat, Greg Hammett, Robert 

Cipriano, Becky Hutchinson, and 

by Kev MC Balance 

Write to the Level via levelrenner@gmail.com. Edits may be made for clarity and brevity’s sake. 

Olympic athlete Blake Russell. Yes, The 

Level is now chatting up Olympic athletes. 

We have Kevin Gray to thank for that. 

Speaking of Olympics, the marathon trials 

occurred back on January 14, and Brett 

Ely writes a gut-wrenching article on her 

experience there. I have to tell you that if 

the parenthetical at the end of her article 

doesn’t tug at the laces of your athletic 

soul, just put the magazine down and walk 

away. You are not ready for The Level (at 

least not yet). 

This just in: Amherst coverage. LR was out 

in full force at the first stop on the USATF- 

NE GPS tour, the DH Jones 10 Miler. You 

have to check out the blog and photo gallery 

sections of the website. We are 

linked to hundreds of photographs from 

Scott Mason and Krissy Kozlosky, and 

we also have 3 fabulous videos brought to 

you by Joe Navas and EJN. I have to give 

a big shout out to my boy E because he 

has taken this bull (levelrenner.com) by 

the horns and “steered” it in the right direction. 

He’s keeping the website current, 

comical, and hardcore. You could 

say he’s keeping it on The Level. 

Run. Read. Peace. 

Set fire to the track 

Turn your skin into brack 

Separate yourself from the pack 

Let your legs talk the smack 

And don’t ever look back 

If you do you’ll be back 

And end up on your back 

So put yourself on the rack 

Don’t end up the hack 

Who slipped through a crack 

And don’t follow Rex’s advice and eat yourself a snack 

You’ll end up as memorable as a man named Todd Gack 

And look as formless as a sack 

Of potatoes 

The Level is obviously taking nominations for poet laureate of 

this semi-prestigious if not esoteric rag. 

4

Lane 1: Performance 

Multisystems, Overload, Adaptation Oh My! 

Get Faster with a Plan 

by Kevin Balance 

Last issue we talked about periodization 

and the need for a plan. This 

month’s article builds upon that concept 

and takes a deeper look into the 

contents of our mesocycle’s (4-6 week 

period) design. Let’s start with the 

different body systems we need to 

train. 

The Energy System. Ever hear of 

ATP? How about adenosine triphosphate? 

Don’t worry about that. All 

you need to know is that ATP is the 

energy source that allows muscles to 

both work and recover. For long distance 

runners, the more efficient our 

energy system is the better. 

The Neuromuscular System. If 

you’re a car, this is your battery. 

We’re talking about the nerve firing 

system. One of the main functions of 

the nervous system is to send messages 

to the muscles and surrounding 

tissues. Better have that trained well, 

especially when it comes to developing 

speed and power because it’s the 

most important system for sprinting in 

your finishing kick. 

The Musculoskeletal System. This 

system is responsible for producing 

force via muscle tissues. Those muscle 

tissues transmit force to bones and 

other such things that propel your 

body forward. Skeletal muscles, fascia, 

bones, joints, connective tissues: 

all these make up the musculoskeletal 

system. 

Even though the Energy System is the 

most important of the three for us runners, 

all of them are important and 

interdependent on one another. We 

have to train all of them—not just the 

Energy System—whether we like it or 

not. If we ignore one for the other, 

then that system of focus will hit a 

glass ceiling. Your progress will be 

stymied because the other two components 

will be holding you back. 

Running is supposed to be simple, 

right? Just put one foot in front of the 

other and go for as long and fast as 

you can. Having just reread over my 

first few paragraphs ( I’m the damn 

editor of this rag; I better proofread— 

still pisses me off how many “typos” I 

miss), I think things are getting a little 

too complicated. Let’s look at it another 

way. I think most of us get that 

If we just do the same runs 

and workouts week after 

week, our bodies will cease 

to adapt, cease to improve. 

we can’t do the same workout every 

day. Some days we go easy, some 

days we’re at the track, others still we 

practice at lactate threshold pace, and 

every weekend we go long. We’re 

training various biomotor components. 

Let’s put a name to each one. 

Endurance. We’re talking work capacity. 

Our ability to hold off fatigue. 

Progression runs, threshold runs, 

longer intervals (Kara Molloy Haas 

does 5 x 5K!) are just a couple of ways 

to improve endurance. We all need a 

high work capacity because that is 

what allows us to train harder and better 

for longer amounts of time. Somebody 

who can only run for 30 minutes 

doesn’t have nearly as much endurance 

as someone who can trek for 60. 

Strength. That’s your ability to produce 

force. For example, many runners 

do hill workouts as a means to 

improve strength. 

Speed. Yes, we all know: moving with 

celerity, as quickly as we can. Sprinting. 

We do short intervals (400s, 

200s, 100s) on the track or other such 

place to improve our speed. 

Now that we have put names to some 

of the different physiological components 

that we need to train, we can 

concentrate on how to improve them. 

The chief way to improve a particular 

facet of your training is to overload it. 

You have to fatigue your body to improve 

it. We must create training scenarios 

that push our bodies beyond 

their accustomed limits if we want to 

lower our PRs. Of course, it is nonsensical 

to train this way in every session, 

but you certainly need to overload 

your body once or twice every microcycle 

(7-10 day period). 

We achieve overload through increases 

in either intensity or volume, but I 

wouldn’t recommending both at the 

same time. Most traditional training 

programs call for a buildup in volume 

first then intensity once your body is 

used to the higher mileage. As we 

near our goal race/championship season, 

those lines crisscross: volume 

goes down and intensity goes up. 

Edge city people! 

To be clear: overload days—6 x 1 

mile @ goal 10K pace with one minute 

recovery or a long run 2-3 miles beyond 

the norm—are hard days. By 

now, we know The Level philosophy. 

Say it with me: Hard Days Hard…Then 

we rest. We must rest (go on easy 

runs) because if we don’t, the training 

done in an overload session will be 

for naught. The body will never get a 

chance to adapt to the new stimulus 

you just created. 

So let’s define adaptation and how it 

works. Our bodies are marvelous 

organisms; they will evolve and adapt 

to the stresses of our overload days in 

order to better handle them the next 

time around. That’s what getting in 

shape is. 

Continued on page 33 

5

Lane 2: Nutrition 

A Healthy Dish on a Traditional Favorite 

Spinach Turkey Lasagna 

by Kathy Gorman MS, RD, LDN 

As a dietitian, modifying recipes to make them a little 

healthier is second nature. Much to my fiancé's chagrin, I 

rarely follow a recipe as written from start to finish; I’m 

always throwing in extra veggies, reducing the fat or 

throwing in a little flax to boost omega-3s. Mickey doesn’t 

get upset about this because he doesn’t like the food, in 

fact it’s quite the opposite—he loves it and is annoyed that 

it’s not written down anywhere for him to repeat later. 

He’s also taken to appreciating eating things that are 

healthier while still tasting delicious. 

As runners, we all enjoy our carbs. While the rest of society 

can often shun them, we embrace them! This adapted 

lasagna recipe is one that we both love and think you will 

too. I’ve done this one enough that I have all my adaptations 

memorized, but here I’ll write it down for the first 

time. The original recipe is from my bible of cookbooks, 

The New Best Recipe, from the editors of Cooks Illustrated. 

Mine is healthier in that it cuts back on fat by using lean 

ground turkey instead of a combination of fattier ground 

meats, uses less cheese, swaps out part of the ricotta 

cheese for fat-free cottage cheese, and uses part-skim 

mozzarella. I add in some frozen spinach for extra vitamins 

and fiber and I completely leave out the added salt 

and fat. Full disclosure: I can’t say my recipe is better 

than the original, because I’ve never tried it as published, 

but this lasagna can’t last long enough in my house! 

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Using a heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high 

heat and add the onion. Sauté for about 2 

minutes or until translucent. 

3. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant—about 1-2 

minutes. 

4. Add the turkey and pepper and cook until no longer 

pink. Break up and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula. 

Turkey Spinach Lasagna 

Ingredients (makes 12 servings) 

5. Add both cans of tomatoes and the spinach. Stir together 

then allow to simmer while you create the 

cheese mixture. Stir occasionally. 

6. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the ricotta, cottage 

cheese, 1 cup of the Parmesan, egg, basil and 

pepper. 

7. Assemble the lasagna in a 9x13 pan: Start by spreading 

about ¼ cup of the sauce in the bottom of the pan. 

Place 3 lasagna noodles over the sauce. Spread 1/3 of 

the cheese mixture over the noodles, sprinkle ½ cup 

of the mozzarella over the layer and top with 1 ½ cup 

of the sauce. Repeat layers 2 more times, and top with 

the final 3 lasagna noodles. Pour the remaining sauce 

over the top and sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella 

and the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan. 

8. Spray one side of a piece of foil (big enough to cover 

the pan) with cooking spray. Place foil spray-side 

down over the pan and wrap tightly. Place in oven for 

15 minutes. 

9. Remove foil and cook for 25 minutes more once 

cooled, cut into 12 pieces, and serve (try to eat only 

piece!) 

Nutrition content per serving: 331 calories, 13 g fat, 6.5 g 

saturated fat, 637mg sodium, 434 mg potassium, 27g carbohydrate, 

3.5 g fiber, 27 g protein. For the average 

American, 1 serving also meets nearly 50% of daily Vitamin 

A requirements, 40% of calcium needs, and 25% of 

your daily vitamin C. 

For the sauce For the Cheese Mixture For the Layers 

Serve your lasagna with a big green salad topped with 

your favorite low-fat dressing. In our house, it works best 

when we put our leftover pieces of lasagna directly into 

individually sized freezer bags and freeze right away. We 

pull them out to bring for lunch or heat up the leftovers for 

dinner. Pre-portioning right after the lasagna has been 

made helps keep portions appropriate. Granted, if you 

did a 20-miler on lasagna day, go ahead and treat yourself 

to 2 pieces—you deserve it! 

Recipe adapted from The New Best Recipe by the Editors of 

Cook’s Illustrated, 2004. 

1 Tbsp olive oil ¾ cup part-skim ricotta cheese 12 no boil lasagna noodles 

1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 cup fat-free cottage cheese 2 cups part –skim mozzarella 

cheese, shredded 

6 garlic cloves, minced 1 ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese 

20 oz package lean ground turkey* 1 Tbsp dried basil 

½ tsp ground black pepper 1 large egg, beaten lightly 

28 oz can strained or pureed tomatoes ½ tsp ground black pepper 

28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained 

10 oz box frozen spinach, thawed 

*look for a label that says 93% lean or higher—some ground turkey can have as much fat as ground beef 

6

Featured Race Gansett Marathon 

The Gansett Marathon 

The Most Important Race You’ve Never Heard Of 

by Muddy Puddin’ 

If you’re as strange as me, then on 

Saturday, January 14 th , you too chose 

to go into “electronic deprivation” 

mode—no cell phone, no TV, no radio, 

no internet. I was temporarily 

trying to isolate myself from the outside 

world and the 2012 Olympic Marathon 

trials. Since NBC chose to air 

the races in an edited tape delay at 

3:00 pm, fans nationwide had two options: 

monitor the race online and get 

the results “real time” or wait until the 

afternoon and watch it unfold before 

their very eyes. 

I waited and I hope you did too. And 

as I watched I found myself more fascinated 

and enthralled by the next 

runner, Dathan Ritzenhein and 

his crushing 4th place finish. Having 

secretly chosen him as my 

“dark horse” to make the team, I 

watched him kneel down after 

the finish line and cover his face. 

Sympathetic towards his feelings, 

I still felt as though I couldn’t 

fully comprehend his pain. 

What would it feel like to train so 

hard to achieve your dream and 

come up short by such a tiny distance? 

I don’t know much about 

racing, but I’m fairly confident 

that with another 1200-1800 meters 

he would’ve caught Abdi 

Abdirahman. Unfortunately, 4th place is still 4th place. As Ritzenhein 

quietly shed tears, I pondered 

the discipline, skill, and 

hard work it takes to get into a race 

via qualification only. Then I began to 

wonder. 

Although qualifications for a marathon 

are certainly nothing new, how many 

races in the U.S. are as strict as the 

Olympic Trials? I knew that Boston 

had stringent qualification times, but 

even in Hopkinton there are ways 

around the age group requirements 

(charity/fundraising/knowing somebody). 

So just how many races— 

besides the OT—have the actual qualification 

only tag? To my astonish- 

ment, there is only one and in a 

quirky spin of fate, it’s in my own 

backyard! 

Entering just its third year, the Gansett 

marathon is the only 26.2 miler in 

the entire country that has solely one 

way in. If you want to run, you have to 

prove yourself first. A visit to the race 

website reveals the header: Welcome 

to the Gansett Marathon, the only marathon 

in the USA, outside of the Olympic 

marathon Trials, where qualification 

is the ONLY means of entry. With 

qualification standards five minutes 

faster than those of Boston, this event 

QUALIFYING STANDARDS 

Age Men Women 

18-34 3:05 3:35 

35-39 3:10 3:40 

40-44 3:15 3:45 

45-49 3:25 3:55 

50-54 3:30 4:00 

55-59 3:40 4:10 

60-64 3:55 4:25 

65-69 4:10 4:40 

70-74 4:25 4;55 

75-79 4:40 5:10 

80+ 4:55 5:25 

is a race for runners, by runners, focusing 

strictly on running. Almost Zen 

-like in its simplicity, it feels as if there 

is a definite Level Renner vibe to the 

race. Why hadn’t I heard of this event 

before? Was this some sort of an underground 

society that was only whispered 

about amongst initiated members? 

Perhaps it followed guidelines 

akin to those laid forth by Tyler 

Durden in the movie Fight Club (Rule 

Number One: Nobody talks about 

Fight Club). Utterly fascinated, I contacted 

Michael Tammaro, the race 

director to see if he could shed a little 

light on this contest of qualifiers. 

Why Gansett? Why now? Simply rewind 

to a few years ago when the now 

43 year old Tammaro found himself 

qualified yet again for Boston. However, 

having already run it several 

times, he failed to sign up in a timely 

manner. Along with thousands of other 

runners, he was confronted with 

the new “registration debacle.” Many 

felt that instead of being based upon 

how fast a person can run, Boston had 

suddenly turned into “how fast can 

you email?” The president of the other 

NRA (Narragansett Running Association) 

and current physics professor 

at the University of Rhode Island was 

mildly irritated. Although empathetic 

of the need for a change 

in the BAA registration process, 

he was still a little frustrated. 

“Actually, some of the previous 

publications have overstated my 

initial reaction and response. 

I’m certainly not anti-Boston or 

anti-“mega race” at all. I was a 

little upset [at missing registration] 

but I have always had the 

desire to develop and put on a 

local marathon. Being excluded 

from Boston just reinforced the 

idea that now was the right time 

to do it.” Having always wanted 

to have a qualifiers only marathon, 

his exile from the Hopkinton 

to Copley Square dash was 

just the impetus he needed. With his 

underlying motif of “…many people 

can easily qualify for Boston, I want to 

make it a little harder” Michael began 

developing a race that aimed at doing 

just that. 

In year one (2010), the Gansett marathon 

was actually not even held in 

Narragansett. Originally known as the 

Exeter Marathon, it started in the 

small, rural town in Rhode Island because, 

as Tammaro stated, “I had 

done a great deal of running in the 

Exeter area and was able to map out a 

7


nice course that I felt was fairly fast.” 

When asked to elaborate, he was able 

to quickly respond, “Faster than Boston.” 

Dr. Tammaro later went on to 

emphasize that he did not form his 

race as an intentional slight against, or 

to compete with, the world’s oldest 

annual marathon. “I just really like 

smaller marathons. Take one of my 

favorite marathons, Holyoke, [Walter 

Childs Memorial Race of Champions 

Marathon] for example. When you 

get passed by another runner there, 

it’s a big deal because a person can 

still count ‘OK, I’m in 4 th place. Now 

I’m in 5 th place, etc.’ At Boston, it’s 

more like, ‘Now I’m in 434 th place.’ 

Who cares?” Although Gansett is not 

about outdoing the big one in Beantown, 

there is still a rather obvious, 

highly competitive nature here. Plus, 

one can’t help but wonder why Tammaro 

chose to hold his race the Satur- 

day before Boston each year. 

After the success of its inaugural year 

and its April calendar slot firmly in 

place, Gansett organizers immediately 

turned their attention to improving 

the race. "We thought about it and 

decided to make this even more of an 

NRA event and hold it in Narragansett,” 

he said. The seaside community 

was receptive to the running club’s 

proposition and suddenly the race 

had changed. The USTAF certified 

Gansett course became, and still is, a 

unique partial double loop, with a 

good deal of it running along the 

ocean and nearby salt pond/marsh 

area (see map). When asked about 

the challenge of designing a new 

route all over again from scratch, 

Tammaro chuckled, “How do you plan 

a run the distance from here to Providence 

without going up at least one 

big hill?” All modesty aside, a study 

of the map’s elevation data shows that 

he has managed to do just that. 

Further scrutiny reveals that although 

it is a small race, still in its infancy, the 

Gansett starting field tripled last year 

(58 in ‘10 vs 162 in ‘11) and should 

continue to grow annually. Its demographic 

makeup is also surprisingly 

more diverse than one would expect. 

I mistakenly assumed that a small race 

in a small town in the smallest state 

would logically be comprised mainly 

of Ro’ d’islandaz (“chowdah and clamcakes” 

accent implied here). However, 

a look at both years’ results shows 

this most certainly is NOT be the case. 

“We’ve had people from all over the 

place run here,” Tammaro said at one 

point, his eyes lighting up as he listed 

locales scattered across the U.S. as 

Images from gansettmarathon.com 

8


well as Sweden, Korea, and British 

Columbia. “Marathon Maniacs and 

50 States Marathon Club are two 

groups in particular that contact me 

frequently about registering for the 

race.” With interest and excitement 

mounting, perhaps the sky is the limit 

here. Yet, despite continual hopes for 

expansion, Gansett’s director, who 

happens to be a 70 mile per week runner 

himself, did admit wanting to 

eventually cap his race’s field somewhere 

around 800 participants. In 

sticking with the qualifier only, limited 

field concept, when I pressed about 

whether or not he will also lower Gansett’s 

qualifications by five minutes 

per age group every time Boston 

does, Tammaro did not mince words. 

“Absolutely,” he responded with zero 

hesitation. Clearly, a man who feels 

that “if you give a little flex, somebody 

will ask you to flex a little more” 

knows where he stands. The rules are 

10th Annual Joseph & Rose Gilio Memorial 

5k Road Race/Walk 

Saturday, May 26, 2012 9:00 AM 

8:45 am 75 Yard Kids Fun Run (Free) 

Saint Timothy’s Church 

650 Nichols Street Norwood, MA 

Proceeds to benefit Saint Timothy’s Social 

Outreach Program 

Cash Prizes! 

Professionally Timed! 

Free T-shirt and High Performance New 

Balance Socks to the first 150 applicants 

1 st , 2 nd ,& 3 rd Place Prizes in each Age 

Group Category 

Course Records: Kevin Gray15:55 & Emily Logan17:43 

Race Day Registration is Available! 

Worth a look 

www.distance-running-tips.com 

clear cut and apply to everyone. “If 

the President of the United States 

called us up and said he wanted to 

race Gansett we’d have to tell him no. 

Sorry, but you didn’t qualify,” Tammaro 

declared with a wry smile. Imagine 

telling the Commander-in-Chief 

to step up or stay away. 

Without a doubt, Gansett is a runner’s 

race. It’s a no frills, zero pomp and 

circumstance affair. You won’t find 

rock n’ roll bands serenading you at 

mile markers, nor are there gimmick 

costumes or gags. In fact, finishers 

don’t even receive a medal (an embroidered 

finisher’s patch is provided 

at the finish line along with the customary 

Gansett Marathon T-shirt). This 

only further reiterates the spirit of the 

event. The satisfaction of earning 

your way into a coveted spot in a quality 

race and running your tail off is all 

the incentive a serious runner needs. 

As we drained our pint glasses and 

the interview came to a close, I managed 

to sneak in one final question, 

“Suppose I’ve recently run a BQ and 

I’m looking for a marathon to run. 

What would you say in order to convince 

me to run your race?” 

Tammaro’s response was simple and 

sincere. That impish grin showed itself 

again as he held both arms out to 

his sides and in a casual manner said, 

“You wanna run a real qualifier? 

Come run Gansett.” 

Get in where you fit in, boys and girls. 

You know you want to do it. 

If Muddy has piqued your interest, more information 

can be found at http:// 

www.gansettmarathon.com. Gansett is fast approaching 

and is now accepting registration 

applications for the April battle. 

9

A Day in the Life of Robert Cipriano The (Semi)Elites 

Photo by Miles Cipriano 

Weekday (a typical Thursday) 

0515 first alarm/first battle with my black Labrador, Carbon, to 

get out of bed 

0525 climb over Carbon to get out of bed 

0530 two quick shots of espresso to wake up followed by banana, 

some toast along with some Greek yogurt and of 

blueberries, glass of orange juice 

0600 shower and dress into bike clothes 

0630 take Carbon for a walk/jog up the street and back 

0645 pack panniers for office 

0655 get on bike and ride to office 17 miles 

0815 first patient 

1000 second breakfast: oatmeal and strawberries 

1300 lunch: salad with chicken and tofu brought from home 

along with bread, carrots, pretzels, water 

1600 snack: Greek yogurt and granola 

1715 finish up in office and change back into bike clothes 

1730 get on bike and ride home 

1830 arrive at home change into running clothes, shot of espresso 

and bike down to Charles River meet friends and 

go for a 10 mile run 

2030 finish run throw bike in back of friend’s car for a ride 

home 

2100 dinner: salmon, salad, broccoli, rice; sorbet for dessert 

2200 take Carbon out for a walk 

2230 shower, read a bit, and fall asleep 

Robert Cipriano, a man who had a sterling year in the 

50+ age group in 2011 which included domination in his 

age division in the New England Runner Pub Series and 

killer times in Boston, Cape Cod, New Bedford, and 

Stowe, did not race in high school. Instead he chose the 

team sports: soccer, baseball, and basketball (team 

captain). Shoulder injuries led him to rowing in college. 

Of crew he says, "I wasn't very good but I was 

generally able to outrun most of my team during winter 

conditioning." Yes, the seed of running had been planted 

in those conditioning runs, and he eventually started 

to jog more consistently years later in dental school. He 

recalls, "I remember my apartment overlooked the 

George Washington Bridge spanning the Hudson River 

and I decided to one day run across the bridge...it was 

exhilarating to be running 225 feet above water and was 

a real escape from the demands and monotony of dental 

school.” 

After crashing and burning in his first marathon (1986 

NYC; 3:17) on 30 miles per week, Robert ran recreationally 

until 2002 when he joined the Somerville Road Runners. 

With them things started to click. He says, "The 

late Steve Burton, our track coach at the time, became a 

friend and encouraged me to 'use the club' for support 

and motivation, and through some hard work and more 

importantly with the support of other club members, I 

was able to make running a part of my life...I was no 

longer running alone but I was running with teammates 

and this energized me then and still does today." He 

really hit his stride in 2011, and he attributes that to not 

only avoiding injuries but more importantly to the 

"excellent competitive training atmosphere" that SRR 

provides. 

The consistent training and hard work all came together 

for Cipriano at the Cape Cod Marathon this past October. 

Running much of the race side by side with Jon 

May (unofficial SRR long run coordinator) and Joe 

O'Leary (SRR track coach), Cipriano and his teammates 

won the master's team division, all finishing within seconds 

of one another. Cipriano won the senior division 

outright with a time of 2:43.42 breaking the senior 

course record (formerly held by Reno Stirrat [profile 

pg 15]) by over 2 minutes. 

For 2012 Robert is looking forward to running a few races 

with his 21 year old daughter Chiara and 16 year old 

son Miles as well as the USATF-NE Grand Prix Series. In 

October he plans on going out to Chicago for the marathon 

with a group of his SRR teammates. One last note 

on Cipriano: he doesn't use a training log. In his own 

words, he refrains from the journal "just to challenge the 

hardcore numbers guys out there." Cool. The Level 

likes that. 

PR’s as a 50+ Runner 

5K – 16:48 Super 5K 2012 

5M – 27:51 Carver 2011 

13.1 – 75:51 New Bedford 2011 

26.2 – 2:41.23 Boston 2011 

11

Blake Russell The Elites 

A Diamond in the Rough 

by Kevin Gray 

As is the case with many diamonds in the rough, Blake 

Russell just kind of fell into running after showing potential 

in the mile during P.E. class in high school. While attending 

a small private school in her hometown of Winston 

Salem, North Carolina, she was encouraged to join the 

team by a friend because they had trouble filling out a 

complete squad. Russell hasn’t stopped running since that 

first high school practice, and in high school she went on to 

win 11 out of 12 state titles. She didn’t stop there as she 

had a successful career at perennial powerhouse UNC and 

eventually became a United States Olympian in the marathon. 

Although talented, success did not 

come to Russell overnight. She was 

a low-mileage high school runner 

and the step up to a big time program 

at UNC proved challenging. 

As a freshman walk-on, the upgrade 

in collegiate competition was 

an eye opening experience. “I was 

definitely over my head at first, and 

the first day of practice, I ran further 

than I did my previous four 

years of high school. I think I was 

such a low mileage high school athlete, 

so I had lots of room for improvement, 

but that also meant I 

was really working hard just to 

keep up,” says Russell. Narrowly 

missing qualifying for the NCAA’s 

in her junior year provided extra 

incentive to up the training the 

summer before her senior season: 

“I really had a great streak going 

where I consistently improved my 

times with each race throughout 

Photo by Scott Mason 

college.” Blake’s tenacity paid off, 

as she would go on to be the ACC 

champ in both the 1500 and 5000 meters. After graduating, 

Blake hoped to continue with her streak of improvements 

and was not ready to give up competitive running. She received 

a lot of encouragement and direction from her then 

coach Joan Nesbit Mae, improving to top three finishes at 

the US 8K and 5K Road Championships. The year 2000 

seemed when everything came together for Blake, posting 

a 32:17 10K solo performance at Mt Sac and a 15:21 5K two 

weeks later at the prestigious Penn Relays. “I guess this 

was my breakout year,” said Russell. 

Blake and her husband John Russell (also a talented runner) 

soon found themselves relocated to Medford, MA, 

which was beneficial because it now put them close to two 

things: John’s parents and Bob Sevene. Blake says, “I had 

been coaching myself the year before the 2000 trials, and 

we later bought a house in Acton, MA, which was dictated 

by the areas that we ran the most in Lincoln and the Walden 

Pond area.” After living and training for a few years in 

Massachusetts, enduring the tough winters, Blake had the 

opportunity to relocate to Monterey, California as part of 

Team USA Monterey Bay, an elite post collegiate training 

group that would be coached by Sev. Of her preparation 

leading up to the 2004 trails, Blake recalls, "I took a five 

week leave of absence from work before the 2004 Marathon 

trials to get out of the cold weather and rented an 

apartment in Monterey. Sev actually insisted on paying for 

it, and I fell in love with the area. There are 40 miles of dirt 

running trails right out the door from my apartment, and 

the weather is around 55-65 degrees year round, so it’s 

really hard to complain.” 

After finishing agonizingly close 

(4th) to making the Olympic Marathon 

team while training in California, 

Blake and John decided to 

make Monterey their new home 

with Blake continuing to be 

coached by Bob Sevene. “Sev and I 

have been working together since 

2000 and have become very close,” 

Russell said, “ We meet for 

workouts twice a week, and I will 

often drive to his house to run near 

the trailheads.” While prepping for 

the 2008 trials, Blake would run between 

90-110 miles a week, mostly 

in singles, with one or two doubles 

a week, a track workout, and a marathon 

pace workout on the roads. A 

standard long run would be between 

18-22 miles to end her training 

week. 

The 2008 Olympic Marathon trials 

proved to be a homecoming of sorts 

for Blake, racing along the familiar 

confines of the Charles River. “ The 

trials were a tough race for me. I 

knew I needed a solid race, but I was having some injury 

issues and was very worried. The course itself definitely 

did not run as fast as everyone thought it would, but luckily 

I was mentally prepared for the wind having run along the 

river so many times while living there,” she continues, 

“My plan was to be top three, and not to try risking not 

making the team again, and thankfully it worked out. I 

knew that with about three miles to go, no one was charging, 

and I was feeling strong enough to hold my current 

pace. A lot of people were nervous, including myself, going 

into that fourth loop with Davila looking good in fourth 

place.” 

With her third place finish at the trials, Blake qualified for 

the Olympic Team that would compete later that summer 

12

Blake Russell The Elites 

in the heat and humidity of Beijing. “China and the Olympics 

make me think of a lot of things: exotic food, families 

of four on Mopeds, and sweet children everywhere greeting 

us with Welcome to Beijing,” Blake said. With the extreme 

conditions expected from the Chinese summer, an 

acclimation period of up to a month was needed to let the 

body adjust: “The first three weeks in camp were a waiting 

game and actually proved to be quite boring; everything 

we did was monitored by the police and they did not want 

you leaving the grounds. We were able to sneak out for a 

few short runs, but if you needed to do a road workout, 

they would shut down a major highway for up to two hours. 

We had police escorts to the track and other outings as 

well.” Blake went on to run a solid 27 th place in a time of 

2:33:13 and was the only member of the United States team 

to finish. “The day of the race was actually quite humid, 

but not all that hot,” said Russell, “My coach and I really 

thought more people would have starting dropping off.” 

Since her Beijing experience, Blake and her husband John 

have welcomed a baby son named Quinn to their family. 

“Having Quinn has been wonderful for me as a person and 

for life, but I have to admit a lot tougher than I imagined for 

competitive running,” she continues, “The pregnancy was 

rough and the comeback was rougher. I could not run 

much after six months and started back running five weeks 

after he was born. I nursed for a year, so in hindsight, 

it really set me back.” As can be expected, having a 

newborn child and continuing to train is not the easiest 

experience, and Blake admits to a lot of sleepless 

nights and a feeling of constant exhaustion: “I was just 

not recovering from runs or workouts and Quinn did 

not sleep for more than three hours for a period of 

eight months. I guess all new moms are tired, but I 

have very little down time, and have to juggle childcare 

for Quinn while running, although he will come 

along to the track, loves running, and will time me 

with Sev. Just the other day, he said he was going to pace 

me and feels very comfortable at the track.” No doubt, if 

Quinn decides to be a runner, he’ll have some very good 

role models to follow. 

With Blake competing in the Olympics and focusing most 

of her attention towards the marathon the last few years, 

she has some auspicious goals on the track and is looking 

forward to a break from the rigors of the marathon. “I have 

to say,” she says, “It feels like a relief not to be doing marathon 

training anymore. I had three stints in a row and was 

just worn out and stale. I am looking forward to getting 

back onto the track and trying to get into PR shape. We are 

doing much less mileage to try and get some leg speed 

back. It is something I have been lacking since the pregnancy.” 

With Blake’s work ethic and intelligent approach 

to training, it is hard to count her out and she must be 

looked at as a force for the upcoming Olympic Track Trials. 

Kevin Gray is a senior staff writer for Level Renner and a running geek. 

13

Side by Side Susan Stirrat 

Photo by Ted Tyler 

Training Week 

Monday 

AM: easy run 4-6 miles at 9:10-9:30 pace 

PM: one hour of stretching and leg strengthening consisting 

of lunges, squats, band work and Power Yoga exercises 

and ending with trigger point session using a lacrosse 

ball followed by leg massage with foam roller 

Tuesday 

PM: A 2-3 mile warm up followed by hill repeats on an 8% 

grade of 12-16 x 1 minute, ending with 6 x 30 seconds on a 

flat at 5k pace and a 2-3 mile cool down followed by light 

stretching, ball and foam roller 

Wednesday 

PM: easy run 6-8 miles at 9:10-9:30 pace followed by light 

stretching, trigger point with ball and foam roller 

Thursday 

PM: Tempo run starting at 4 miles, increasing weekly by 1 

mile up to 10 miles at an 8:00-8:15 pace followed by light 

stretching, ball and foam roller 

Friday 

PM: Easy run 6-8 miles followed by Monday’s leg session 

Saturday 

AM: easy run 4-5 miles 

PM: Heated Power Yoga 

Sunday 

AM: long run of 14 and increasing weekly up to 20 miles at 

8:58-9:15 pace 

Weekly Totals 

50-60 miles per week 

With leaves falling all around her on a crisp autumn day, a 21 

year old coed took the first run of her life. The fifteen minute 

jog left quite an impression on Susan Stirrat and a love affair 

with running was born. 

College life quickly passed and before she knew it Stirrat was 

married with two children and in her thirties. She lived in 

Southie, logically joined the L Street Running Club, and started 

racing on weekends. In short time she was averaging 6:20- 

30 a mile and winning lots of races. Winning the POW 10K 

with a PR of 39:04 was a definite highlight. 

Skipping to her 40s, Stirrat was looking for a new challenge. 

She joined the BAA and took to the coaching of Ed Sheehan. 

He quickly convinced her to run Boston as part of the master’s 

team. To get a sense of Stirrat’s grit, a quick anecdote about 

that marathon: Now with three children, Susan took her youngest 

to the Hynes Convention Center for number pickup. Well, 

in a very maternal moment she lifted up Jack and wretched 

her back. She recalls, “The following morning when I woke 

up, I couldn’t get out of bed. I called Ed and he said, ‘Just 

make it to the bus.’” Somehow she did make it to the bus and 

to the finish line. She nailed a 3:20 debut bad back and all. 

After two knee surgeries, Stirrat started to doubt her running. 

Juggling a fulltime job with the toils of being a single parent 

only bolstered those doubts. She needed a change. In steps 

her son Liam with future husband Reno in tow. Circuitously 

through the marvels of modern technology, Liam introduced 

his mom to Reno and a courtship commenced. Of course, the 

understated Reno never mentioned his running credentials. 

Susan found that out when she flipped through the pages of 

New England Runner. As a close friend told her, “Susan, you 

are talking to the real deal.” 

The rest is history. Susan and Reno ran their first race together 

at the Bradford Valentine’s Race and took 4 th team overall. 

They both individually shared a passion for running, and now 

they share a passion for each other. As Susan says, “Give us a 

good pair of running shoes and healthy legs to run with, and 

we are happy.” Enough said. 

What is Side by Side? 

Side by side is a new feature in Level Renner magazine. 

From time to time, The Level wants to take a 

look at people who share a common relationship 

(spouses, siblings, best friends, etc) and how their 

training is similar and different. Do they balance 

each other out? Do they keep it on The Level? 

Well, that’s for you , the reader, to decide. Post 

your thoughts on this month’s tandem on Level Renner’s 

facebook page or tweet 140 characters 

@kevbalance. 

14

Side by Side Reno Stirrat 



Training Week 

Monday 

9.5 @7:21 easy 

Tuesday 

AM: Warmup 4.2 @7:35 4 mile tempo semi hilly 23:16, cool 

down 7:09 

PM: 1 hour core, upper body and legs 

Wednesday 

9.6 @ 7:35 recovery 

Thursday 

AM: Warmup 4 @7:43 Hill intervals ¼ up ¼ down, 6x 800 avg 

3:03, 1 min recovery, 6x40 sec 5k pace 40 sec jog recovery, 

cool down 4.3 @7:16 

PM: 1 hour core, upper body and legs 

Friday 

10.2 @7:45 recovery 

Saturday 

9.5 @7:25 easy 

Sunday 

20.1 mile long run @7:07, last 10 miles sub 6:50 pace 

Weekly Totals 

85.7 miles 

Reno Stirrat ran his first race in 1970 when he was a freshman 

in high school. He stuck with it and hit his peak in his 

late 20s and early 30s. Check out these PR’s: 

Mile: 4:10 

5K: 14:19 

10K: 29:21 

Half: 65:05 

Full: 2:19.17 

That marathon time got Stirrat into the 1980 Olympic Marathon 

trials and chiseled his name into, as Susan’s friend 

had said, “real deal” status. 

Moving into the 21 st century, Reno and his wife Susan 

joined Whirlaway in 2008. That merger has been nothing 

but good for Stirrat. He says, “Having a running wife who 

shares dreams, aspirations, and a love of running brings 

joy to both our lives and makes it easier to live the 

‘runner’s lifestyle.’” Indeed it has. Since marrying Susan 

and joining WRT, his times have dropped. At 56, he ran 

16:56 at the Syracuse Masters Championship 5K, 75:16 at 

the New Bedford Half, and 2:42.27 at Boston. That’s nothing 

to glance over. Stirrat is the man. So much the man 

that he won the 55-59 age division at Boston and was 

named USATF Masters 55-59 Runner of the Year. 

To cap of this incredible campaign, Stirrat joined the exclusive 

5 Decades of Sub 3 hour Marathons Club. Not only 

did Reno run sub 3:00 in the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, and 10s, but 

he did each one under 2:45. 2:45! About such a feat, Stirrat 

simply says, “The true challenge will be to break 3 

hours in 2020 when I’m 64. With the 60’s on the horizon in 

2014 I will move into a new age group which will be fun.” 

Stirrat is not a selfish man. He now helps runners of all 

ability levels achieve their best through the website distance-running-tips.com. 

He is also the Director of Running 

at Outside Interactive (see page 26 for more on that). But 

above all, he is one of the most encouraging and positive 

thinkers in our running community. That in and of itself is 

worth recognizing and celebrating. 

As of this writing, Stirrat is experiencing his first major injury. 

It took 41 years, but it finally happened. Don’t get 

too excited, though, you current masters. He is biking 150 

miles per week and doing enough rehab work to come 

back stronger and faster than ever. 

15

The Dossier Files: Becky Hutchinson The (Semi)Elites 

Becky Hutchinson is a pure runner. The personification of The Level creed. She runs to 

tap into nature and connect with her body. Evidence? Check out what she says about her 

experience at the Exeter (now Gansett) Marathon. 

Name: Becky Hutchinson 

Age: 30 

Height: 5’6” 

Weight: 130 

Residence: Boston 

Occupation: Architect 

High School: Amity Regional High School, CT ‘99 

College: Brown ‘03 

Club: Cambridge Running Club 

Avg Miles per Week: 40-70 depending on the season 

Notable PR’s 

1. Marathon 3:01:40 

2. Half Marathon 1:26:50 

3. 10K 39:09 

4. 5K 18:42 

5. 1 Mile 5:22 

Favorites 

Races: 

1. Exeter Marathon, RI (now Gansett Marathon) 

2. Mount Washington Road Race, NH 

3. 26x1 Mile Marathon Relay, MA 

4. Doggie 5K (with my dog!) 

Workouts: 

1. 5x1 mile @ 10K pace, 1 min rest 

2. 8 x 400m @ mile pace; 400m @ marathon pace 

3. 40 min “hill” run on the treadmill, holding between 12% and 15% incline 

Places to Run: 

I run all around Boston and its surroundings, including Cambridge, South Boston, 

Charlestown, Newton, Jamaica Plain, the Fells, or wherever my running shoes and friends 

take me. 

Running Shoe: 

Saucony Kinvara 

Photo by Justin Verdirame 

Workout Songs: 

I never listen to music when I run. I enjoy listening to my body and focusing on the 

present. 

Book: 

My two favorite running books are Born to Run and What I Talk About When I Talk About 

Running. 

Hobbies: 

I love to read about architecture and, when lucky, travel to see amazing buildings and 

unique urban spaces. 

Running Intangibles 

Training Philosophy: 

Challenge yourself with personal goals but use the camaraderie and motivation of teammates 

to achieve them. 

16

The Dossier Files: Becky Hutchinson The (Semi)Elites 

Prerace Ritual: 

Oatmeal breakfast + foam roller 

Career High/Lowlights: 

Running the inaugural Exeter Marathon (now Gansett Marathon), first organized in 2010 by 

race director Mike Tammaro, was the purest race experience of my running career. I toed the 

line with just 50 other competitors that day. Thanks to the conspicuous absence of spectacle 

and fanfare that now surrounds most events, I was able to listen to my body, find my 

zone, and hit my PR. It also helped to have my amazing friends and family following me down 

the course: I ran upon a personal cheer squad every few miles! 

I’ve been most disappointed by my repeat poor performances in the Boston Marathon, my 

hometown race. Despite training religiously on the course, all four of my Bostons have ended 

in frustration and sub-par times. I’ve decided to target other marathons instead and to 

substitute running on Marathon Monday with wild cheering for my teammates, with a beer in 

hand. 

Goals: 

Break 3 hours in the marathon 

Be one of the top scorers for CRC’s USATF Grand Prix Team 

Proudest Moment: 

Winning the Doggie 5K (women’s division) with my dog Snuggs was one of my favorite race moments 

- I was so proud of Snuggs! She has proven to be a natural runner and a fierce competitor. 

Running with her reminds me to let go of the metrics of time, pace, and distance 

and just enjoy being outside and going fast! 

Miscellaneous: 

I owe my love for training and my PR achievements to the amazing community that I’ve found 

in the Cambridge Running Club. I hope that all runners can be so lucky as to find a training 

partner or running group who helps bring out the best in themselves and in our sport. 

www.organicphotography.org 

Kris and Joe Navas 

508-649-5187 

organicphotographylove@gmail.com 

17

Q and A w/ Greg Hammett The (Semi)Elites 

I had talked to him a few times prior, 

but I really got to know Greg Hammett 

(Keene, NH) when we cooled down 

together after the 2010 Rhody 5K. As 

we talked, I found his outlook on life, 

including all things running, to be inspirational. 

It was one of the easiest 

cooldowns I have ever done. Check 

out how Hammett answers the following 

questions and you might just learn a 

thing or two. You don’t even have to 

run a 5K first. 

Q: I hear that you began running in 

your senior year of high school. 

How’d you get started? 

A: That’s true. I was a soccer player 

my whole life. In high school, I played 

on the soccer team and wrestled. My 

senior year I started out playing soccer, 

but I was frustrated with 

a lack of playing time so I 

quit. I wanted to stay fit for 

wrestling in the winter, so I 

asked the XC coach if I could 

run. I ended up being pretty 

good, finishing first for 

my team in every race, placing 

19 th at the RI State Meet, 

and going to New England’s. 

I was hooked! I decided to 

run track in the spring and 

have been running ever since. 

Q: Most runners have been influenced 

by a friend, coach, or family member. 

Who has been your biggest influence? 

A: My high school cross country and 

track coach, Bill Haberek, was a tremendous 

influence in my first few 

years of running. Now, I am influenced 

by my training partners, 

friends, family, and other runners in 

New England. 

Q: Before we get too far along, congrats 

on you recent marriage to Jen 

Fice. So tell us, as a newlywed have 

you found any benefits (or detriments) 

to your training as a now married runner? 

A: Getting married to Jen has been 

great for my running. She’s a runner 

and understands the lifestyle and 

quirks of a runner. She is very supportive 

of my running and encourages 

me to run races and do training runs 

with my friends. She is an outstanding 

cook and loves to prepare healthy 

meals that keep me strong and well 

nourished. Finally, she is an athletic 

trainer and can tend to all my aches 

and pains. I’m a lucky runner! 

Q: An ongoing Level Renner debate is 

whether or not one should run doubles. 

Brett Ely and Bob Wiles do 

them. Ben Nephew doesn’t. What’s 

your take on running twice a day? 

A: I think there are great physiological 

benefits to doing doubles. I think 

if we all wanted to train optimally, 

then we would do doubles. I believe 

from a psychological stand point, 

however, doubles can be too tough. 

Running twice a day can make running 

feel like a full-time job. I do doubles 

in the summer and sporadically 

the rest of the year. When I’m teach- 

It feels great to really dig 

down and be pushed by 

outstanding competition. I 

love that feeling. 

ing and coaching and have a full 

schedule, I really look forward to that 

single run in the afternoon. I think 

people need to experiment and find 

what works for them while still keeping 

running enjoyable. 

Q: Back in the September issue, you 

wrote a letter to The Level advocating 

that dogs are man’s best friend (as 

opposed to renner’s worst enemy). 

Can you share some of the experiences 

you’ve had with “the Girls?” 

A: “The Girls” are Griffin, Lena, Ellie, 

and Bailey. Griffin is my dog, Lena 

and Ellie belong to Josh Ferenc, and 

Bailey is Justin Fyffe’s dog. I do the 

majority of my runs on trails with Griffin 

and the other girls join me quite a 

bit. Griffin is always up for a run, never 

complains, and doesn’t mind stopping 

to take a swim or enjoy the good 

smells. She always lets me pick the 

pace and route and if I’m not feeling 

well she is more than happy to shut it 

down and walk home. Griffin is by 

far the best running partner I’ve ever 

had. 

A couple of winters ago, I did a 2 hour 

snowshoe run at night in Pisgah State 

Park with a couple friends: Dave Sontag, 

Bryan Johnston, and Griffin. We 

kept getting off trail because it was 

dark and there was deep snow. Griffin 

knew to stay on the trail and we 

just ended up following her rather 

than looking for trail markers. She 

lead the way and would wait for us to 

make sure she didn’t get too far 

ahead. She seemed to know that we 

couldn’t see the trail and she lead us 

with her nose. She kept us on track 

and we had quite an adventure, finishing 

our run around midnight in 10 degree 

temps in 18 inches of snow. I’m 

not saying we couldn’t have done it 

without her, but she was a big help in 

navigating the trail and she 

added to the adventure. 

Q: Over the last 2 years, you 

have been the points leader 

in the Central Mass Striders’ 

internal team GPS. 

That’s no small feat given 

CMS has a healthy handful 

of top tier runners. To what 

do you attribute your combination 

of racing speed and 

consistency? 

A: I make the Grand Prix races a priority. 

Occasionally I’ll train through 

one, but I always show up. That’s a 

huge part of it. I’ve been an iron runner 

the last 2 years. I also make staying 

healthy the number one goal of 

my training. I run on soft trails most of 

the time, stretch after I run, lift 

weights, and listen to my body and 

take a day off when I need it. I think 

staying healthy and showing up to all 

the races are the keys to doing well in 

a long series. 

Q: The Keene Wednesday afternoon 

training group has become legendary 

here in New England. Describe the 

typical atmosphere and competitiveness 

of running with the Keeneyans? 

A: We have a great thing going on. 

We get together for workouts every 

Wednesday of the year. We have a 

consistent core of about 5 guys, but 

occasionally we’ll get 20 people to 

show up. Some days everyone is on 

18

Greg Hammett at the 2010 Bay State Marathon 

Photo by Krissy Kozlosky 

19


the same page, doing the same 

workout, but often times everyone is 

doing their own thing. The camaraderie 

keeps us all motivated. We often 

get together for Sunday long runs too. 

We’re not only a training group; we’re 

also great friends. 

Q: You have tremendous range, having 

raced 50K to 800M within a couple 

months. Any secrets as to what allows 

you to race competitively over such a 

vast array of distances? 

A: I do year round speed workouts 

and year round long runs. I really 

think that helps 

a runner be versatile. 

It also 

helps you cut 

down on injury 

risk. I like to 

race a lot. In 

2010 I raced 

over 50 times. I 

think by doing 

some race pace 

specific stuff for 

a couple weeks 

leading up to a 

goal race, you 

can be successful 

in many different 

events. 

For example, I’ll 

make sure to 

get some long 3 

and 4 hour trail 

runs starting 8 

weeks out from 

the Pisgah Trail 

50K. 

Q: You do most 

of your runs on 

trails. Why do 

you choose 

t r a i l s o v e r 

roads? 

Photo by Ted Tyler 

A: I just happen 

to live right outside 

of the largest 

state park in New Hampshire, Pisgah 

Park. My parents live in Rhode 

Island, right near Burlingame State 

Park. I think having access to great 

trails right out your front door helps. I 

also just love being in the woods. 

Training on trails is a great way to cut 

down on injury risk as well. The softer 

ground and uneven surfaces are much 

more forgiving and mentally invigorating. 

Every run in the woods is an 

adventure. 

Q: As an ardent follower of your blog, 

I know that you are involved in other 

extracurricular activities besides running. 

Does your involvement in these 

sports—saying refereeing a game or 

lifting weights—assist or detract from 

you development as a runner? 

A: I think that lifting weights is helpful 

to my running. It keeps me well balanced 

and helps reduce the risk of 

Greg Hammett (on left) duking it out with HFC stalwart Lee Danforth at the finish of the Carver 5 Miler last July. 

Don’t tell Lee that Greg ran The Blessing of the Fleet the night before. And in the middle of their final sprint did 

these two harriers literally reduce that unidentified runner to his knees? Bloody likely. 

injuries. I also do yoga, which is 

great. I have a goal of being 90 years 

old and still being able to touch my 

toes. Refereeing basketball games 

cuts into my running, but I try to tell 

myself that it’s kind of like doing an 

easy run with strides and drills (I’m 

accelerating, backpedalling, and 

moving laterally all the time). My legs 

and body usually feel really good after 

a night of reffing. I’m also a P.E. 

teacher, so I’m constantly moving at 

work and doing activities like floor 

hockey, skipping, rock climbing, tag, 

and dodgeball. It might not directly 

help my running, but it does keep me 

well balanced. 

Q: You continue to challenge yourself 

by setting lofty yet attainable goals. 

How do you go about setting goals? 

And could you recount one goal you 

reached of which you are particularly 

proud? 

A: I’m going to 

sound like a 

broken record 

here, but my 

first goal every 

year is to remain 

healthy 

and avoid injury 

at all cost. I 

usually set my 

goals for the 

year on New 

Year’s Day. I 

look at my past 

running logs (I 

have every run 

I’ve ever done 

recorded) and 

set my goals 

from there. I do 

a lot of races 

but I usually 

pick 5 or 6 key 

races a year. 

The other races 

I do, will usually 

be there to help 

me get ready 

for my goal 

race. A good 

example of this 

was doing the 

Savoy 22 mile 

trail race and 

the Wapack 

trail race in preparation for the Pisgah 

50K. 

I think I’m proud of any good race that 

I’ve had and by racing frequently I 

can forget the bad ones and quickly 

move on. Some of the best races are 

where you surprise yourself and run 

20


faster than you thought you could. A 

good example was at the end of 2010 

when I ran a 4:20 mile at the first minimeet 

of the year. I really didn’t think 

I was in that kind of shape. I was just 

hoping to break 4:30. That was exciting. 

I’m also proud of just about any 

race I’ve won, because I think to win a 

race you have to mentally believe that 

you deserve it, that you are better 

prepared than anyone else in the 

r a c e . 

(You also 

have to 

be very 

fit.) It 

f e e l s 

great to 

r e a l l y 

d i g 

d o w n 

and be 

pushed by outstanding competition. I 

love that feeling. 

One of the last things he 

said to me was, “You are 

100 times stronger than 

you think you are.” 

Q: A friend of yours tells me that you 

had a friend that succumbed to cancer 

several years ago and that this 

tragic event had a major impact on 

you. How has his death affected your 

(running) life? 

A: Elijah Barrett was an amazing 

person and runner. He really loved 

doing epic runs. I learned to be careful 

what you suggested around him. I 

remember saying, “Man, it’s a nice 

night, it would be a great night to run 

up Mt. Monadnock.” I was speaking 

hypothetically but he started packing 

up gear and before I knew it we were 

driving to Mt. Mondanock ready for a 

run. He was famous for running in 

blizzards and thunderstorms. I remember 

we once did a track workout 

at midnight. He just loved that kind of 

stuff. He would often let out a primal 

scream when he got to the top of a 

huge hill that we just ran up. He was 

also the strongest, most confident, 

and intelligent person I’ve ever met. 

It was a real shock when he got cancer; 

it made me realize that life is 

fragile and that none of us are invincible. 

He’s in- 

spired me to 

live life to the 

fullest and be 

appreciative 

of what I 

got. I also 

like to keep 

epic runs in 

my training 

even if it’s not 

the perfect training for an upcoming 

race. One of the last things he said to 

me was, “You are 100 times stronger 

than you think you are.” He said that 

when he was riddled with cancer. His 

physical strength was legendary 

when he was healthy, and his strength 

of spirit and mental fortitude when 

sick were nothing but amazing and 

inspiring. I have many runs where I 

think of him and smile. Griffin was 

Elijah’s dog and every run I do with 

her is a reminder of the friendship 

Elijah and I had. 

You can try to keep up with Greg Hammett 

during this season’s USATF-NE GPS. If you 

want to talk to him, however, you might 

have to wait for the cooldown. 

For a practical approach to your nutrition needs 

www.eatpractically.com 

Kathy Gorman, MS, RD, LDN 

Owner/Dietitian 

Kathy.GormanMSRD@gmail.com 

p. 617-750-4846 

f. 617-608-4884 

Quickies 

Do you ever wear a fuel belt/fanny pack? 

Yes, I use a fuel belt, hand held water 

bottle, or a camel back for really long 

training runs but I usually will go 2 hrs 

without anything. I’ve done a few long 

trail races with a hand held bottle. It’s 

nice because you can refill it quickly at 

aid stations and then carry only enough 

fluids to get you to the next aid station, 

saving weight. 

Do you use a GPS watch? 

No, I hate GPS watches!! I tested one 

once for an article in Runner’s World. 

I’ll stick with my Timex Ironman. 

(Editor’s Note: You can read that article at http:// 

www.runnersworld.com/cda/microsite/ 

article/0,8029,s6-240-321--13216-5- 

1X2X3X4X5X6X7X8-9,00.html) 

Do you eat fast food? 

Yes, sometimes nothing tastes better 

than a greasy burger and fries after a 

long hard run. 

Do you use gels during a race? 

Yes, if a race is over an hour and a half 

I’ll carry gels. 

Do you ice post run? 

No, but I do dip my legs in icy streams 

sometimes for recovery. Only in the 

summer though I’m not very tough! 

Hours of sleep per night? 

I get 9 hours of sleep just about every 

night. I go to bed early and wake up at 

around 5 am, even on weekends. 

Number of miles per week? 

60-95. I do higher mileage in the summer, 

and consistently in the 60-70’s the 

rest of the year. Every year I’ve done a 

little bit more, and I hope to run more 

miles this year too. 

Running shoe of choice? 

I like the Scott T2 for roads and I’m still 

searching for the perfect trail shoe, I like 

Inov-8’s for racing trails. 

Favorite athlete? 

I like Meb, Pre, and Kevin Garnett. 

Favorite running blog? 

South County Trails and Miles of Muddy 

21

Lane 3: Commentary 

Run Like a Champ… 

The Level Renner Way 

by Ray Charbonneau 

At races, people ask me “How can 

you be so fast? I mean, look at you!” 

and I just smile. It really isn’t that 

hard to become an awesome runner. 

Until now, I’ve kept my training tips to 

myself, but the competitive advantage 

my plan gives me just isn’t fair. So 

here, in a Level Renner exclusive, I’m 

sharing my running secrets with you: 

The Top 

9 

List 

1. In order to be the best, you have 

to make running your number one 

priority. Friends, family, a job - those 

are all nice to have, but you always 

have to be ready to push them aside 

to make time for number one, or 

you’ll never finish number one. If you 

want, it’s OK to make friends with 

your fellow runners and train with 

them, but only if they always run with 

you at your pace and when it fits your 

schedule. 

2. When you’re training, run the 

same loop over and over, and try to 

run it faster every day. It’s as simple 

as ABC – Always Be Competing! Never 

get that guilty feeling that you’re 

not trying hard enough. Even when 

you’re just training, every day should 

be a new PR. If you’re not improving, 

you’re not doing it right! If you have a 

bad day, it’s not because you need a 

break, it’s because you’re a failure. 

Train even harder the next day to 

make up for it! 

3. Race often, at least once a week if 

not more, and always race as hard as 

you can when you race. You want to 

stay mentally tough. Taking it easy in 

a race situation will blunt your edge in 

the next race. Remember, practice 

makes perfect. 

4. Don’t bother with stretching, massage, 

foam rollers, The Stick, yoga, or 

anything else designed to improve 

your range of motion or increase the 

flow of blood to your muscles. There 

isn’t any conclusive scientific proof 

that any of that stuff helps, and they all 

take time that can be better spent running. 

Running is all you need to get 

your blood pumping, flush out lactic 

acid, and carry nutrients to your muscles. 

Anyhow, any extra range of motion 

beyond what you need for running 

is useless. If you get a little stiff, 

that actually helps keep you from over 

-striding. 

5. Learn the difference between pain 

and injury. If something hurts but you 

can still run, that’s not an injury. 

That’s just pain and you can, and 

should, push through pain. If you 

don’t run when something hurts, 

you’ll never run. 

6. Never do any cross-training. Only 

running trains the specific muscles 

you need to run better. Runners don’t 

go biking, swimming, cross-country 

skiing, lift weights, or do plyometrics. 

None of that will help you. Runners 

run. 

7. You need the best tools to get the 

best results. You need all the latest 

gear to be a winner, especially the 

newest and best shoes. Keep track of 

the latest shoe trends and buy your 

shoes from whoever has the most advanced 

technology. If you can’t decide, 

always buy the most expensive 

shoes. If they cost more, they must be 

better. Shoe companies have your 

best interests at heart, and they’re 

always working to get you whatever 

edge they can, however small. You 

may not be able to tell your current 

shoe from the newer model, but what 

do you know? 

8. Eat as much as you want of whatever 

you want. If the furnace is hot 

enough, it’ll burn anything. Highcalorie 

foods, with lots of sugar and 

fat, are the quickest and most efficient 

fuel for a runner. Beer, especially 

post-race free beer, helps keep you 

hydrated and has B-vitamins and 

carbs for energy. Avoid too many 

fruits and vegetables. All that fiber 

just leads to unscheduled pit-stops 

while you’re out on the run. 

9. The only way to run your best is to 

take it to the limit and train as hard as 

you can as often as you can. And the 

only way to find where your limits are 

is push beyond them. Sure, you’ll 

break down – that’s what makes them 

limits - but how else can you learn 

where they are? After you heal, your 

muscles will be stronger, full of tough 

knots to help protect against future 

injury. A few weeks or months off, 

and you’re back, better and smarter 

than ever, and ready to go out and 

test your limits again. 

If this were Runner’s World there’d be 

10 rules you’d have to follow, but my 

exclusive Level Renner plan is so simple, 

all you need is nine! Pound out 

those miles! The hammer is the best 

tool you’ve got to turn yourself into a 

running machine! Follow these rules, 

and you too can bring home the hardware! 

Disclaimer: This article is meant for educational 

purposes only. Any resemblance to real persons, 

living or dead is purely coincidental. Use 

only as directed. No other warranty expressed 

or implied. May be too intense for some viewers. 

For recreational use only. Penalty for private 

use. Sanitized for your protection. Beware 

of dog. Not responsible for direct, indirect, 

incidental or consequential damages resulting 

from any defect, error or failure to perform. 

Terms are subject to change without notice. 

Ray Charbonneau has very good health insurance. 

For more of his books and articles visit 

www.y42k.com. 

22


Get the Most for Your $$ 

How to Save on Running Gear 

by Lesley Hocking 

Here are 5 quick ways to save money 

when you are purchasing your running 

gear: 

The Top 

5 

List 

1. Buy two pairs of shoes at a time. 

This may sound counterintuitive, but it 

takes 24 hours for the foam inserts in 

shoes to bounce back, so running on 

them every day will wear them down 

faster. If you alternate between two 

pairs of shoes (preferably different 

models), you not only get more miles 

out of them, but you’re likely to ward 

off injury. Your feet will also weaken 

if you wear the same pair of shoes 

every day; many of today’s shoes offer 

so much support that your feet will 

accommodate the new support as a 

result. 

2. Buy fabrics that feel good. Not all 

dry-fit shirts are made equally. Some 

develop a nasty funk a few miles into 

the run, while others tend to chafe. I 

find that I only wear three shirts in my 

running wardrobe because I gravitate 

toward the comfort of seamless clothing. 

I probably would have been better 

off spending a little more on an 

extra one of these nicer shirts than 

buying scratchy polyester on sale. 

(Incidentally, think of all the money 

you could save on perfume, Band- 

Aids and BodyGlide expenses. They 

even make odor-resistant shirts now.) 

3. Invest in a foam roller. A masseuse 

may be better, but one hour with a 

masseuse will likely cost around $75, 

while you can snag a decent foam roller 

for a one-time cost of $30 online. 

Run for the Troops 

5K 

Sunday, April 1, 2012 

Andover, MA 

9:00 start 

Funds from this race and associated Homes for Our Troops fundraisers will build a home designed 

for the specific injuries of one of New England’s own military heroes. 

Sgt Joshua Bouchard of Granby, MA 

Last year, with the help of 1,000 runners, we raised over $26,000. 

Let’s double that contribution this year! Bring a friend on April 1! 

To find out more about all race details and runner amenities, please visit 

www.RunfortheTroops5K.com 

Century Bank — Massachusetts School of Law 

4. Medicine balls save on medical 

bills. It takes strength to ask your 

body to pound on pavement for miles. 

It doesn’t matter whether you lift with 

a medicine ball, use free weights, or 

join a gym. But a cheap way to get a 

full-body workout is to buy a medium 

weight medicine ball (8-10 pounds). 

Many brands offer kettle balls with 

removable handles that translate into 

medicine balls for a 2-in-1 savings. 

5. Join Schwaggle. This online coupon 

site offers enticing discounts of up to 

75% on many running-related items 

like pricy energy gels. They also offer 

relief from steep entry fees periodically, 

so if you don’t mind a few 

extra emails in your inbox, you could 

save big. 

Lesley Hocking is a USATF Certified coach 

through www.NERunningServices.com. She lives 

in New Hampshire with her husband, Dan, and 

she teaches high school English in her spare 

time. 

23

Level Bits 

Survey Results 

Last month The Level asked you how many miles 

you ran in 2011. Here are the results: 

100—500 6% 

501—1000 11% 

1001—2000 30% 

2001—3000 24% 

3001+ 18% 

Congrats to George Zack who posted the highest total: 3629! 

Good job GZ. 

This Month’s Survey 

How many running books do you own? 

A) less than 5 

B) 6—10 

C) 11-20 

D) more than 20 

Go to www.facebook.com/levelrenner or 

www.levelrenner.com to share your data. Please also comment 

your exact # when you submit. Keep it on The Level. 

Renner Music 

Turn up the volume. Turn up the pace. These three songs 

will make your workout faster. Guaranteed. 

“Rumor Has It” by Adele 

The percussion on this song will get your heart pumping. Then come 

the vocals. Adele has tremendous pipes, but it’s the background vocals 

that’ll really get you moving on this track. 

“There There” by Radiohead 

“Just cos you feel it doesn’t mean it’s there.” That’s the chorus to this 

incredible melody that for some insane reason will just make you 

want to run fast. And don’t forget: “There’s always a siren singing 

you to shipwreck.” 

“Unthought Known” by Pearl Jam 

I would only make one change to this song: change “walk” to “run” in 

the following lyric: “See the path cut by the moon for you to walk 

on.” I would not change this lyric at all: “Dream the dreams of other 

men, you’ll be no one’s rival.” 

Forward your Renner Music nominations to levelrenner@gmail.com. 

Put Level Music in the subject line. Pick your best three songs and 

give a 2 sentence explanation of why you picked each one. You’ll get 

your name is this rag and live in immortality, even posthumously. 

Bring it to the Next Level 

Do you want to advertise in the newest, hottest, 

most trending magazine in all of New England? 

Place your ad in the next issue of Level Renner. 

Rates are cheap. Contact levelrenner@gmail.com 

to learn more. 

You can also submit your original artwork, literature, 

photography, and articles for consideration. 

Make your voice heard! 

Level Renner is FOR RUNNERS BY RUNNERS 

Be a part of it! 

www.levelrenner.com 

for more info 

24


Deconditioning 

by EJN 

Rest periods, tapering, work/family 

responsibilities and even a minor injury 

all provide a break in a runner’s 

routine (wanted or not). As much as 

the runner may fear that he has lost his 

edge, he’ll find that he normally gets 

back to peak shape pretty quickly if 

the break isn’t for too long. Deconditioning 

is a whole different beast, my 

friends. It’s like the witness relocation 

program for runners; training partners 

and teammates thought it was just a 

calf injury but now nobody has seen 

or heard from you in months. It’s just 

part of the risks associated with our 

sport and unfortunately sometimes 

shit does happen. It could be either a 

catastrophic injury or a relentlessly 

nagging malady that seems to defy 

diagnosis but the dreaded result is the 

same. Sound the alarms, awake the 

elders, and start rationing the canned 

goods: I’ve just entered the apocalyptic 

deconditioning zone. 

For those out there not intimately familiar 

with Deconditioning, here’s a 

quick tutorial. There are three stages: 

Mad Max, The Road Warrior, and Beyond 

Thunderdome. There are fairly 

clear symptoms associated with each 

step that can help you figure out how 

far along you are. 

The Mad Max stage (< 2 months) is not 

bad by itself because in this stage 

there’s still hope for the world and if 

you can get out of it quickly then it’s 

no big deal. Obstacles are presented, 

but they are manageable unless you 

don’t get control because then the 

problems will run you down like a 

lawless motorcycle gang. Symptoms 

are more subtle here: despite your 

grief you still dress normally, attend 

races as a spectator, and even continue 

to eat right and take the stairs 

when you can just because you’re still 

that active person at heart. 

In The Road Warrior stage (2-4 

months) the grief boils over to frustration 

and sorrow turns to despair. You 

quickly realize the world is looking 

bleak when the injury takes the form 

of The Humungus, you find yourself 

eating dog food and squabbling over 

the last of the gas. Symptoms here: 

instead of jeans you’ll find yourself 

inexplicably wearing ill-fitting sweats 

more and more, trips up the stairs turn 

into escalator rides and then frozen 

foods and beer slowly start to dominate 

the diet. 

Beyond Thunderdome stage (>4 

Break a deal, 

Spin the wheel. 

months) can be classified as either 

acceptance or also flat out giving up. 

After your wheels are stolen, you find 

yourself in Bartertown and things arguably 

can’t be bleaker. You hope 

Auntie Entity can work a miracle for 

you because she’s your last shot. The 

symptoms in this situation are more 

like sad facts really: no effort is given 

to working out, you’ll gladly wait 5 

minutes to take the elevator up 1 floor, 

and you’re on a first name basis with 

all the drive-thru workers within a 5 

mile radius. 

Once you find yourself in Thunderdome, 

you realize that Deconditioning 

is the worst type of parasite because it 

attacks the body and mind. The desire 

to find alternate means of staying 

in shape slowly diminishes as it takes 

longer and longer to nail down a diagnosis 

and a firm plan of treatment. 

The once chiseled legs are starting to 

feel doughy while the once mighty 

lungs now wheeze for no apparent 

reason. The sad truth of the matter is 

missed workouts have a tendency of 

snowballing, and once the momentum 

shifts it’s very hard to swing it back in 

your favor since motivation is no 

doubt tough to come by now. Even as 

I type this I can feel my muscle fibers 

softening, relaxing, atrophying, weakening. 

After a while the light at the 

end of tunnel reveals itself to be a 

train and you find yourself crying in 

the dark while listening to Glory Days 

on a continuous loop while eating 

Power Bars and softly repeating to 

yourself, “It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay.” 

It’s almost impossible to look at this 

situation without being overdramatic. 

Truth is, I know the world’s not going 

to end, I know that I will run again 

soon, and I know that I’ll be faster than 

I was before. Until I can put the shoes 

on and go for a run without worrying, 

then the world is going to end and in 

very dramatic fashion. After all, what 

is a runner that can’t run? It makes me 

think of Superman II, when the Man of 

Steel gives up his powers and is just a 

dork with glasses that gets his reporter 

ass whupped at a coffee shop by a 

hick. For many of us, running is not 

only a form of working out, but it can 

also be a way to help you work 

through your problems; it’s selftherapy. 

When the therapy ends up 

being the problem then how do you 

go about dealing with it? 

Can a runner come back from deconditioning? 

Odds are if you’re young 

you’ll come back fine and possibly 

even stronger. Once that age starts 

creeping up there the hurdles become 

taller and the task becomes that 

much more daunting. Add in a family 

and increased responsibility at work 

and then it might start to seem like the 

closest you’ll get to competitive running 

is some sort of Black Friday stampede 

at Best Buy. 

But if you find yourself in Bartertown 

and want to make that journey back 

from the brink, then for most physical 

Continued on page 33 

25


Outside Interactive 

Run a Virtual Race Course on Your Own Treadmill 

by Gary McNamee 

Do you have a treadmill that is gathering 

dust in your basement? Are you 

stuck inside and bored on your treadmill? 

Lucky for you, Outside Interactive 

is the panacea to your treadmill 

blues. Outside Interactive, a Boston 

based company, offers treadmill runners 

a way to run famous race courses 

(yes, including Boston!), popular running 

routes, and exotic international 

destinations all from the comfort of 

their own home (and treadmill). 

Outside Interactive offers 2 products, 

a Pre-Paced DVD Series and Virtual 

Runner Software. The Pre-Paced DVDs 

work with any treadmill and DVD 

player. They are menu driven and 

allow you to pre-select the “pace” you 

wish the video speed to run. There is 

also an audio/mute option which lets 

you either hear the natural sound 

recorded when the video was 

made or your own personal music 

selections. You also have the 

option to start anywhere on each 

course by mile marker so a video 

can be spread out over a number 

of workouts. By wearing a footpod, 

the Virtual Runner Software 

will dynamically adjust the video 

speed based on your pace. As 

you speed up or slow down, the 

video adjusts to your pace. 

All videos are shot from a runner’s 

point of view allowing you 

to see popular race courses as if 

you were actually there. With 

landmarks, mile markers, and 

even elevation prompts, you’ll forget 

that you are on your “dreadmill,” especially 

as you adjust your incline to 

run up Heartbreak Hill! If you prefer 

more scenic locales, how about a run 

in Central Park, the Australian Outback 

at Sunrise, through the rice 

fields of Bali, or a run along the shores 

of Maui at sunset? 

“This is very cool,” said Eric Blake, 

current World Record holder for the 

Treadmill Marathon at 2:21.40. “I actually 

feel like I’m on the course. With 

all the twists and turns, it’s like chapters 

in a book. You feel like you’re 

making progress. Without realizing it, 

you’re an hour in. That’s cool.” 

“This is truly a game changer,” stated 

Sharon Gayter. Sharon would know 

since this past December, she became 

the overall women’s and men’s 

World Record holder for the most 

miles covered on a treadmill in 7 days 

at 517.33 miles (832.57 km). “Running 

over 18 hours a day for 7 days while 

chasing the records, my biggest challenge 

was boredom. Outside Interactive 

has made great strides in making 

treadmill running more engaging and 

fun.” 

Pre-Paced DVDs start at just $19.95 

with free shipping in the continental 

US and the Virtual Runner Software 

OI’s virtual Falmouth course. 

Bill Rodgers being filmed for OI’s virtual Boston DVD. 

starts at just $99.95. 

For more information, go to 

www.OutsideInteractive.com. 

Gary McNamee is the president of Outside Interactive 

and runs for HFC, Hurtin For Certain. 

All photos and images courtesy of Gary McNamee 

26

Lane 3 Commentary Olympic Trials 

Dealing with Disappointment 

The Marathon Olympic Trials 

by Brett Ely 

I recently watched the ESPN special 

The Brady 6; it focuses on the 2000 

NFL draft in which Tom Brady was selected 

199 th , the sixth quarterback 

picked. It’s a story of triumph, of the 

underdog rising to favorite status 

while the five ahead of him faltered or 

floundered in mediocrity. But what 

struck me wasn’t the happy ending for 

our own #12. It was seeing Tom 

Brady, the handsome multi-millionaire 

with 3 Superbowl rings and supermodel 

wife, still brought to tears remembering 

the disappointment, hurt, 

and rejection of those first 198 picks. 

And it struck me in that moment: he 

isn’t successful despite being pick 

199, he’s successful because of it. 

We’re driven by our disappointments, 

and we carry them longer and deeper 

than any victory. 

Mine, too, was supposed to be a story 

of triumph. It was outlined in my mind 

before it ever unfolded: the smart, 

patient runner flying under the radar, 

then quietly destroying the field at the 

Pan Am Games. The impressive turnaround 

in twelve short weeks leading 

to an even better marathon at the 

Olympic Trials. The feeling that every 

mile, every interval, every coolly calculated 

decision were all leading to a 

perfect, shining moment at the finish 

line. But this isn’t that story. This is 

reality. This is the marathon in all its 

gut-wrenching glory. 

Most of my past few years of running 

have been focused on the 2012 U.S. 

Olympic Team Trials. I had no delusions 

of finishing in the top three, but 

still, I felt like I had another level to 

climb and was motivated to make that 

jump. One big, exciting wrench was 

thrown in my plans, though. I accepted 

a spot on the US team for the Pan 

American Games (October 2011 in 

Guadalajara, Mexico), knowing that 

I’d be attempting something I never 

had: 4 marathons in 13 months. Nonetheless, 

the plan was sound and I was 

confident. Workouts came together 

better than expected in the final 

weeks before heading to Mexico. If 

not for this persistent, nagging pain in 

my hip, I might have believed I was 

invincible. 

But I wasn’t okay. I 

was numb inside my 

cocoon of forced 

smiles. 

But, I wasn’t. My hip stopped me at 

20K in the Pan Am Games, led to several 

missed weeks of running thereafter, 

and continued to give me trouble 

through the training segment leading 

up to the Olympic Trials. I didn’t have 

a moment upon returning from Mexico 

to recover, to process, or to grieve. 

I dove right back into training and 

worked hard to stay positive as my 

body continued to struggle. I believed 

I could be better on January 

14 th than any given day in training 

leading up to the race. I had scripted 

the comeback in my mind in vivid detail. 

I wasn’t going to Houston to embrace 

and enjoy the experience; I was 

going to race like there was nothing 

after. 

By 12 miles into the trials marathon, I 

was limping and it was clear to me 

that my body still wasn’t where it 

needed to be. I stopped just before 16 

miles when I saw my husband on the 

side of the road. I borrowed a jacket 

and pants, wanting to assume the disguise 

of a casual spectator. I cheered 

like hell for my friends on the course. 

I said all sorts of happy things to everyone 

who tried to offer condolences. 

I even managed to laugh when someone 

came up after the race with an 

exuberant “Great job!” followed by 

“Oh, sorry…you’re not Jeannette…” I 

kept this relentlessly positive attitude 

all the way through my travels home, 

to the point that my friends were kind 

of baffled by how okay I seemed to be 

considering the outcome. But I wasn’t 

okay. I was numb inside my cocoon of 

forced smiles. 

It wasn’t until I arrived back home on 

Monday that I had a chance to process 

the previous few months. I looked at 

my watch and saw it was still stuck on 

the splits of my unfinished race. I 

knew I needed to hit that reset button. 

While it was the last thing I wanted to 

do, I updated my training log with the 

splits, the details, and the ultimate 

outcome of the race. It wasn't until I 

had those numbers and words out— 

the logical conclusion to this emotionally 

draining journey—that I finally 

had a moment to grieve. I had 

fought so hard to stay upbeat and to 

find the silver linings that it was actually 

refreshing to just acknowledge 

the overwhelming storm cloud and let 

myself be let down. In trying to put a 

positive spin on things, I had missed 

the importance of simply being able 

to say that I wanted more, I wanted it 

badly, and I didn’t get it done. It’s 

heartbreaking to care so much, to 

work so hard in obscurity, and to ultimately 

feel let down. But it’s also 

something every athlete at every level 

has to deal with, and it’s something 

that, in the end, drives us toward our 

goals with renewed dedication and 

fervor. 

This was supposed to be a story of 

triumph. It isn’t (at least not yet). But 

it’s a story we all have, we all know, 

and it’s what compels us to continue 

lacing up our shoes and looking toward 

the next training segment and a 

future, better self. 

Brett Ely will be back and stronger than ever. 

You better watch out. 

27

QUALIFYING 

GANSETT MARATHON: April 14, 2012, 8:00am, Narragansett RI 

www.GansettMarathon.com 

The Gansett Marathon is a qualifiers-only marathon. To qualify, you must 

run a marathon in a time equal to or faster than your age-graded standard. 

Your age-graded standard is based on the table below. 

Your age category is determined by your age on race day: April 14, 2012. 

There is a two-year qualifying window. In other 

words, your qualifying race must be run on or after 

April 14, 2010. Your qualifying race must be run 

on a properly measured course. Trail marathons 

and triathlon legs are generally not acceptable. The 

qualifying standards and procedures are adhered to 

strictly. No exceptions. 

RACE INFORMATION 

Awards for top three male and female overall. Awards for top male and female in 

the following age categories: 18-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55- 

59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80+. Top three overall are not eligible for age-group 

awards. 

Fast, scenic, spectator-friendly, USATF-certified course. Miles and half-miles are 

marked clearly and accurately. Water and Gatorade approximately every 2.4 miles. 

Short-sleeved quality technical shirts for all runners. 

Male and female styles available. No advertisements 

on the shirts—only the Gansett 

logo. 

Men and women run with a separate, differentlycolored 

number sequence. Bib numbers are ordered 

by qualifying time, with top male and female 

qualifiers wearing bib #1. 

Every finisher receives an embroidered finisher’s patch. No medals. 

Professional photography by George Ross: 

www.digitalphotoconcept.com 

28



Reggie Lewis Center, Boston, 2.5.2012 

by Joe Navas All photos by Joe Navas/Organic Photography 

Who says track & field isn’t a contact 

sport? For that matter, who says it’s 

predictable? At this year’s edition of 

the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, 

on both counts the assertion was 

shown to be just plain wrong. 

There was a Men’s Mile that saw the 

current 5000 meter world champ 

throw the whole thing into chaos with 

a stumble and tumble 25 seconds in 

and still recover to PR in 3:57 (for 4 th 

place)…We witnessed 6 feet of female 

fierceness soar higher than all but one 

other has (and past all who hail from 

this land)…How about two women 

from the same country, one the current 

5000 world record holder, the 

other a 5-time World Cross Country 

Champion running in two different 

races of a very, very similar distance 

at the same meet? They both won, by 

a whole heck of a lot. You couldn’t 

make this stuff up. 

The night began with a race youngsters 

bemoan as circus sideshow and 

locals look forward to like it’s a 

legend’s game: 

The Master’s 

Mile. Charlie 

Kern, who made 

mincemeat of a 

fairly talented 

field at last year’s 

Games with his 

meet record 4:19, 

returned to defend 

his title and 

ran a machinelike 

4:22. 

The event saw 

regional track 

maven Jason 

Cakouros drop 

out h alf-way 

through the second 

lap when his 

upper thigh injury, 

which had already 

made his 

decision to participate 

a very last 

minute one, went pop! Cakouros said 

afterwards that he knew it wasn’t in 

the cards for him, but it was just too 

great an opportunity to pass up. Fellow 

area speedster Titus Mutinda, 

who the announcer mistakenly proclaimed 

had recently turned 50, led 

the early charge with a blistering 31 

second first lap, as if to say, “Jeez, 

man, I’m only 46!” However, he 

dropped off the pace quickly and after 

2 laps, Kern was running around in 

circles alone as the battle for 2 nd on 

down raged behind. 

The Girl’s Junior Mile ran next. Featuring 

one of the faster fields in the 

meet’s history, it was won in tactical 

fashion by Delaware high school runner 

Haley Piece in 4:48, followed less 

than three seconds back by Cayla 

Hatton of Farmington, Connecticut. 

The top seven girls broke five minutes 

with the top four all going 4:52 or better. 

The Boys Junior Mile followed the 

girls and while there was no one here 

who would threaten anything close to 

4:00 territory, the field was in no way 

weak. North Carolina’s Craig Engels 

took the title over Marshfield High 

runner and Massachusetts State 1000 

meter champ Joel Hubbard in an ever-changing, 

incredibly close contest. 

Engels may have won with a very respectable 

4:13.70, but it was all he 

had to edge out Hubbard, who led 

through 800 meters and finished with 

a 4:14.35, as he was practically 

hugged by the rest of the field with 

less than a second separating 2-6 and 

last place (10 th ) coming in at 4:21. 

The rhythm of the evening was building 

perfectly and the static was 

cranked up just right for the Women’s 

800 meter run, the first pro event of 

the evening. 

Maggie Vessey was looking (along 

with the rest of the field) to go sub 

2:00, and the night seemed like it 

could be leading to that, what with a 

fast track and the packed house of 

nearly 5,000 already buzzing. But a 

29


slow start and a bunched up first turn 

led to a jerky pace and the race became 

more pragmatic, with speed 

and timing giving the tape to Vessey 

over Erica Moore in a photo finish. 

Vessey was clocked with a 2:02.361 to 

Moore’s 2:02.365. Comparatively, 

Ethiopian Fantu Magiso’s 3 rd 

place 2:02.57 made her look as if 

she was still somewhere on the 

backstretch as Vessey and Moore 

broke the red tape. 

The time had come for the first of 

the 3 races the masses had come to 

see: The Women’s 2 Mile. Prior to 

the race, there had been much 

criticism and dissent among track 

fans regarding the decision to host 

two of the world’s greatest distance 

athletes in the history of the 

sport in Tirunesh Dibaba and 

Meseret Defar of Ethiopia and 

cave to their desire to not have to 

race each other, but event organizers 

caved, as was expected, and 

thus the meet was to feature a 2 

mile (or 3200 meter) race in addition 

to a 3000 meter contest. This 

also meant that the fields for 

each would be diluted, 

since now instead of one 

race featuring the best in 

the world as well as the 

reigning World Champ, 

Jenny Simpson, there 

would be two. 

The gun went off for the 

3000 and it was a quick 

group staying together 

through the first turn, with 

perennial US Olympic 

hopeful Delilah Dicrescenzo 

staying surely in 

the middle of it and Dibaba 

running conservatively behind 

a woman who would 

be her pacer for the first 

800. By the time the pacer 

skipped to the infield, Dibaba 

was so far ahead, it was 

easy to forget there were 

other runners in the race, as 

it was clearly just her running 

as fast a time trial as 

she could. The only fear 

now was what would happen 

if she lapped the field 

and got clipped. Fortunately, by the 

time she caught up to the caboose, the 

finish line had arrived and she had 

just run a solo 9:21.60, besting her 

nearest threat by over 30 seconds 

(Jackie Areson in 9:51.81.) 

Though it was written earlier that 

there were three key events the 

crowd had paid to see, there certainly 

was a fourth that was to be quite exciting, 

given that US phenom and World 

Bronze Medalist Matt Centrowitz was 

involved. That event would be the 

3000 meters, a race that last year was 

by far the most exciting event of the 

night. In that race, a young and talented 

upstart from Ethiopia named Dejen 

Gebremeskel lost one of his 

shoes at the start and hung tough for 

the win in a blistering time over none 

other than Mo Farah, outkicking the 

incredible Brit down the stretch for 

the victory. This year, Gebremeskel 

stood arrogantly on the line and announced 

without words that he was 

the man to beat, especially since 

Farah was signed up for the mile this 

evening. 

The race start was a pushing, elbowing 

affair that seemed to energize the 

field, and the pack went through 200 

in 29 seconds flat. The pace seemed 

to gas a few men and by 600 meters, 

there was already a distinct split into 

two packs with Centrowitz unfortunately 

in the middle part of the trailer. 

If he had any ideas about moving up 

into the lead group, that idea was 

quickly rejected by the 12 th lap of 15, 

as the group of four men that now included 

Gebremeskel and Kenyan rising 

star Silas Kiplagat cranked up 

the pace to 30 second laps, and 

surged with every straightaway as 

30


they pushed each other away from the 

rest of the field. Kiplagat’s countryman, 

Caleb Ndiku, who stood defiantly 

next to Gebremeskel at the start, 

had taken the lead with seven laps to 

go and was the one responsible for 

the consistent up ticks, as if to challenge 

those behind him to dare to 

keep pace. He even gave Gebremeskel 

a little room on the outside coming 

off the final turn, but that turned out to 

be merely a tease, as Ndiku put 2 

more meters on last year’s champ and 

won with a 7:38.29. Centrowitz hung 

tough and placed 7 th in the field of 12 

in 7:46.19, but it showed that if he is to 

hang with the world’s best when they 

really decide to run a gutsy race, he’s 

going to have to get just a little faster. 

In the women’s 1000 meter, there was 

a decidedly local feel to the race as 

Maine’s Anna Pierce was looking for 

redemption following her abysmal 

4:39 3 rd place showing at the US Open 

in New York a week earlier. While she 

didn’t get it completely in the form of 

a victory, the former US 800 meter 

champ (2010) did get a more respectable 

result in a closer battle, finishing 

in 2:38.91 and staying in contention 

the whole race behind eventual winner 

Btissam Lakhouad (2:38.14) and 

Morgan Uceny (2:38.44.) 

Meanwhile, on the infield at the Reggie 

Lewis Center, Jenn Suhr, the far 

and away favorite to win her event, 

was going for the American record in 

the Pole Vault. The crowd clapped 

rhythmically for her as she flew down 

the runway and ascended cleanly 

over the 16 foot high bar, never touching 

it as she came down already smiling 

as the audience went wild with the 

loudest roar of the night. It was Suhr’s 

3 rd time setting the American record 

at “The Reg” and it came, fittingly, on 

her 30 th birthday, as if somehow she 

needed to know she was just getting 

stronger at an age when many athletes 

who have relied on speed and 

power are beginning to see those elements 

escape. Driven on by the 

adrenaline of the crowd, Suhr, who 

admitted afterward she was conscious 

of some soreness in her Achilles, gave 

the world record of 16-4 ¾ one shot 

before calling it a night. 

The stage was ready for the night’s 

big show, the Men’s Mile, which featured 

a talented if odd hodgepodge of 

some of the world’s best runners trying 

their hand at an unfamiliar distance. 

This was to be a curious throwdown 

between training partners and 

rivals Mo Farah and Galen Rupp, with 

the added drama of last year’s surprise 

victor, Russell Brown, in the 

mix and certainly capable if all things 

went right. Of course, that was the 

catch. The gun cracked and by the 3 rd 

turn, Farah was out front and on pace 

to run 3:54. However, his feet (he said 

someone clipped him, though replays 

proved inconclusive of that assertion) 

got tangled and he went down coming 

off the 4 th turn and nearly took everyone 

with him as he rolled in a ball for 

5 or 6 meters before getting up and 

sprinting back into the race. Rupp, 

who was now in the lead, kept looking 

over his shoulder and seemed to slow 

the pace to allow his friend to comeback. 

By two more laps, Farah was 

back in the hunt, and by the final lap, 

he looked as if he might actually have 

a chance at the win. However, the fatigue 

of the energy expense necessary 

to climb back in was evident, and 

he simply ran out of gas. Rupp looked 

no better as he came off the final turn; 

he was passed by up-and-coming 

Irishman Ciaran O’Lionaird, who 

had been carefully waiting on his 

shoulder for the latter half of the race, 

executing his move perfectly and 

besting the American 10,000 record 

holder by just over 1 second, as Taylor 

Milne also came by hard on Rupp 

and finished 2nd. Farah finished 4th 

with an astonishing (given the circumstance) 

PR of 3:57 and Brown was 5 th , 

failing to break 4:00 (4:00.79) as he 

was obviously a victim of the mess 

that had occurred earlier. 

Finally, to bring the show to a close, 

the other absurdly fast Ethiopian 

woman in the building toed the line 

next to last year’s 3000 meter winner 

and current 1500 world champ Jenny 

Simpson. The other two notables in 

the race were American Sara Hall, 

who last year went into the meet with 

a virus and threw up multiple times 

during her race and Ethiopian rookie 

Gotytom Gebreslase. Again, the 

31


race became a onewoman 

show very early 

and within 3 laps, it 

was Defar out front by 

an entire straightaway 

and everyone else 

splitting into two chase 

packs with Simpson 

struggling to remain at 

the front of the first. 

Hall, who has had an up 

and down last two 

years, seemed content 

to bide her time and sit 

back with fellow American 

Shannon Rowbury, 

as Simpson was 

struggling to keep 

form as well as pace. 

By the halfway point, it 

was apparent that 

Defar was not going to 

set a world record, so 

she simply settled in 

and ran strong, finishing 

in a still extraordi- 

nary 8:33.57, followed 

by an impressive 

showing 

from Gebreselase 

in 8:46.01. Simpson’s 

final 200 was 

a sad 38 seconds 

and she struggled 

to a last place finish 

in 8:58.70. Hall, 

though slowing in 

the last 400 meters, 

finished well 

for 4 th place in 

8:54.75. Afterwards, 

Simpson 

made no excuses, 

other than to say 

she’d been training 

hard at alti- 

tude and had really 

upped her miles recently, 

coming into the race 

fatigued but healthy. It 

just wasn’t her night. But 

that’s why track fans 

love to watch and why 

athletes love to compete, 

because once that 

gun is fired, anything 

can happen, stuff you 

couldn’t even make up. 

Joe Navas is a senior writer 

who has the ability to write 

race reports and snap photographs 

simultaneously. 

(Editor’s Note: We debated 

whether or not to add identifying 

captions to the photos but 

ultimately decided that the 

sharpness of the pics made that 

unnecessary. Just read the 

bibs. Plus, we didn’t want to 

muddled them up w/ script.) 

32

Continued from page 25 

therapy (PT) is the way in. In the post-apocalyptic 

world that is deconditioning, Thunderdome takes on a 

second meaning that is a metaphorical representation 

of PT. Two men enter, one man leaves. If Mad Max 

(you) doesn’t do as Auntie Entity (physical therapist) 

says and eliminate Blaster (the injury), then you broke 

the deal. Break a deal, spin the wheel. It’s okay 

though, all the penalties on the wheel are just more 

copayments. And fair warning, it’ll be weird when 

Master (the receptionist) is openly rooting for the injury 

to win. If you are the one man to leave then maybe 

you just are tough enough to come back and tear up 

the roads. 

EJN is a fully deconditioned runner and regular contributor to The 

Level. If you look closely, you’ll see him popping up in the background 

of famous photos and paintings throughout history. 

Continued from page 6 

It takes the body 3 to 4 weeks to adapt to a new stimulus. 

Not coincidentally, this is the approximate length of a 

mesocycle. That’s why we should have a plan for each 

meso because if we don’t, if we just do the same runs 

and workouts week after week, our bodies will cease to 

adapt, cease to improve. We must continue to incorporate 

runs into our training programs that promote the development 

of strength, speed, and endurance. 

Variety. We need variety. Changing things up, doing different 

types of runs on different days, allows adaptation to occur. 

Doing short super fast repeats one day then a long tempo 

a couple days later promotes adaptation. The more opportunities 

we give the body to adapt—whether within or between 

a mesocycle—the better our body will get at it. Two 

added bonuses to variance: 1) it mitigates monotony, 2) it 

reduces risk of injury. 

The Level wants fast runners reading this magazine. We can 

get faster by training our multiple physiological systems, 

overloading them through volume and intensity, and allowing 

the body to adapt to the overload via rest and recovery. Just 

keep these systems balanced. Keep it on The Level. 

Kevin Balance is a USATF certified coach. Information from this article was 

taking from the USATF Level 1 Coaching Curriculum. 

33

Rat Re-Issues Bennie’s Lunch and Tap 

Do you like the grainy photograph 

and text printed below? You better. 

It’s vintage Hockomock Swamp Rat. 

The graininess is amplified because 

you’re getting this retro cover and 

subsequent Bennie’s Lunch and Tap 

Race Info 2nd maybe even 3rd hand. 

No doubt Head Rat Peter Wallan him- 

self cut and pasted—I mean actually 

clipped and glued with his own two 

hands not with some fancy dancy computer—the 

picture and bill some 14 

years ago and who knows from what 

yellowed paper he got the original. 

I tried to do the same with the race 

report from the 1998 Stu’s 30K (part of 

HSR’s notorious Grand Pricks Series) 

but I just couldn’t do it. The Rat’s signature 

6 point Times New Roman was 

just too small and pocked. I couldn’t 

even read it when I tried copying it in 

and I have quasi-young eyes. Thus, 

no shortcuts. I retyped the piece and 

then searched endlessly for a font that 

34

Rat Re-Issues 1998 Stu’s 30K 

would best replicate the IBM Selectric 

that Wallan purchased at least 20 

years ago for $900. Below is the best I 

could do. 

Now the good thing about retyping an 

article is that you get to appreciate it 

all the more. The style and tone of the 

report fits perfectly with the race it- 

self. Raw. Edgy. Like salt on chafed 

skin. I love it. It’s what The Level 

wants to be. 

And how ‘bout some of them names? 

Some blasts from the past. Some I 

don’t think we’ve heard or seen since 

that fated race back in the winter of 

‘98. A real testament to this 

“grinderoonie.” But some are still 

cranking: Gail (Heinrich) Martin and 

Harry Carter among them. 

I could go on and on about Stu’s, the 

below recap, and the fantastic lore of 

Bennie’s 10 Miler, but I’m out of space 

so you’ll just have to read and reflect 

for yourselves. 

BIG, BAD, UUG-LEEEEE STU’S 30K CROAKS 700+ BUT NOT JIM GARCIA (1:49.13) 

– POST (GFTC) SCORES BIG GPS GAIN 

FITZPATRICK IS FOURTH, HEINRICH RUMBLES OVER BABES, ROSS BLEEDS AND KESSLER GROANS 

CLINTON, MASSACHUSETTS – Aha! I have it! A cure 

for all those frostbitten yuppy Mount Everest 

Climbers. Let their chums come to scenic Clinton, 

Mass. and lay in some serious training miles on 

the Stu’s 30K course. Better still, let’s see 

them race this sucker. C’mon you day-glo wimps. 

I dare you! 

Talk about apoxia, oxygen starvation and 

vertigo. Cripes, even Sir Edmund Hilliary (no 

fancy equipment, just a superb athlete and not a 

yup) would have nosebleed on this savage killer of 

extreme magnitude. We almost had to get out the 

LL Bean official crampons to scale the killer 

hills at (ugh!) 17 and 18, and then there’s (of 

course) that miserable switchback grinderoonie of 

a nut buster at mile 8-9, an athletic sensation I 

haven’t had the pleasure to experience since the 

fecund summer of 1959 when I took a line drive 

directly in the macadamias in a high school baseball 

game. Yup, this Boylclint Tour-de-Wachusett 

will make your baby blues seep and will dull your 

sex drive. 

The best thing about this no-frills race is 

that it attracts only real runners. All hardcore, 

of all abilities. There are no complainers or 

whiners. We were all here simply for the challenge 

of a long race. This indeed is the philosophical 

equal of the monstrous Derry, NH 16 (but 

slightly easier). This is how distance running 

ought to be. This is actually how it was. Man, I 

wanna tell you that this is some kinda good 

sheeeeet here just up the street a bit from the 

old Bigelow Carpet Factory in bricky old Clinton, 

which has more class and history than any ten uppah-class 

ritzy suburb enclaves combined. How 

classy is this race? Even Ed and Bev Whitney 

(NMC) showed up to spectate. They’ve got nearly 

100 combined years of service to the sport of distance 

running on their noble ledgers. Add Tom 

Hurley, Bobby Hodge, and Maine’s marvel Carlton 

Mendell and you’ve got so much class and history 

that you can choke on it. I’ll bet the ghost of 

Clarence DeMar was here, too. 

You bleed here. Mentally and physically. 

Fred Ross (Brattleboro, VT) looked like his poor 

nipples had been sandpaper-massaged at the finish. 

Several runners’ brogans seeped pale red, and Ruth 

Kessler (Burlington) uttered the best Stu’s 30K 

comment a half mile from the finish 

line…”arraaggghhhmmmff’…I couldn’t have put it any 

better myself. Don Lambert (Marlboro) had to walk 

the last three, Killer Miller (Plainville) hit the 

woods for a 2-minute pee-pee-wee-wee stop, Natick’s 

Chris Post indicated that his cold showed 

signs of turning to bulbar pneumonia, and Jane 

Goodman hit the sack before 8 p.m. after she got 

home to Dedham. 

But then, geez, there are guys like Jim 

Garcia (CMS) and Dermont Fitzpatrick (SoRR). They 

eat this stuff up like Mo eats dogs and burgers. 

Garcia buried the field and added to his GPS lead 

over the aching and nearly hors-de-combat Hank 

Gediman (pulverized at 50+ by the new HSR Jostein 

Pederson). Fitzpatrick copped 4 th and there is 

simply no truth to the scurrilous rumor that he 

once played hockey without a helmet under the alias 

Trevor (Skull) Hull from the Flin Flon Bombers 

of the Alberta Junior League. 

Speaking of bombers, can anyone beat Gail 

Heinrich? She’s making perfumed hash of the women’s 

GPS competition with only Cambridge barristette 

Erin Brown a threat. Had she not missed 

three races she’d be hanging on Garcia’s back like 

a cheap suit in a heat wave. 

But the overall women’s winner was Erin 

VanKeen of R.I. of whom nobody knew nothing except 

that she beat most of us, even Manny Arruda who 

won’t be a Clydesdale any more if he keeps this 

up. Whoa! Dark Cloud, whoa! 

Looking down on the list of Rats we find 

Jeff Gould racing his 12 th Stu’s. Dave Camire 

missing the old sub 7:00 days, Harry Carter creamin 

the 60+ Rats, Paul Powell (MSP) edging out Mike 

Sullivan (BPD) in the Rat Lawman Division, Bill 

Brown coming all the way from Vineyard, Rob Rose 

passing no-show Larry Kessler with 3 ½ GPS points, 

and Glenn O’Connor (SoRR) eschewing racing in favor 

of passing out water on the course. Smart guy 

except he took grief from Garcia for handing him 

the cup incorrectly. 

Post race found tired folk all over the 

school cafeteria totally ignoring Don Drewniak’s 

award ceremony. This is traditional. Nobody 

cares about winning anything. Stu’s 30K’ers have 

gone waaaay beyond that point. Food included Polar 

soda, bagels, and junky wing-dings and whoopie 

pies. Also traditional. Don’t like it? Tough. 

What is this? A race or a bleeping buffet? 

And what’s a rat race without a spandex 

comment? Suffice to say that women who run 30K 

are WOMEN, and women who run 5K are…well…girls. 

Later, there was migration to cozy Clinton watering 

holes, just down the same hill you climbed to 

the finish. 

Hey, is it safe to mix Rolling Rock with 

two Advils? I’ll have to ask Ed Dowling and Dave 

LeBlanc. 

Official Race Song: “Don’t think twice, It’s All 

About Fright,” Dylan, 1973. 

35

Mar/Apr 2012 - Level Renner

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