The third and final race of the 2021 Hard’ack Fall Trail Running Series took place on Saturday under cloudy skies with a moderate southeast wind and temps in the 40s. While it wasn’t a beautiful day for running like week 2, it was still generally pleasant conditions for mid november. Over 3 years, we have had 9 races, and while we’ve had some wet days and some cold, snowy days, we have somehow lucked out, and missed the really miserable weather that comes around this time of year. This year, we just dodged the high winds and drenching rain of the previous day.
There was a very noticeable wind coming out of the southeast as Tyler showed up to set up the course in the morning. A quick adjustment of the course was made to keep runners sheltered in the woods a little longer and spend less time in the fields. This made the course a tad shorter, but I didn’t hear any complaints.
There were many new faces on course today, mixed with those who have become regulars. As someone who has been involved with the running and skiing communities for over 20 years, it’s always great to see people I’ve never met joining in. The enduring strength of our running community is dependent on fresh faces mixing in with the folks that have been carrying it along for years.
As we grow nearer to winter, the nordic skiers made a strong appearance. Kasie and Eli Enman came up from Huntington to support this event, and show the locals how it’s done, with Kasie winning overall in a scorching time of 17:18, and Eli not far behind in 17:58. These two run the Sleepy Hollow Inn in Huntington, and are really dedicated to making their vast trail network the best it can be. With snowmaking, lighted trails, and a dedication to quality grooming, it’s a fabulous place to go for skiing in the winter. If you’re not a skier, their great network of running and mountain bike trails is just as good in the warmer months. Another Chittenden county skiing couple, Eric Darling and Sarah Pribram came up for the 2nd week. After winning last week, Eric had to take a back seat to the Enmans, finishing 3rd, while Sarah also took 3rd for the women. We also had Perry Bland in attendance. This man has a C.V. in the running and skiing world that is matched by few, and a positive attitude that is matched by almost nobody. We also had Scott Magnan, who has done the vast majority of the heavy lifting to keep skiing alive in this area over the last 25 years. It was great to see Rich Dickinson come out with some of his family. Richie was a standout skier for BFA, and his family has been a tremendous source of support for the local ski community for at least 30 years. Andre Bolduc, part of another clan that has a rich history of running and skiing here, came out to do all three runs. Running isn’t his favorite, he’s more comfortable on his bike and skis, but he came out to support the event and the trails. Nordic skiing is a tough sport in so many ways, but it’s also beautiful, elegant, rewarding, and humbling, and absolutely nothing beats it for building health and fitness. We need more of you, so if you’re not a skier, please stay in touch with us, and we can help you fall in love with it as we have.
I want to give a shout out to everyone who did all 3 races. Brendan Ellis, Roy Sargent, Jackson Sargent, Andre Bolduc, Ashley Burghardt, and Evan Fortune. And a big thanks to Tom Cleveland, my lone volunteer for running registration and timing.
Remember, there is a little lapse in the fun until we get snow, but we will be doing Tuesday night ski races at Hard’ack this winter, Dec 14th to March 14th, anytime we have enough snow coverage to do so. We’ll have use of the lodge for warmth before and after, with hot post race food and beverages. Headlamps will be required as we work on getting lights on the trails, and we’ll have some for use.
Thanks, and we hope to see you on the ski trails this winter, but if not, we’ll see you on the running trails next year!