Anyone who woke up early this morning arose to what appeared to be a fairly nice day for late October. It was a bit cloudy, but the calm wind and 60 degree temps were a perfect combo for a running race. As runners finished their breakfast, and prepared to depart for the trails of Hard’ack, the weather took a dramatic turn. The skies opened up, first with a spurt of heavy rain, then a lighter rain. Some runners who had a bit of a commute saw the temperature drop about 15 degrees by the time they exited their vehicles at Hard’ack. It was a day where walking out the front door is the hardest part of the race for some people.
As runners arrived for registration, the rain was rather heavy again, and things looked rather bleak, but the 29 hearty runners were ready to go as they warmed up and tried to figure out the race course on the interweaving Hard’ack trails. Just before the race got started, the skies let up, and although the ground was well saturated, the runners would be spared the misery of a cold, drenching rain soaking through their clothes.
The course took the main perimeter loop through the wooded cross country trails. The challenging loop has a lot of twists and turns, and ups and downs. Even the sections that appear to be flat aren’t really flat at all, or they certainly don’t feel like it. It’s not the type of course you’re likely to set a PR on, but when you finish, you always feel good about it.
The field spread out quickly, as tends to be the case in a small field with such a diverse group of competitors. Lucas Calcagni set a blistering time of 17:59 to take the win, all the more impressive on a hilly 5k course that is slightly long, and he was running solo off the front. Brianna Welch was the top female runner, setting an impressive time of 21:05, even though she didn’t seem that thrilled about the tough hills after her pre-race course inspection. A couple of impressive young middle schoolers took on the 2.5k option, with Alice Kredell and Kate Carlson posting times of 11:49 and 12:46, running the first lap with some of the faster 5k runners.
A few runners completed this same course in last year’s series. Scott Magnan improved his time by nearly 9 minutes, but it’s worth mentioning he was pushing a baby stroller last year. The biggest improvement was by Theodore Tremblay, improving by nearly 2 minutes over last year, and doing it with tougher conditions.
After the race, runners enjoyed refreshments supplied by Hannaford, and got their shot at the random prize raffle. Most of the prizes were donated by members of the nordic ski community, a testament to the support and passion for the sport that these community members have. Of course, the Maple Syrup donated by Runamok Maple was once again a highly coveted prize. Everyone left with a prize, but the real prize was being able to come together with people who share a love for running, and all those people who made it out the door this morning were rewarded. I don’t think anyone went home regretting it.
Next week, the race falls on Halloween, and costumes are welcome if so choose. There will be a different race course, and there will be a scary climb in it, but also more flats. You’re gonna love it.