running

Hard’ack Fall Trail Running Series Wraps Up.

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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!

Week 2 of the 2021 Trail Running Series at Hard’ack

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Beautiful sunny skies took the place of the cold rains of halloween weekend, and 32 runners showed up to enjoy some fun in the sun. In addition to more forgiving weather, this week’s course was more forgiving as well, spending some time in the flat meadows and winding back through the woods with some moderate hills.

This course was a new one for the trail running series, and almost certainly never been run by anyone before. The tightly packed trail network at Hard’ack with intersections everywhere allows for lots of creativity in creating race courses, and race director Tyler Magnan likes to mix things up. The start line was near the bottom of the entrance to the Gratton fields. Runners then headed straight up towards the woods, and did a sweeping right turn around the massive dirt pile created by the pool construction project. One racer inquired about taking a short cut over the top of the massive pile, and the race director allowed it, but nobody decided that was the best route to take. Racers then hugged the woods and headed straight north through the meadow, enjoying a light tail wind, which hopefully allowed some to forgive Tyler for sending them into a nasty headwind last year on the same stretch. After a loop around the furthest meadow, racers then ducked into the woods onto the rolling terrain and wound their way back south before popping out on the sledding hill, and heading back down to the meadow. 5k racers did two laps, and a few opted for just one lap.

As runners came around for lap one, it was apparent that a lot of people were buddying up, running with friends or family, something we like to see at a small community event like this. Damian and Jessica Bolduc came through the first lap together, with Damian edging away towards the finish. The next couple to come through were Tania and Jason Storms, eventually finishing together. Our third couple pairing was Laura and Barry Gould. Then we had Roy Sargent and son Jackson running together, with Roy eventually edging ahead of his son this week after Jackson beat him last week. Ashley Burghardt returned this week, and brought her son Aiden, both doing the one lap race together this week. We also had John and Owen Leggett taking on the 5k course. Garry Settaedel and Todd Perry buddied up and ran the whole thing together as well. Jenn Magnan was teamed up with Sara Heth as the two were chatting away coming through lap one.

At the front of the race, there was a pretty hot battle for top honors among both men and women. For the men, Eric Darling took the front and held off a strong challenge from Joe Frost, winning in a time of 18:35 with a 30 second margin. For the women, Jessica Bolduc pulled away from Sarah Pribram on the 2nd lap to win by 40 seconds in a time of 22:30. These two are good friends who hadn’t seen each other in 18 months, but I’m sure they were both trying hard to beat the other one. This is just a small race in a small town, but this is what I love about the running and ski racing communities, that competitiveness mixed with friendship and respect.

In the one lap race, Liam Heth took top honors with a great time of 12:36 as a 4th grader. Lane Fortune, who was apparently inspired by his brother Evan’s first ever 5k last week, decided to jump in to do the 2.5k this week. He took a bit of a wrong turn, but we got him back on course and he did a great job, coming in at 15:25.

Those that ran in week one seemed pleased to get a little reprieve from the tough hills of week one. Add in that the week one course is a hair over 5k, and this week was a hair under 5k, plus the better weather conditions, and most people ran 2 to 3 minutes faster than last week. The nice weather made for some great post race conversations as runners could mingle with friends and enjoy the raffle prizes, many of which were donated by race participants, another great aspect of our running and skiing community. The vintage tractor trophy made its 2nd annual appearance, donated by the Bolducs. Apparently the supply of these trophies is still healthy, but limited, so don’t miss out next year. You don’t have to win the race to get one. You just have to impress the race director somehow with your running. This year’s trophy went to Evan Fortune for completing his first 5k in week one on a really tough course in wet conditions.

Thanks to everyone for coming out, and we hope to see you on Saturday for the 3rd and final race. The course will likely be similar in difficulty to this one.

Week One of Hard’ack Fall Trail Running Series

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Halloween weekend had a dreary look to it as mother nature looked to bring down some cold autumn rain on Northern Vermont. It was a busy weekend for the running community in Vermont with many other events going on, including the VT high school championships where a lot of local runners looked to shine. 12 hardy runners showed up to take on the challenge of the hills at Hard’ack.

The runners took on course number 1, which is now the traditional week one course. This course avoids the flat meadows, and instead opts for the main loop in the woods section of the trail system. It is almost never flat, and certainly not conducive to a PR, but the perfect course for those who like rugged hilly terrain. Runners were dressed for cold, dreary rain, but by race time, the rain had cleared, and temps were around 50 degrees. It turned out to be fantastic running conditions, though most runners were overdressed and trying to shed layers as they ran.

There was a one lap option, but all runners opted for the full 2 lap 5k. Evan Fortune, a 5th grader from Georgia middle school who didn’t want his season to be over chose this race for his first ever 5k, a great accomplishment on a tough course. It was nice to see some familiar faces, as the Sargent family returned to the course, and Jackson, the youngest, ran away from his father Roy this year to better his time by 2 minutes!

Brendan Ellis took the win with a time of 26:10, followed by Laurie Orzech, taking the top female honors and 2nd overall with a time of 27:54. It was a small crowd, but a great crowd. We had some familiar faces, and I always love to see some new faces I’ve never seen before. Thanks so much to everyone who came out to run! See you next week!

Hard’ack Fall Running Series Week 3

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The third and final installment of this year’s series looked far different than last year’s. It was a more typical mid-november day in St. Albans, if there is such a thing. As opposed to last year’s sunny skies, cold temps, and ample snow that made it feel like a perfect february day, this year featured cloudy skies, but temperatures warm enough to comfortably run in shorts and a t-shirt. Even though the lack of early snow is a small disappointment to some skiers who have been spoiled the last couple years, the conditions were near perfect for those runners who loathe the heat and relish the opportunity to suck in that cool, crisp air while still running free from the restriction of cumbersome cold weather apparel.

40 runners took the start line today, with the usual wide variety of speed in the mix. A number of local high school runners came to utilize their good form from the running season before they make the transition into nordic ski training. It was great to see St. Albans Nordic board member Perry Bland make it out for the final race after he had to forgo the first two events to sell some of his fine produce at the local farmer’s market. A special shoutout to all those who attended all three races this year: Sara Heth, Brook Hodgeman, Melissa Seymour, Damian Bolduc, Jessica Bolduc, Bill Simmons, Scott Magnan, Kristofer Anderson, Jackson Sargent, Roy Sargent, Ashley Sargent, Deb Riopel, and Hillary Stine. All of you are All-Stars. It’s a shame the Westford Turkey Trot is not happening this year, those Westford hills would feel a lot easier after racing on the hills of Hard’ack.

This week’s course featured another new route. It was billed as a less hilly route than the previous two races, and it was to some extent, but it was not flat by any means. Still, if you had the energy left, you could punch up the shorter hills, and find time to recover before the next one. We got lots of positive feedback on this course, so be prepared to see it again next year!

I want to thank everyone who came out to race over the past weeks. It was very uplifting for me to be able to bring you all together for these events. I want to wrap up this series by trying to answer the question “Why do we run?” There are some obvious answers, like “It’s a healthy lifestyle”, or “It helps me clear my mind and reduce stress.” Those are perfectly good reasons to explain why an individual may run, but it still doesn’t answer the question of why WE run, why we show up to run together at a race like this. If you really think about it, to an outside observer, it’s extraordinarily odd for 40 people of such varying ages and abilities to put so much effort into congregating at one venue so they can put their body through pain and suffering while weaving through the woods and meadows with no apparent real purpose. Perhaps we just like to suffer, because suffering heals us and makes us stronger. Perhaps we’re competing to see who is the best, or how we measure up against the best or against our rivals. I would suggest there is another purpose, a subtle but important one that has only become clear to me recently. We run together for the same reason that we sing and dance and laugh together, to express ourselves and release our emotions through the art of running, to share a common bond with our fellow human beings, to experience the true humanity that brings meaning into our lives and helps us deal with the harsh realities of the world. To an outside observer, what we do may seem frivolous or pointless, and it may defy logic, but to me, and to many of you, it is an essential part of our existence.

Thank you all again, best wishes, and I hope to see you sooner rather than later.

Tyler Magnan

Results

Harda’ck Fall Running Series Week 2

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The skies were much clearer this week, as the meadows and trails were fully bathed in sun on a beautiful, late autumn afternoon. The overnight lows dropped into the teens in some places, reminding everyone that winter is truly on its way, and the last holdouts who resist turning on their home heating were forced to give in. The early morning sun quickly baked away the night’s frost, and temperatures rose close to 40 degrees by race time.

This week featured a never before seen race course, a course that race director Tyler Magnan discovered this summer and fell in love with. After the tough but relatively short climb up the bottom of the sledding hill, the course gently rolls downward back towards the low point of the course. At this point, the runners took a direct route to the top of Mashtare’s Massacre, the highest point of the XC trail network. It is a nearly continuous climb for about a quarter mile, with only a short flat section for relief. Once at the top, the course is mostly downhill for the next half mile, providing some recovery time before hitting the dragstrip. The dragstrip is a straight shot across the meadows, stretching for about 600 meters. It looks flat, but locals know that running north across the strip is much easier than running south across the strip. Today, we were running south.

In a cruel twist, a steady breeze from the south picked up just before race time, causing many runners to find that running the strip into the wind was more difficult than the climb. Tyler was aware of this risk, knowing a southern wind would suck some of the fun out of this course, but his strong desire to do this course and the lack of wind earlier in the morning perhaps clouded his judgment. Nonetheless, I don’t think it ruined anyone’s day. It was still a beautiful day for some fall running.

42 runners made the start line today. In an extra show of perseverance, Scott Magnan managed to get to the line after his car broke down. He could have bailed on the race, but he found a ride, borrowed a vehicle, and when he got to Hard’ack, he ran straight from the car to the start line, still pinning on his bib as the first racers left the start line. It was great to see the Georgia middle school runners come out in force. Jonah Gorman edged out Matias Citarella to get the win in the 2.5k race. Unbeknownst to them, a vintage tractor trophy was up for grabs. Perhaps Matias would have kicked a little harder if he had known.

Through the first lap of the 5k race, a battle for top honors was shaping up between Joe Frost and St. Albans Nordic board member Brook Hodgeman. Joe pulled away on the 2nd lap, posting a winning time of 21:07. Lurking behind in 3rd place was Damian Bolduc, whose race form improved from last week, but wasn’t quite enough to reel in Brook. Elisabeth Vachon took top honors for the females, finishing 4th overall with a time of 24:05, just ahead of local legend Bill Simmons, who has a perfect 5 for 5 attendance record at this series. The next 3 places were filled out by women, as Laura Schned, Jessica Bolduc, and Jessica Bunce put in strong performances.

Most impressive from the day was the amount of youngsters that tackled the full 5k. There were at least half a dozen middle or elementary school runners who took on the difficult 5k course. The older folks will look on with a mix of enthusiasm and envy as we watch these young runners start to set PRs in huge chunks as they grow older.

After the race, runners were able to enjoy the sunny skies, the company of fellow runners, refreshments from Hannaford, and the ample prize table. One of the younger runners went home with a slick new Salomon jacket, so he can look like a pro.

The final race of the series is coming up on the 14th, and runners will get a slight reprieve, as the course will not go up either side of the massacre. We’ll see what the weather brings. Anything can happen in mid-november.

Results

Hard’ack Trail Race, Week 1

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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.

Results

Hard’ack Fall Trail Running Series Is Back!

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Last year’s inaugural series was a great success, even amidst some amazing early season snowfall. Last year, we had over 50 runners for week 1 with moderate temps and clear blue skies. Week 2 saw 35 runners trampling through an inch or two of fresh snow with cold temps but clear blue skies once again. Week 3 was a real adventure. We got 6-8 inches of new snow during the following week. We could have cancelled, but we’re tough nordic skiers, so we groomed it out beautifully for skiing, and gave people the option to run, snowshoe, or ski the course. It was another cold day, but beautiful and sunny. The 20 people who showed up had a great time and all went home with smiles on.

The past few months have been loaded with uncertainty, but as last year proved, we take the attitude that the race must go on! Our goal is to make the event as normal as possible, but there will certainly be accommodations made for the situation. Stay tuned to the facebook page for the latest updates. We hope to see you there!

See the full details on our event page.