Reach the Beach - Masters Division (Men's) - UPDATED

UPDATED with runner profiles

Tomorrow our team (Mine Falls Milers) heads up to Cannon Mt for the start of the 11th annual Reach the Beach Relay. Last year we won the Mens Masters division with a narrow victory over The Free Radicals. They return again this year along with 33 other teams, all looking to knock us to the curb. Not so fast guys, we've returned and we've reloaded with 4 new members this year.

2009 Mine Falls Milers:

1. Frank Pilhofer - Last years fastest runner, stealth trainer, claims to be German.
2. Bill Newsham - Member of GBTC, lives in Ma. and we still let him on the team. He must be fast. Part of the van 1 6'6" club.
3. Mark Wimmer - For the first time ever Mark didn't get the hardest leg. That just means he's not the fastest anymore. Doubles as a weatherman, says it won't rain. Also part of the van 1 6'6" club.
4. Earl Thomas - We had to go all the way to Rhode Island to get our newest runner. We hope he has short legs since his freakishly tall van mates will occupy most of the van space.
5. Tom Varick- Normally part of GDTC (the evil running empire across the mighty Merrimack), Tom leaves his colors behind in the Derry area (ba da bump, get it?) and joined our team without meeting us (which was key to getting him to sign on).
6. Mike Wade - The true architect behind the team, our captain who's responsible for signing on the new guys (so we know who to blame if they suck!), part of the van 1 6'6" club.
7. Steve Wolfe - Allowed to run in spite of his weak ass attempt of a blog, winner of the "I run closest to my predicted time" 3 years running.
8. Denis Tranchemontagne - Runner up in the fastest runner from 2008, once called Mr. 5k, still can't spell or pronounce his name, makes great cookies!
9. Brad Pechacek - 2nd year MFM, still waiting for him to speak his 1st words, the only guy who hasn't given me crap about something (although he's in my van this year, that may change!)
10. John Green - Pulled out of retirement for one more chance at the title (I think we got him when we told him the prize was a pack sack), referred to as The Snowman.
11. Tim Burke - Got him to sign on early before he had a chance to know us. The new Mr. 5k, thinks 5 miles is a long run, has short legs so he's in van 2.
12. Steve Tomasi - He knees no introduction, our own senior moment, he tri's hard all summer (I got a million of them!), the true anchor of the team
    

Looking forward to a competitive crawl to the finish!

11 teams return from 2008 (18 total teams ran in 2008, compared to 35 this year). 11 different states are represented in the masters division alone.

I believe there are over 400 teams signed up to run this year as this race continues to grow in size and popularity. The race actually sold out in March, believe it or not.

I've done 200 mile-24 hr relays in Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin and this is still my favorite race. It is also one of the hardest (course wise). You would think running from the mountains to the ocean would be all downhill. Ha! Guess again. It's nice to have a race like Reach the Beach in our own backyard.

Good luck to all the teams!

The competition:

Bib #	Start Time	Team Name	Location	State
326	7:30 AM	Team Kate	Pembroke	MA
81	8:20 AM	Carpe Beachem	Hampton	NH
215	8:40 AM	Moose Tracks 2009	Litchfield	NH
5	8:40 AM	Running Revelers	Rochester	NH
342	9:20 AM	Team Sufferfest	Cos Cob	CT
332	10:00 AM	Team Motherhaus	South Boston	MA
273	10:20 AM	Run Rest Repeat	Sunapee	NH
187	11:00 AM	Krulik's Revenge	Cambridge	MA
234	11:00 AM	One Track Minded	Bedford	NH
249	11:00 AM	Plodding Buffaloes	Bethlehem	PA
64	11:20 AM	Better on the way down	Brooklyn	NY
282	11:20 AM	More Cowbell	Rutland	VT
246	11:20 AM	Pimp my Stride	Charlotte	NC
403	11:20 AM	WDH	Barrington	NH
340	11:20 AM	Team Solid	Cambridge	MA
111	11:40 AM	Dead Last Ducks	Fairfield	CT
219	12:00 PM	Muddy Bisquits	Duxbury	MA
360	12:00 PM	Kicking Asphalt	Granby	CT
222	12:20 PM	Night Crawlers	Sudbury	MA
300	12:40 PM	Sons of Beaches	Each Greenwich	RI
95	1:00 PM	Commotion to the Ocean	North Andover	MA
132	1:20 PM	Fellowship of the Bubblewrap	Somerville	MA
266	1:20 PM	Old School	West Hartford	CT
194	1:20 PM	Liquid Carb Road Racers	North Reading	MA
264	2:00 PM	River Runners Class IV	Exeter	NH
352	2:20 PM	The Chronic	Waltham	MA
77	2:20 PM	Bushwacker	Wells	ME
30	2:40 PM	Rank and Vile	Ipswich	MA
191	2:40 PM	Lehigh Alumni Buffalo Soldiers	Convert Station	NJ
123	2:40 PM	ERC - The Beach or Bust	Glen Ridge	NJ
11	3:00 PM	Haverford College Honor Goats	Rockport	MA
75	3:00 PM	Broomcorn's Uncle	Winchester	MA
163	3:30 PM	Hey Bud!!!	Moscow	ID
8	3:30 PM	Mine Falls Milers	Nashua	NH
3	3:30 PM	The Free Radicals	Portsmouth	NH

The Beach was Reached in Record Time!

Reach the Beach is done and another outstanding performance by the Mine Falls Milers. Most of our team are members of the Gate City Striders but we did have a couple of new folks to fill in some of the blanks left by last minute drops and such. Their efforts were MUCH appreciated and they all performed exceptionally well. Last year we got a taste of what it's like to run near the front, finishing 5th overall out of 350+ teams. This year we believed we were faster, at least on paper, and we were also competing in a category more appropriate to our team make up: Mens Masters division.


We may have been a little aggressive on our team pace though and ended up being seeded in the very last group, heading out at 4pm with 4 other teams. I had the leadoff spot and was looking forward to running first and hopefully running with other runners. Half of that came true.

Obviously not many folks left at Cannon Mt by the time I headed out..and it was actually a little cold and very windy. I was a little nervous because I was starting with a fast group of runners and I didn't want to let my team down right from the start. I had hoped I could at least stay with 1 or 2 runners but that was not the case. Within 1/2 mile or so I knew I had NO chance to hang with any of these guys but I would run hard regardless. Heck, by the end of the short video below you can see I'm already at the rear of the pack!



After leaving Cannon Mt we jumped on a nice bike path and stayed there for nearly 3 miles before finally joining up with Rt3 heading towards Twin Mountain. Although initially listed as a 7.8 mile leg, it turns out the leg was actually 8.2 miles and was a net downhill run. I felt like I was running fast but the other 4 guys dropped me in no time. By the 2 mile mark I couldn't even see the runners in front of me anymore. Our team was now officially DFL...we were the last team on the course. This fact really bugged me too. I was running fast (for me) but here we were last at RTB. I still enjoyed my leg hoped my other teammates would catch the rest of RTB soon enough.

Leg 1 STATS:

8.2 miles
50:39
6:08 avg

By the time I handed off the rest of the field was long gone. In fact we never saw another runner on any of our first 6 legs. We transitioned off to van 2 at Attitash still in last place (or more specifically, we were the last team on the course). The volunteers were great though, especially since we WERE the last team and they could all leave after we came through. It sure was a little lonely in the beginning but we managed and had fun with it anyways. Our van blasted through the 1st 6 legs averaging 6:12 pace. After 6+hrs of running van 2 finally past our first runner and got us out of last place. We were moving up. Soon enough we'd have our chance at some roadkills. We headed down to Tamworth for our 1st vehicle transition to get some food and some rest, arriving around 9pm. We were due to run again around midnight.

It rained a bit in the late hours and was just overcast when it was time for my second run. I tried resting at the VTA (outdoors under a big tree) but it was surprisingly noisy and a little wet. I rested, but didn't sleep. I felt ok and was ready for my second run of 3.9 miles. Our team was about 11 minutes ahead of our predicted pace so we were feeling pretty good. I had told myself I would not go 'all out' on my second leg since my hardest leg would be my last, a 9.4 mile hilly route through Deerfield. I ran comfortably hard but relaxed. Two down, one to go!

Leg 2 STATS:
3.9 miles
24:58
6:20 avg

The rain pretty much had stopped for the night but it was very humid. The rest of the van had fabulous runs and by the time we handed off to the 2nd van at TA18, we were 21 minutes ahead of schedule and feeling good. We were 1/2 way there and still averaging 6:25's as a team. We headed for our 2nd VTA at Bear Brook State Park for some much needed rest. It was nearly 5am by the time we reached the VTA. I jumped out of the van and laid down on the ground for some much needed sleep. Within 2 hrs I'd be back up again...I had some food, packed up my stuff and got ready for my next run. This one would be a tough one, the longest leg of the relay at 9.4 miles and it climbed steadily for the first 6+ miles before gently coming back down and finishing at the Deerfield Fair Grounds. In addition, the sun had come out and the temps were rising. My run headed due East, right into the sun. I carried a small water bottle and had it refilled twice along the way. There were many more runners on the course now and road kills were out there to be had. I managed to pass about 25 or so but no where near last years record by one of my teammates of 50+ on the same stretch of road last year. I was a couple of minutes below my predicted pace but all things considered, I was happy with my run...and more importantly I was DONE for the day!!

Leg 3 STATS:
9.4 miles
1:05:28
6:57 avg

Our runs were getting slower (at least for most of us) so by the time our van reached our last VTA at Sanborn High School,our team pace had slowed slightly and was now at 6:33 pace. We were 20 minutes ahead of schedule. It was slightly after noon on Saturday and we were done for the day. We headed for the beach to rest and wait for our van mates to join us in just over 3 hrs. After a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts for a much needed ice coffee we got a call from the other van: one of our runners was not doing well and possibly had food poisoning...and he was running his leg! They were pretty sure he'd need medical attention after his run and they asked us to come pick him up and they would continue on. In fact, we knew he was sick and expected to get a call saying he couldn't run. This would mean everybody would have to move up one position and this meant I'd have to run a 4th leg. I wasn't looking forward to the possibility of another leg but I would have done it if necessary. Well we never got the call, at least not THAT call. So on the way to Exeter the other van called one last time: Mark had finished the leg, was feeling better and they were all set so off to the beach once again.

As we waited for the other van and our final runner at Hampton Beach we cautiously watched the other teams finished. Since was a staggered start race it can be somewhat hard to determine when some of these teams started. We knew who our competition were and they started 1/2 hr before us so we kept our eyes peeled...and then they came in. The clock was now running on our team. We weren't sure where they were or if we would come in soon enough to take 1st place in the Mens Masters. The team we were competing against (The Free Radicals) were the 2-time defending champs. Their reign would end in 2008 though as our team came through and finished nearly 16 minutes ahead of them and 12 minutes ahead of our predicted time! This was our fastest team in the 3 years we've been running. It was also the best team we've put together, not just talent wise but even personality wise. No fights, no meltdowns, no injuries, no nothing. Just hard running, hard ribbing and lots of laughing. In fact we stayed at or above our predicted pace the entire time with most runners running within seconds of their predicted pace. There was very little drama. The most excitement we had was running dead last for over 6hrs and desperately trying to catch the field. In the end we were around the 70th team to finish on Saturday, meaning we passed nearly 290 teams along the way. Not a bad days work (less than a day actually!)



2008 RTB results

Final Team STATS:
23:15:58
212 miles*
6:35 avg
7th place overall out of 356
1st place Mens Masters

*NOTE: our team pace is based on actual measured miles and not the RTB published miles.

Reach the Beach is on deck...

Reach the Beach is this week and I can't wait. It ranks up there as one of my absolute favorite running events. This 200+ mile relay from Cannon Mountain to Hampton Beach is well run top to bottom and once the race starts there's very little to complain about (other than the weather of course).

They've made some changes to the start times this year in order to spread out the field and avoid bottlenecks (although I'm not sure this is ever possible). The changes affect us directly since we'll be starting 1 1/2hrs later than last year with roughly the same team (from a pace point of view).

Rested and ready to go!