T a b l e o f C o n t e n t sCross Country News

North Country TriathlonRun for HopeHalf Marathon

Renew

E a s t e r n S t a t e s 2 0

b y D a v e B u r r o w s

It was 4:45 am and the alarm was going off. I

spent the night in Rutland at my friend’s house

to shave an hour off what would otherwise be

a 4 ½ hour drive. We were headed to Hampton

Beach for the Eastern States 20 Miler which at

the time seemed to be a daunting challenge.

The previous week I ran nearly 17 miles in 2

hours, but was it enough? At the starting line I

was somewhat intimidated. Twenty miles of 40

degree wind driven rain and nearly 600 runners

using this as a tune up for the Boston Marathon

made me wonder if I was in over my head.

I knew I would soon find the answer to that

question, right, wrong, or indifferent.

At the start Matt, my running partner and

professor at Castleton, and I agreed to start with

7:30 pace and see how we felt at the half. That

would give us a 2:30:00 finish if all went well. I

wasn’t able to wear my Oakley’s with the rain so

I had to listen to myself huffing and puffing and

the splashing of feet through the unavoidable

puddles right from the start. I looked around at

the wet feet all around me. Asics, New Balance,

Mizuno, Nike, Loco, Brooks, as far as the eye

could see; so many different styles of shoes

pounding the pavement. I wondered if any of

those shoes were any more impervious to the

water than my Newton’s.

We ran along the ocean listening to the

surf pound off the rocks. Surfers were taking

advantage of the heavy winds near mile 7. How

crazy does someone have to be to surf in this

weather I thought to myself? Hmm, only a half

marathon left to go and I am feeling good, for

now. “6:40 pace, lets reel back a little. Averaging

7:08, not bad.” 6:40 pace?!?!? Averaging 7:08?!?!?

I really wanted to get to the finish line so I

could change into dry clothes, but would I make

it to the finish cranking up the pace to this

level? We backed off slightly and I felt reassured

that I could go the distance. Time for some

nourishment I thought and grabbed a gel pack.

Mile 10 came and went and I was still feeling

good. Again Matt slowed the pace. With 10 more

to go I knew that anything could and most likely

would happen. We let a couple runners go by

and I wondered if we would pick them up later

in the race. The rain let up slightly but the wind

was relentless. I felt a slight throbbing deep in

my left calf and hoped that it would go away,

or at least not get worse. Time for another gel

pack, maybe two.

I don’t remember much for the next couple miles

but realized that around 13 I was starting to

struggle. Matt was pulling ahead of me slightly

and I labored to keep in touch with him. I just

couldn’t let him get away from me; I wouldn’t

be able to live it down. By mile 14 I pulled

alongside him and stated that I was struggling

a bit. “Yeah, I decided to pick up the pace to

see what I could do”. He pulled us to a sub 6:40

pace between mile 13 and 14 without telling me.

I was never so glad to hear that the pace had

increased; at least it wasn’t me falling apart, not

yet anyway. The rain picked up again. It was

hard to distinguish where the puddles began and

ended, not to mention that I was too tired to

try avoiding them. I need more energy I thought,

time for another gel pack.

As we moved toward mile 16 I realized that

we were reeling in a small group of runners.

Suddenly I heard the scariest words ever during

an endurance event; “I’m hitting the wall, I have

to stop”. I looked over to see Matt pulling off to

the side of the course. Do I stop to see if he

is OK or do I keep going? I contemplated this

for apparently a few minutes. By that time I had

made contact with one of the runners ahead

of me. I hope he is OK I thought to myself as

a passing car splashed

gallons of water on us.

Didn’t matter at that

point, I couldn’t feel my

fingers or toes anyway.

I looked down to see if

my feet were still under

me. Yep, they were. I

made eye contact with

the woman I caught up

to. No words needed

to be spoken; the pain was etched on her face. I

wondered if I looked as bad, I certainly felt it.

As we turned the corner near mile 17 I recognized

the parking lot that my car was in. What a cruel

joke! Do I jump in and drive to the finish, or just

change into dry clothes and try to warm up? I

plod on, afraid if I stop I will never be able to

get going again.

We made our way to mile 19 where we had to

cross a bridge single file. I lost touch with the

woman as she made her way through a throng

of runners on the other side. I wondered if this

were the Massachusetts border; it felt like the

Virginia border to me with no finish line in sight

yet. I passed another runner and looked over

to see a weathered old man trudging on. I tried

to yell words of encouragement but all I heard

was an incoherent mumble escape my lips. He

nodded and looked back to his feet. He must be

running the half marathon I thought to myself.

Finally I heard cheering and screaming. I looked

up to see runners turning left onto a side street.

I followed them around the turn to see the finish

line blowing in the strong wind and the clock

ticking away. I crossed the line with the clock

registering 2:25:08. Was that good? I didn’t care

at that point, I only wanted to change into dry

clothes and lay down somewhere, anywhere.

All in all, I wouldn’t trade this experience in for

the world. I learned a little about hydration and

fueling, and a lot about me. I finished 5 minutes

ahead of my goal time of 2:30:00. It was a

struggle with the wind upwards of 15 mph driving

the rain sideways. I realized afterward that I had

attained a 7:15 pace, 15 seconds faster than we

intended given the conditions. The full marathon

is not looking so daunting after all. Look out

Lake Placid, here I come!

C r o s s C o u n t r y N e w s

Section 7 will be hosting two major cross country events in the Fall of 2009. On Satur-day, September 12, 2009 there will be a Sec-tion 7 Invitational Pre-State Meet held at the SUNY Plattsburgh Fieldhouse. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championship Meet will be held at SUNY Platts-burgh on Saturday, November 14.

We are looking for people who would like to volunteer to help us out at these two meets in various capacities (parking help, light secu-rity/foot traffic control, trail monitors, etc.) If you could forward this message to our LaChute Runners membership I would appreciate it. Peo-ple can contact me by e-mail:

bkiely@nycap.rr .comor by phone at 585-7442 ext 275 (school voice-mail) or 597-3858 at home. This is an exciting opportunity for the North Country to host meets of this caliber.

A few years ago, well more that than, Section 7 hosted the state cross country champion-ships at Van Hovenbergh. Brian Kiley directed that event. It was exciting! This time the local will change, but the competition will be just as intense. Preparation for the event is incredible. During the event itself, there are a myriad of tasks to do, as many of you know from helping out with smaller races. Hopefully you can help out!

R u n F o r H o p e

The Run for Hope took place Saturday March

in Essex County. The Run for Hope is in support

of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and includes

two races.

The 20K started Keene at the Elm Tree inn and

finished in Elizabethtown.

The 5K race started at the Elizabethtown-

Lewis school and was run on an out and back

course.

The 20K was extremely competitive with Matt

Madaris winning the men’s race and with Dawn

Gay winning the ladies.

It was a beautiful day to run, chilly at the start

and in the shadows below the cemetery. From

the corner of 9N the sun shone brightly and

most were shedding clothing by mile 2. There

were 3 aid station this year, miles 2, 4, and

7. After cresting the hill at mile 4, there was

T h e 1 4 t h E a s t e r n S t a t e s

2 0 M i l e S u n d a y

M a r c h 2 9 , 2 0 0 9

11:00 a.m., Wallis Sands Beach, Rye, New

Hampshire to the Massachusetts border

Designed as a pre-Boston Marathon training

race, the Eastern States 20 Mile (formerly

Border to Border) Race has been called “the

single best and freshest idea in road running

in ten years.” Run in three states, through

seven towns, all in one race. Starting on the

Memorial Bridge in Kittery, Maine, the race runs

through historic Portsmouth, along scenic Route

1A overlooking the Atlantic, to the finish in

Salisbury, Massachusetts.

David Burrows Ticonderoga, NY

87/573

2:25:08

7:15 pace

24th in age group (40-49)

N o r t h C o u n t r y T r i a t h l o n

Event Date: Saturday June 27 (8:00 am start)Location: Hague Beach - Hague, NYEvents: Olympic & Sprint Distance Triathlon

North Country Triathlon is a yearly event located in the town of Hague in upstate New York on beautiful Lake George featuring an Olympic distance and Sprint distance triathlons.North Country races benefit charities and non-profit organizations that seek to impact our world in a positive way. 2009 beneficiaries include: The Hope Lodge of Burlington, VT (health), Room-To-Read (Education), and 1% For The Planet (Environment).

North Country races are unique in a number of ways:-Competitive and beautiful course (ex. the crystal clear waters of Lake George)-Organic and locally sourced pre-race pasta dinner and race products-Wonderful and encouraging race volunteers-Registrations limited to 400, making the race intimate and extremely well organized

If you are interested in volunteering, we would love to have your help! For participant and

volunteer registration, please go to: www.northcountrytr i .com

R u n V e r m o n t H a l f M a r a t h o nSaturday, April 11

Four La Chute runners curious to test their

long distance fitness, ran the UH (Unplugged Half

marathon) on a cold and windy spring morning.

The idea behind the event was to have a race

that just provides minimum services, without

awards and a ceremony. Organizers did provide

the essentials: transportation to the start, a well

marked course, and food. The race was limited

to 450 runners.

The race began at Airport Park (which isn’t near

any airport) in Colchester and ran along the

bike path to the south end of Burlington, and

then back to the Flynn Dog (which didn’t have

anything to do with dogs). There were a few

S h a m r o c k S h u f f l e 5 M i l e s

Marge Huseman 39:16Dave Natale 40:50Jim Leavens 44:44John Donohue 47:33

S k u n k C a b b a g e H a l f M a r a t h o n

I t h a c a , N Y

Jim Cunningham 1:34:55, 7:14 pace

bikes.

The finish line was moved this year. Last year

it was on the wrong side of the tracks and the

finish was interrupted by the arrival of a freight

train. This year’s race was smooth and fast. A

train did arrive, and it was smooth but slow.

The runners were pleased with their efforts and

results. Pictures of the race can be found on

the next page.

Women (212 runners)Place Name City Bib No Age Overall(399) Time 67 Marge Huseman Ticonderoga NY 196 28 181 1:50:31.0Men (187 runners)91 Dave Natale Ticonderoga NY 195 39 134 1:46:04.5122 William McDonough Port Henry NY 176 68 206 1:52:49.4137 Jim Cunningham Ticonderoga NY 269 64 236 1:56:30.7

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Photos of the Doctor’s Day 10K, Tuscaloosa Alabama

Two La Chute runners participated

R u n n i n g C l u b s

La Chute Road RunnersAdirondack Runners

Albany Running ExchangeHudson Mohawk Runners

Northern LightsSaratoga Stryders

L i n k sgmap.comResults ARECool Running

Membership PDF

L a C h u t e R o a d R u n n e r s Goals Encourage the youth of the community to get involved in a beneficial activity. Provide competitive opportunities for its membership. Provide membership with educational and social opportunities. Activities Sponsor the Montcalm Mile, Resolution Run, Heritage Day 10K, Footrace at Fort Ticonderoga Support a LCRRC Point Championship Series Hold an annual Awards Banquet Provide a newsletter Provide organized training opportunities Membership in Road Runner’s Club of America Club Membership/Application Waiver I know that running and volunteering to work in club races are potentially hazardous activities. I should not enter and run in club activities unless am medically able and properly trained. I agree to abide by any decisions of a race official relative to my ability to sagely complete the run. I assume all risks associated with running and volunteering to work in club races including, but not limited to, falls, contact with other participants, the effects of the weather, including high heat and/or humidity, the conditions of the road and traffic on the course, all such risks being known and appreciated by me. Having read this waiver and knowing there facts, and in consideration of your acceptance of my application for member-ship, I, for myself and anyone entitled to act on my behalf, waive and release the La Chute Road Runners, and all sponsors from all claims or liabilities of any kind arising out of my participation in there club activities, even though that liability may arrive out of negligence or carelessness on the part of the person named in this waver. Signature___________________________________________Date_____________________ First: ___________________ Mi: ____ Last: ______________________________________ Address _____________________________________________________________________

City: _____________________________________ State: _____ Zip: __________________

Home Phone: __________________________Email: ________________________________ Date of Birth: ____________ Gender: M F Email: ______________________________

Membership type Family $10.00 ( ) Individual $5.00 ( ) Student $2.00 ( ) Mail to: Dave Rutkowski 253 Corduroy Road Ticonderoga, NY 12883 Checks: La Chute Road Runners Newsletters will be emailed

Family Members:

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