On a cool spring day, the CCAC Winter Grand Prix series ...... ???!! 62 runners took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather (almost into the 60's!) and converged on the home of Eckerson, Creel, and Creel in Yarmouthport. With shorts, t-shirts, and even a few who chose to run topless, it was like running in early spring or early fall and was reminiscent of the weather at most of the series races last year. Bob Eckerson outdid himself with a course which wound back and forth throughout the neighborhood and gave the entire pack a chance to see the whole race several times. For added pleasure, Bob was nice enough to throw in a few 'small' hills and a couple of 20-50 mile per hour wind gusts. Can the Scargo Hill Buster be any worse than this? Running up the steep hill at about the 2.5 mile mark, finally reaching the crest and then getting 30 mph winds in the face was the best experience of the day, by far. Bob continued the 3.3 mile abuse-fest by making runners cross the finish line and then run another 1/4 of a mile to get back to it for the finish of the full course. Eerily, many club members decided to run portions of the course again for a cooldown and several are looking forward to it for next year.
In the race itself, George Gomes sprinted out to an early lead and despite being harassed by Mike Herlihy and company, attacked the hills with gusto and lead through the first mile. At the first mile, CCAC webmaster Geof Newton capitalized on his height advantage and longer stride down the hills to extend a 100 yard lead on George which he held until the end. Dan Baker, Jeremy Dodds, and Skip Michaelson, who was taking every available advantage of a wounded John Martin, rounded out the top five. Skip is looking forward to John's recovery and has been seen at the Wednesday night track workouts huffing and puffing, "I KNOW I can beat him! I KNOW I can BEAT him!" repeatedly. In the women's race, Karen Zunti edged out Cathy Klim by 3 seconds at the wire. Also in the top 5 were Ro Nelson, Amy Hotchkiss, and Jane Zee who also claimed honors as first Filly.
Positions continued to change in the Grand Prix standings and its too early to call most of the point races. But competitors are starting to get serious about claiming points whenever they can. Janet Radziewicz continues to dominate the F35-39 division and Cathy Klim is virtually unchallenged in the F50-54 age group. On the men's side, Dan Baker decided to pay his membership dues and is now getting points on the board running unopposed in the M20-24. Where are the Merrill's, Jake Klim, and brother Mike to take on this poor boy? Mike Herlihy has been bringing home consistent 2nd place AG finishes to take over the lead in the M35-39 division while Mike Sellars and Mike Parker are battling for every point in the M40-44. Skip Michaelson took full advantage of an injured John Martin to pick up 10 points and the lead in the M45-49. Brian Kelly continues to gain on the leaders in the Clydesdales with another 1st place finish in the division. Perhaps its time to get out the scales and start weighing these guys in.
At the CCE household after the race, racers, members, visitors, and invited dogs were treated to meatballs, corn chowder, lots of pasta, and Kimberly's Tollhouse Cookie Pies. Janet Radziewicz spent most of the party with ice up and down her left leg as she's letting nothing stop her in her quest for GP points. She was later seen soaking up advice from Johnny Kelley as she continued to mend on the couch. Carbohydrates flowed freely as everyone enjoyed chatting about running, food, astronomy, and flight navigation. There were even attempts to sabotage the following week's race by offering cookies and M&M's to competitors.
The Grand Prix series continues every weekend (except 7 January) until the end of January at various locations across the Cape. Cost is $5 for club members and $10 for non-members. All are invited to attend but only club members are eligible for points and awards to be presented at the annual club banquet in February. For more information, visit the CCAC at http://www.capecodathleticclub.org/.