Merrimack River Trail Race, Saturday, March 27, 2004
This race is listed in our trail race calendar.

Well, what to say? Team Gloucester really likes this race, and after months of anticipation and trash talking, Merrimack was worth the wait. The combination of hills, ice, mud, and general slop was exactly what we we were hoping for, although regrettably, there were no spills worthy of mention.

As expected, Matt Curran was the first Team Gloucester finisher, coming in 6th (and first in his age group, earning him the famed banana bread). Curran's been training like a maniac the past few months, and it showed, as he cruised through in 6:35 pace to finish in 1:05:42.

Following Curran was Rick Ciolino, who probably had the performance of the day. Ciolino ran a tough race on a tough course, running even the first 7 miles before putting in a strong surge that would leave Bob Gillis and Wes Lassen in the dust. Ciolino averaged 7:23's to finish in 1:13:50, his best time ever on the course and 3 minutes faster than his time last year.

Wes Lassen and Bob Gillis, who'd run together most of the race, battled it out right down to the end, with Lassen finishing in 1:14:52 and Gillis in 1:15:08. Congratulations are due to Lassen, who after several failed attempts was finally able to complete a race on this course, doing so in fine fashion.

Farther back, Jenn Lassen was fighting for position with female competitors Pilar Rodriquez and Beth Wyatt over the middle miles before fading in Mile 9. It's not often that you get a group of women racing only each other in a trail race, and while you hate to be on the losing end, it was still an awful lot of fun. J.Lassen ended up averaging 7:48 pace to finish in 1:17:57, a minute off of last year's time.

Steve Whittey and Dave Geary were next, with Whittey running 1:20:05 and Geary finishing in 1:21:47. Peter Watson finished out the crew with a 1:39:38 finish, good enough for 3rd in his age division.

All in all it was a good day, made even better by the fact that this year Jenn actually won something in the raffle. With Merrimack, the racing season has officially begun, as has serious mountain training. It's time for more hills, more time spent on the trails, and, of course, the Muddy Moose in April.

Complete Results available at Cool Running.

Running Photos courtesy of Jim Rhoades and coolrunning. See all photos.