Ras na hEireann, Sunday, March 14, 2004
After a long hiatus from racing, Team Gloucester was finally back in action Sunday at the Ras na hEireann. The Ras is one of those events that feels as much like a party as it does a race, but don't let it fool you; the competition there was stiff.
But I'll get to that in moment. First off, the important stuff: we were finally able to strut around in our new Team Gloucester shirts, and they looked damn good. (okay, a few Heartbreak Hill runners claimed to think otherwise, but they run on roads every Sunday-- how much can they know?).
Wes Lassen took an early Team Gloucester lead, looking smooth right from the start. He ran nearly even splits to be the first Team Gloucester finisher in 20:23 (29th overall). Lassen's real challenge will be in two weeks at Merrimack; a course that has proven difficult for him in the past.
Rick Ciolino and Jenn Lassen ran more or less together until the final half mile, where Ciolino opened about a 10m gap. Lassen nearly caught him in a heated sprint to the finish, but Ciolino managed to hold on by a step for the (very) narrow victory. Ciolino was 34th overall, covering the 3.4 mile course in 20:41; Lassen was 35th (8th woman) in 20:42.
Dave Geary continued his rebound from injury with a 102nd place finish in 23:02, and the mighty Clare Murphy Pleurer (also known as "Whittey's Nemesis") was 155th in 24:04. Other Cape Ann finishers were Brett Norris in 27:34, Carly Ellis in 31:40, and Gary Harvey in 34:01.
Overall Men's Winner was Roland Lavallee from Bellingham, MA (16:38). Overall Women's Winner was Stephanie O'Reilly of Ireland(18:36).
