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first trail race of the season

Andrew | 22 February, 2007 08:51 | (254)

So far as I can tell, the first trail race anywhere in New England this spring will take place on Saturday, March 24. The good news is it's right here in Nashua. The bad news (for me) is that it's a wee little 5K.

UPDATE 3/20 - worse news... it's cancelled!

Anyhow, it's one of the Luv2Run races by 3C Race Productions, and it will take place in Mine Falls Park, so it'll be a fast course. It would probably make a nice intro to trail racing, if you've never ventured off road. Personally, I'll wait and see... I find 5Ks a bit fast for my taste. Maybe because of my asthma, I like to run at a more moderate pace, for longer time and distance.

The first race that I plan to run Northern Nipmuck, a 16-mile out-and-back on the Nipmuck trail in Connecticut on April 7. It's the first race in the Grand Tree series, and I'm still trying to figure out whether it covers any of the same ground as the Nipmuck marathon. If anyone knows of any earlier races, please let me know.

UPDATE 3-19

Heck yes, I'm doing it... the course should be an absolute mess, perhaps downright treacherous. How can I resist?

Share and enjoy.

[Reply]

Ahhh ... a 5K, I'm in. I find the 16 milers... well, a little looooong for my taste. Though I'm curious -- what are you thinking of as a moderate pace? What's an average (not a winning, but middle of the pack) pace for a 16 mile trail run? Maybe that'll help me imagine how I could (or could not) work up to one.

Posted by: Ernesto | February 23, 2007, 05:22

[Reply]

That's a great question. It all depends on the course; a race that's all uphill will be slower than one that's on flat ground, to use extreme examples. The best way to get an idea is to run the course yourself. The next best way is to look at the results from last year's race, which are usually available online (GT race results are on WMAC web site www.runwmac.com)
The winning time for NN last year was 2;01, with 96 runners. The last finisher took over five hours. I know from experience that I would likely be somewhere around the 70th percentile, so that's where I'd look, and find a finish time in the neighborhood of three hours. Then, I think to myself 'I can do better than that,' and I try.

Posted by: andrew | February 23, 2007, 07:29

[Reply]

And another thing, it's cool just to run and finish a longer race... just gradually increase your mileage and go for it!

Posted by: andrew | February 23, 2007, 07:31

[Reply]

Okay, great answer, thanks! Sounds like the winner's clipping right along... but if it's cool to run just to finish, maybe I'll take a stab at it!

Posted by: Ernesto | February 25, 2007, 05:50