After running the relay for 5 years under the Colonial Road Runner banner, this time I was asked by Marianne Withington of the Marshfield Road Runners to fill in for Clayton Gardener on the Mixed Nuts Team.  That is a male/female team of Nuts 50 + years old.  First leg was Jim Dupont 54(?), then for Leg 2 Barbara Wilson 53, Leg 3 The Birthday Boy, Brad Powers 60, Legs 4 and 6 M Withington 52, Leg 5 Deb Lynch 52, Leg 7 EDowling 51 and leg 8 Jim Benton 54.

Now I have been hearing about the Mixed Nuts team all summer and Marianne very shrewdly placed each of us according to our strengths in the respective leg assignment. 

 We needed to have a solid person leading off so Marianne put Dupe up first.  Of the four other 50+ teams, two put their fastest guy first. Unbeknownst to us that there were 5 teams competing, we thought there were only 3 and Jim put us third in our division and 38^th overall with a time of 1:22:04 for 10.7 miles which is a 7:40 pace. 

At the handoff at leg two, we thought we were in last (3^rd) place according to what we thought only 3 50+ teams.  Leg two Barbara had the second fastest time of the five teams, 1:30:58, a 8:16 pace for 11 miles the longest leg…but we didn’t know it.  We were second in our division and 44^th overall. 

 Leg 3 Brad smoked many runners half his age, a 1:09:03, a 7:25 pace over the killer 9.3 mile leg 3 and moved us into 34^th overall, placing the team in first in our division. 

 Marianne took the baton at leg 4 and kept us in 1^st in our division and picked up 3 places, 31^st overall with a 30:48, a 7:42 pace over the short 4.4 mile leg. 

At Leg 5 Deb Lynch turned in a respectable 1:30:12, a 8:21 pace held us 1^st in our division and 37^th overall. 

 Leg 6 Marianne took the baton again owing to a wounded Margaret Pendegast who couldn’t make it.  The Team Captain cooked the 6.4 mile leg in 52:01, a 8:07 pace, still in 1^st and picks up a position, 36^th overall as the sun came out started really heating up the day.

 With conditions turning Sauna-like Ed Dowling takes off on the torturous leg 7 and gives up two positions, 38^th overall but still keeps the team in 1^st in the division, a 1:12:27 over 8.5 miles, a 8:31 pace.

Last but not least Jim Benton brings us home on the roller coaster 4.4 mile leg in 39:38, a 9:00 pace that placed us 1^st in the division and gains back a place, 37^th overall.  A time of 8:47:11, overall 8:06 pace.  Very impressive indeed.

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