2005 Fred Brown- Lake Winnipesaukee Relay September 24, 2005
The call came early this year, Jim DuPont, team organizer for the Colonial Road Runners attack on the Fred Brown Relay put on by the North Medford Club. This was my fifth year participating and one of the best. I told Jim, yeah, I’d run a leg and then nothing. Weeks go by and no word. Literally on the eve of the race the emails came flooding in. I said I’d run anything and Jim did me a great favor and put me on the second leg, 11 miles, my favorite. A flurry of emails more and “The Good, the Bad. and The Dupey” was set to go. We had 7 of the eight legs for this 65 mile circumnavigation of Lake Winni covered with one leg with two possible runners penciled in. I call Dave Malliaros to see if he can take his gas sipping car up there as I have a hulking SUV any OPEC member would love.
“Dave, wanna carpool up to the race?”
“Sure what time”
“We gotta be on the road by 5am”
“Sure”
“Uh, if you drive, I’ll pay for gas?”
“Okay”
Note to the wimmin folk, this is how guys talk on the phone.
Morning comes quick and I wake to hear the dogs growling as Dave pulls in. I laid out my clothes the night before so all I have to do is pull them on, blast the sonicare toothbrush through my mouth, that thing could wake the dead! Off to Drunkin Blownuts for a large and a bagel at Neponset Circle. Heading north on 93 they’ve got the big dig tunnel closed for repair and we’re shunted off onto the remnants of Atlantic avenue to navigate north with no signage…in the dark.
Nice. 14 billion and still travelers are mistreated.
An easy cruise north and in no time we’re pulling into the Fun Spot parking lot with 35 minutes to the start. As we pull in I start scanning for Colonials and find none. Experience has been to spot someone right off the bat, so this isn’t good. We park and begin the search for the “orange one”. It isn’t until we reach the tent we spot not him but Mary DuPont his tolerant wife also dressed in orange, hmmm, I hope she puts a stop to that fashion faux paux quick, it's okay Jim - only you look good in protestant orange.
Then Jim jumps in grabs me and immediately knuckles me to run a leg for the Marshfield Road Runners (MRR) team. Jim came up lame and is looking for someone to fill his spot.
“Sure, anything to help out”
Luckily, MRR found someone else. I'm off the hook.
We’re the first to arrive but more Colonials quickly converge and the teams gel. The sun is out in a cloudless sky, promising to be a spectacular day. Team Dupe six of eight members present with Carl Brugnoli and the mysterious woman from the Antarctic showing up at their respective exchange points later in the day. It seems John Goldrosen happened to be chatting up the relay while down in the Antarctic – ask him, and Lisa Lawrence committed to helping out our team. The running club she’s with is too competitive and she’s happy to run with us. When not in the Antarctic she can be found in New Hampshire – go figure.
For our Team, Dick Doran is running leg one, I’m running leg two, Mary Ellen Sawyer- Dicks-gal pal, leg three, Jay Hunt leg four, Either Dave Souza, or John Daville, leg five, Dave M running leg six, The mysterious Antarctic woman Lisa Lawrence, leg seven and Carl Brugnoli leg eight.
It’s incredible how Runners/Teams from all over New England (and the Antarctic) converge on the Fun Spot in Weirs Beach, New Hampshire to run this awesome event, Still can’t over it. A lot of time and effort organizing these things – Thanks Dupe! and it works!
Dick’s ready, everyone queues up at the start,
“Five minutes!”
A few Words from race organizer NMC’er Ken Robichaaud and Dupe sounds the siren.
They’re off!
Dicks running eights for 10.8 miles, so we join the car conga line to the exchange point at the Gunstock Ski Area for leg two.
For you skiers/shredheads who pass by Gunstock take another look: a new high speed quad and a new terrain park.
Dick sets the pace finishing leg one for Team Dupe in 73rd place. Dupes got radios and a lookout a third of a mile out as I get ready.
“Dicks Comin’ in.” crackles the radio.
I stage in the shoot and take the hand off. Cedric Barr is running for the second CRR team- The Silver Streakers and make the exchange at the same time. Cedric sets a consistent eight minute pace and we quickly fall in lock step and knock off five miles just south of 40 minutes. Cedric is running the Philadelphia Marathon in November and is in prime shape, we're side by side the whole way.
Erma Walat and Betsy Knapp are the angels, providing water and Gatorade every two miles, without them we’d of been fried. I spy a gaggle of runners ahead and zero in, reeling in four before the hand off for leg 3 in 68th place.
I spy Mary DuPont calling my arrival in Alton Bay and Mary Ellen Sawyer is waiting with Dupe for the handoff. In a blink my portion of the relay is over, 93 minutes, and now I can do my post-run jump in the lake. Something I’ve been thinking about since I found out I’d be running leg two. The water was inviting, peeling off the shoes and a leap off the dock into that delicious fresh water to soak off the sweat and bugs from the 11 mile jaunt. Floating there, relaxing seeing the spectacle before me was worth the price.
None better. Not to be outdone, Cedric shows off his fine cannonball jump off the dock.
I towel off and Dave’s waiting, On the way to the exchange spot for leg 4 we stop at a local grocery to fortify Dave with a snickers and myself with a well deserved cold and frosty and a bag of jerky. The craving for any junk food is incredible.
Heaven on earth.
At the Kingswood Regional High School, Jay Hunt is waiting, Mary Ellen gives up only one spot for 69th overall and John Daville sore so its Dave Souza running leg 5 for the team. He ran Leg 2 for the first CRR team and he’s back for more!
Jay Hunt picks up two positions and we’re in 67th.
Dave and I go the exchange at the Morgan Farm. The suns out in force, mild, in the low 70’s, perfect for running. I like waiting at the Morgan farm cause every year fellow Rat Peter Orni and his lovely wife are the timekeepers. We catch up on our running and ponder the upcoming Grand Pricks Series #6.
Like clock work at 2:18, Dave Souza comes barreling in and hands off to Dave M. Souza second blazing performance of the day and our ringer moves Team Dupe into a heady 43rd place.
With Dave M. off and running I take his car to the next exchange point to locate the mysterious Antarctic woman. As I walk up to the relay shoot, I’m approached my a lithe (look it up) woman with kids in tow asking:
“Are you Jim?”
”No, Sorry” and take a half step, realize I’m wearing a bright orange shirt and the mysterious woman from the Antarctic doesn’t know Jim whom she's supposed to meet.
“Yes, Yes, I know Jim…Are you the Antarctic Woman?”
She smiles, rolls her eyes, with a half curtsey, relieved she’s made the connection set waay down south and we introduce ourselves, at that point Jim, Mary, John Goldrosen appear and prepare for leg seven, Dave M. comes and we’re in 67th place.
At the final leg exchange point Carl is nowhere to be found, a search of the parking lot and precious minutes go by with Lisa fast approaching. It looks like one of us might have to run, Dave M, Dick, Mary Ellen or myself. We eye each other nervously.. Things don’t look good. Minutes pass. Then out of thin air, Carl is standing there asking what to do. With great relief, smiles appear all around, high fives, Team The Good , The Bad, The Dupey, as well as all the CRR teams are complete and on the road for good finish times. Lisa comes in, gaining a few positions and we’re in 63rd. With Carl and Betsy off, well before the 5pm cut off, we move onto the finish, everyone ready to celebrate another Winni!
Memo to self, take any of the friggin eight working cameras I’ve got next time.