Bradford Valentine Road Race

When: Saturday, February 12 @ 10:00 AM

Where: Bradford, MA

Distance: 5M or 6K

Here's your chance to chase love before Valentine's Day! Scenic Bradford, MA is where the little, pre-stress fractured feet of Jayne Karalow once bounded. And on Feb. 12th it will be the site of the 20th running of the famed Bradford Valentine race. See what Cool Running had to say about last year's race.

There are two race options -- a 5 mile and a 6 kilometer. And, there are multiple couples team divisions: mother/son, father/daughter, wife/husband, and open male/female. One teammate must run the 5m and the other the 6k. The routes start together, and then 5 milers veer off for some extra distance before rejoining the 6k on Chadwick Rd. for a final couple of miles to the finish.

Gifts? Prizes? Awards? You betcha. In addition to a long sleeve T for the first 500 registrants, every finisher gets a flower and chocolates! That's right, you'll be all set for V-day. No last minute trip to CVS necessary.

As always, click the heading above for more info, and use the comments box below to confirm your interest/participation. Online registration is still open and operators are standing by.

Come and get your love!

Reykjavik Marathon

CRC:

I want to stir up some ideas/excitement about getting some people to
race the Iceland Marathon/Half marathon this coming August.  The 28th
Íslandsbanki Reykjavik Marathon will take place in the center of
Reykjavik on Saturday August 20th.  It's only a 5hr flight from Boston
and using Student Universe or Orbitz you can get round trip for around
$500.  The city/country are beautiful in the summer, with temps in August averaging around 55 degrees, and the summer is the 'dry season'. 

Click the post heading above for the race website.  Additionally, the following link provides travel/pricing info:

http://www.icelandtotal.com/?utm_source=Rvk_Marathon&utm_medium=WebsiteBanner&utm_campaign=Reykjavikurmarathon

Prize money:
The top three male and female runners in the 21 km, 1 km and 42.2 km will
receive a special money prize. Prizes will also be awarded to the first
three Icelandic runners, male and female.  The prize money will be paid
in Icelandic krona (ISK).  Winners in the 10 km, half marathon and marathon will get a gift certificate for a flight from IcelandTotal.com.


Team competition:
First three teams in the team competition of the 10 km run, half
marathon and marathon will get prizes. For the marathon, the half
marathon and the 10 KM race, you can run as a part of a team consisting
of three to five members. Colleagues, organisations, families, friends
or anyone interested can form a team and women and men can be a part of
the same team. The only requirement is that all members of the team are
running in the same event (distance). Five team members can be
registered with the times of the first three being calculated for team
points.

Thanks,
Brian Klein

Stu's 30K

When:  Sunday, March 6 @ 11:00 AM
Where:  Clinton, MA
Distance:  30K (w/ relay option)

Not to be confused with The Great Stew Chase (though it frequently is), Stu's 30K is a long-standing event organized by our friends in the Central Mass Striders.  And yes, 30 is a lot of K's; runners looking for shorter distances might be interested in knowing that there is a relay option.  The course is a picturesque loop through typically quaint New England countryside (like I would know; I've run this race once, in the middle of a blizzard.)  The weather was much improved last year, and CRC responded with an impressive showing.  Nick Menzies and Amanda Brewster finished 2nd and 3rd overall, respectively, while Colleen Harrison, Becky Hutchinson and Liz Walker swept the Female 18-29 age group.  Additionally, Unbelievable Speed and International Force may sound like Steven Seagal straight-to-VHS movies but they are in fact the names of the top two relay teams at last year's race, and both were comprised of CRC runners.  27 CRCers in total participated, many no doubt attracted by the five dollar discount negotiated by James O'Malley.

Stu's is another great Boston Marathon build-up race.  The New Bedford Half Marathon, which takes place two weeks later (March 20) will seem like a jog in the park after this.  Registration is $35 until February 20; $40 thereafter.  ($25 for Relay team members.)


As always, the post heading above provides a link the event website.  (Click the "Stu's 30K" link at the left side of the CMS splash page.)  The comments box below should be used to express interest, organize carpools, create relay teams, etc.

On The Podium: Kevin Gravina

On The Podium is a semi-regular feature of The Hurt Box, in which we profile CRCers who race at least semi-regularly.  Today we touch base with Kevin Gravina, who has come all the way back from a battery of injuries you don't even want to know about, much less experience.  The only damage Kevin will be doing in 2011 will be to the roads, hills and tracks of New England, and you'll read all about it in The Hurt Box.


When did you start running competitively? 
I ran the quarter-mile in high school but I would say I began running competitive, in the modern era, upon joining CRC in June of 2005 – ending briefly three months later with a stress fracture – but picking up again in 2006 when Mr. Chad Carr became my roommate.  I’ve been chasing him ever since…

What are your preferred racing/training shoes? 
I’ve been running with Asics Kayanos since 2006 and they’ve treated me really well.  Only one stress fracture, Achilles tendonitis, hip bursitis, back spasms, broken toe and ankle surgery.  I should be their spokesman.  I race in Asics DS Trainers.  Love em.

What is your favorite workout?
 I love me a good tempo.   Particularly, a 5-miler at 10 mile pace, followed by a few bowls of cereal.

What is your favorite New England race? 
Excluding the Marathon:  Mt. Washington Road Race, New Bedford Half Marathon, Battle of Bunker Hill 8k, Wrentham Duathlon.  

Some strong contenders:  Assault on Mt. Hood, Franklin Park X-Country Races, Swanzey Half Marathon, Long Gull 10K, Gobble^3.

What is your preferred racing distance?
 I am currently courting the Half Marathon.

What are your racing goals for 2011? 

• Not injure myself (i.e, avoid: overtraining, dropping 45lb weights on my foot, wearing orthotic  in wrong shoe, burning Achilles with heat pack)
• Set a PR in the half marathon
• Do an Ultra-Duathlon (R5,B29,R5,B29,R5) – perhaps not worthy of the “Ultra” moniker, but a day’s work nonetheless.
• Find Cure for Saddle Sores
• Help CRC score in Mt. Washington, X-Country races, Grand Prix
• Do 4-6 races I’ve never done before.  Tufts 10K watch out!
• Remember to take off helmet during duathlon (see photo, left)

Short Spikes, Vol. 1

Short Spikes is an ongoing feature of The Hurt Box, in which we span the web to bring you the best, the brightest, the strangest bits of ephemera from the racing world.  Today's theme is: Wacky Races

1. The Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor Marathon
What's not to love about a marathon that can boast perfect weather (60 degrees, no wind, rain or snow), a pancake-flat course, 600 aid stations, music for the full 26.2 miles and a personal time keeper for each runner?  Oh, did I mention that the race consists of 150 laps on an indoor track at St. Olaf College in (where else) Minnesota? 

2. The Self-Transcendence 3,100 Race
Participants in this race run 3,100 miles in 52 days.  That's an average of 60 miles a day.  And they do it around a single city block in Queens, New York.  The race is sponsored by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team, a group of runners with a shared goal of self-transcendence through endurance running.  If I were running 2 marathons a day for two months, I would also seek an out-of-body experience.  I would enjoy a movie, a cup of coffee and maybe a nap while my body was RUNNING 2 MARATHONS A DAY FOR TWO MONTHS.

3. Boom Days Pack Burro Race
Runners in this race are tethered to a burro, which they are forbidden to ride.  Instead, they must run alongside the intractable beast, across a 22-mile mountainous course in Leadville, CO, which exists at a higher altitude than any other city in the US (roughly 10,00 feet), and seems to be ground-zero for bizarre and brutal races.


Go out and do something crazy today, CRC!

16th Annual Boston Prep 16 Miler

When: Sunday, January 23 @ 10:00 AM
Where: Derry, New Hampshire
Distance: 16 miles

Looking for a distance race this weekend? Want to get some miles in? Well, it's not too late! The Boston Prep 16 Miler is still taking registrations and will continue doing so on race day unless the race hits the 900 participant mark. They are just over 800 right now. Race fee is $50 at this point, but that's only about $3 a mile.

Race kicks off at 10am and is known for its fear inspiring elevation map. Curious as to what it takes to handle this race? Best check with Scott Gerwin on that one.

Rumor has it that some CRC members are already signed up to race. So let us know if you'll be out there!


Click the heading above for more info, and use the comments box below to confirm your interest/participation.

Runners Seeking Volunteers

Tamara's email reminded me that I needed to send a request for volunteers!  Myself, Diana Whitney, Jamie Lefkowitz, Carrie Mallozzi, Ackerman-Alexeeff, and Kim Coughlan are running our first ultra Ragnar New England and because we live in a certain radius of the race course, we need to provide three volunteers.

If you are interested, please email me at jessicakimmiller@gmail.com.  We'd really appreciate the help!

Best,
Jess (on behalf of Team Red Rockettes)

Runner Seeking Runners

Hi CRC'ers

I am organizing an ultra team for the Ragnar relay race on May 13-14th, (link below). The race is from Fri-Sat and will require that we leave on Thurs afternoon/evening. So far, we have three people and need three more. The race begins in Woodstock, NY and ends in Westchester, NY. The total distance is 184 miles which will average about 30 miles/person but will range from 25-35 depending on how the legs are broken up and how much you are interested in running. For those running Boston, it's 4 weeks after which is enough time to recover but not lose fitness.

I would like to sign up a team soon, so please email me if you're interested. I promise to make it a fun time!

-Tammy Feldman

drfeldman@hotmail.com

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/race/newyork/registration

Super Sunday 5K/10K

When:  Sunday, February 6 @ 11:00 AM
Where:  Carson Beach, South Boston
Distance:  5K/10K

Super Bowl Sunday is shaping up to be a big day for New England runners.  (Less so for New England Patriots.)  The Super Sunday 5K/10K celebrates its fourth year with a brand new course, a fast, flat out-and-back in Southie, complete with a Castle Island turnaround.  (The course will be familiar to anyone who has run either the Ollie or Jim Kane races in recent years.)  Entry is the same ($30) for either distance.  Whole Foods and the Harpoon Brewery are sponsors, which means that you should be in a seriously festive mood by kick-off.  This race has sold out in advance the last two years, so if you intend to run it, note that there is a strictly-enforced No Dilly-Dallying policy in effect.  Also note that our own CRC President Becky Hutchinson won the women's 10K event in 2009, and tripled her prize money later that day by taking Arizona and the points.

Click the heading above for more info, and use the comments box below to confirm your interest/participation.

The Great Stew Chase

When:  Sunday, February 6 @ 10:00 AM
Where:  Lynn, MA
Distance:  15K

The Super Bowl will be played in the evening of Sunday, February 6, but if you show up at the Knights of Columbus Hall in lovely Lynn, MA earlier that day YOU will get a super bowl...of stew!  The Great Stew Chase is the world's third-longest running 15K race, and it takes place virtually in our own backyard.  This race has been a staple of the CRC Boston marathon training cycle in years past (in fact, the event website is the only one to ever link CRC, so impressed were they with our recap in 2006), and we are looking to make another strong showing there.  The course is a moderately hilly out-and-back scamper through the industrial byways of Lynn, with a memorable incline at the turnaround.  The race is named for the famous stew served up afterward, along with the usual post-race fare.  The fees are as competitive as the race:  $25 w/shirt, $12 w/o shirt.  Your choice.   

Click the heading above for more info, and use the comments box below to confirm your interest/participation.



Good times at the Lynn K of C Hall.





What's in the bag?  Good times at the Lynn K of C Hall.



On Your Mark

Welcome to The Hurt Box, the official racing blog of the Cambridge Running Club.  Over the course of the next few months (or until the CRC website is back up and running) this site will provide an open forum for all things racing.  Upcoming races will be identified and described, with all relevant links provided for your registration convenience.  The comments box for each race posting will provide an opportunity for interested runners to identify themselves and organize carpools.  Ongoing features of this site will also include race recaps/results, profiles of CRC racers, and random musings from members of the CRC Racing Committee.

The Hurt Box is a work in progress, and it is hoped that it will ultimately evolve into a permanent feature of the CRC website.  To this end, member feedback is not only encouraged but necessary.  So please, chime in with your thoughts and suggestions, early and often.

Lace 'em up, CRC.  It's time to toe the line!