Run to Win

This morning was the 10^th annual Dan Cardillo Memorial 5k, which is run in memory of Dan Cardillo and to which all proceeds go towards his charitable fund. The light rain and dreary skies didn’t keep the runners away this morning, with 306 people running the race. This race is popular for local runners because it is very flat and relatively fast.

The race went out at a pedestrian 3:10 for the first kilometer, until Nor’Easter runners Robert Gomez (2^nd/15:47) and Jeff Sqrague (3^rd/16:02) pulled in front of eventual race winner Ethan Hemphill (1^st/15:31) and tried to put the sag on and slow down the pace further. Ethan got around them and picked up the pace, splitting up the lead pack into 2 groups.

The Nor’Easter runners managed to win the team event by 6 seconds, taking the 2-3-5 slots to Dirigo’s 1-4-6 slots, 48:08 to 48:14. I was about half a minute behind the pace that I wanted, finishing in 6^th place overall with a time of 16:27 and about 8 seconds behind Nick Scott, the 3^rd Nor’Easter runner.

(Full Results – Age Group Results – Team Results – Course Map – Photos: CD 1 & CD 2)

This week last year packed two very good tips in amongst all of the news and Autumn sports. I began publishing weekly NFL picks, but I am not going to do that this year since I do not plan on paying for cable and will only be able to watch a few games this season.

• Have you ever woken up with a splitting headache after drinking too much the night before? That does not happen very often to me, and almost never happened when I was in college. There were certainly some days when I drank more than I should have, but I knew the secret to avoiding hangovers. Obviously, not drinking is the easiest way, but if one if you do, then be sure not to skip your morning run the next day.
• Have you ever gotten to the gym or to a race and realized that you only have one shoe or forgot your towel or some clean underwear? You can usually avoid that problem by packing your bag the night before, but it is also important to check your gym or race bag before you leave in the morning.
• The Dan Cardillo 5k is a very fast race in Falmouth, Maine. I am running a 50k in New Hampshire, but if you are going to be in Southern Maine tomorrow morning then I recommend making your way over to Falmouth High School to put in a fast time.
• On the sports news front, a coach and 5 members of the USM cross country team went to the hospital after getting hit by a car being chased by the police. They were all released quickly, but 2 of the runners were not able to run until later in the season. In other criminal news, someone tried to smuggle fake Nike shoes worth about $16 million from China into the US. Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada were allowed to appeal their sentence after refusing to identify who leaked grand jury testimony for their book, Game of Shadows.
• Two years ago this week, I wrote about the best marathon training run…ever! Not only did I get in a good 17 miles, but my girlfriend also agreed to marry me along the way. We’ve now been happily married for a little over a year. A little less exciting but more useful to everyone else, I also wrote about losing weight by cutting out sugar water from your regular diet such as soda and sports drinks.

The Dan Cardillo Memorial 5k was this morning in Falmouth, Maine. Dirigo racing club swept the field with the first five finishers. Ethan Hemphill won the race in 15:39, followed a minute later by Josh Zolla and Bill Mariski. Blaine Moore and Rob Fast were not far behind. Sheri Piers ran a 24 second course record in 17:33, bettering Kristin Barry’s time from last year. Christine Reaser and Mary Pardi were a minute and a half to two minutes behind her. There were 268 finishers on an absolutely beautiful day in the mid 60s with a slight headwind on the course.

Update: Dan Cardillo Pictures
(Full Results)

The Dan Cardillo Memorial 5k Road Race was yesterday morning in Falmouth, Maine. It was a beautiful, cool morning with a slight breeze that somehow seemed to turn into a slight head wind for about 70% of the race. Dirigo and Run to Win both had a strong showing, placing 1st and 2nd in the team events. Ethan Hemphill, Andy Spaulding, and Mike Payson came in 1-2-3 overall to lead in the Dirigo scoring, followed by Rob Fast and Marc Dugas in 9th and 10th. Run To Win was represented up front by Blaine Moore (7th), Scott Hornney (23rd), Karen Fagan (27th), Stephanie Atkinson (30th), Pete Peters (32nd) and Regan Hornney (33rd), who just missed breaking 20 minutes in an official 5k by a few seconds. (Full Results)

Everybody’s times seemed a little slow from the race leaders to middle of the packers. This race has traditionally been short (the course was revised last year) and still remains a fast course, so there were many disappointments to be had, likely due to the just barely obtrusive wind. There was a cat in the middle of the road watching the runners at the 2 mile marker.