Run to Win

Earlier this afternoon, I received an email from Jeff Caron and asked him if I could share it with you. It touches not just what it means to be a Mainer but what it means to be a runner no matter where you are from, and I hope that you get as much out of it as I did when I read it.

Hello Friends!

I would first like to apologize for sending you this as a mass email. I wish that I could share this with each of you on an individual basis, but as you can understand, time does not permit that. The reason you are receiving this message is because on at least one occasion, you’ve impacted my life in one way or another.

Some of you may have done it with a simple gesture of good luck or congratulations at one of the many events we’ve been to, or by simply being a worthy opponent that I’ve respected over the years.

Most of you, however, have made an impression on me on countless occasions and in countless ways. There are certainly people that I can think of that are not on this email list and many more that I can’t think of, but have contributed to my success and have helped me become the person I am today.

The support and encouragement of the Maine running community has astonished me ever since I started my running “career” in high school, and because of that, I have done my best to be a part of that community every chance I’ve had.

When I started running races in high school, I had never heard of Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, Frank Shorter, or Bill Rogers. However, I did have heroes that I looked up to. Those heroes were Todd Coffin, Bob Winn, Rusty Snow, Andy Spaulding, and so many others! I would go to the LL Bean 10K or Beach to Beacon and watch these guys in awe. How were they capable of such amazing things and how could I get to be like them?

I still look up to these incredible competitors and see them with the same heroic character that I did 10 years ago. The only difference between then and now, is that list of heroes has grown. It now includes everyone on this list. Regardless of what times you’ve run or what places you’ve finished, you’ve all contributed to what we call the Maine running community. It’s a group that is known across the country and has been praised wherever my travels have taken me.

Having said all that, I want to inform you of a recent decision that I’ve made. After a disappointing end to my spring track season, due to injury, I had fallen short of my goal to qualify for the Olympic Trials. I was in the best shape of my life, yet It was one of the lowest points in my career. I am still coming back from this injury and am not sure of how quickly I will return to my previous fitness.

However, while I was in this low point, I was presented with an incredible opportunity. I have been offered a position as one of six athletes that will be pioneering a new elite development program in Chino Hills, CA. I’ve accepted this offer and will be moving into the new team house at the end of this month.

Along with my new teammates, I will set my career aside for now and will spend the next four years chasing our goals of becoming some of the nations top athletes. It’s a dream that I’ve had for quite some time and one that I’ve worked very hard for.

There will certainly be some risks involved, but the potential rewards easily out-weigh the risks and sacrifices that precede them. I am excited about the possibilities that await me in this program and am happy to share my experiences with you. I will still be coming back for the Beach to Beacon and hope to race well there; however, due to my recent injury, I most likely wont be in the kind of shape that I previously desired.

As many of you know, I have been living in Boston for the last two years and have been a member of the New Balance Boston Team. It has been a great experience for me and it’s been great to see so many of you on the racing scene in that time as I’ve been able to stay connected to all of your success. I want you to know that even though I’ll be farther away, I will still have just as much interest in the success of this community and hope that you’ll have some interest in my pursuits as well.

Recently, one of the biggest contributors to this community told me that no matter where I go, I am and always will be a part of this community. This was very comforting to hear and I hope it holds true for many of you as well.

There are two things that I know to be true.

1. I will always run in the Beach to Beacon 10K regardless of where I am, and
2. 2.) No matter what address I am registered under, I will be running with the heart of a Mainer!

Thank you again for all of your support over the the years and I look forward to catching up with many of you soon.

All the Best,
Jeff Caron

I’d like to wish Jeff good luck out west! This sounds like a great opportunity and I hope that he is able to recover and overcome his injuries and find yet more success in the future. I’m glad that I’ve gotten to race with him and against him a few times, and I have no doubt that he will pull even farther ahead of me over the next 4 years.

If you would like to follow Jeff’s training and experiences as transitions into running full-time, he writes regular updates to his blog at: http://jcexperience.blogspot.com/

(Photo Credit: The JC Experience)

The Pat’s Pizza 5 Mile Classic at the Yarmouth Clam Festival was this morning. Pat Tarpy came back to Maine to attempt to set the course record. Two years ago, he ran a course record 24:29 but was soundly beaten by Matt Lane, who ran an impressive 23:48. This year, having already run the fastest mile on Maine soil, he set his sights on breaking Matt’s record. He went out strong and on pace, but fell back a little in the last mile to finish 8 seconds shy in 23:56. He has, however, now broken the course record from before the course was certified. Jeff Caron took second place but was over a minute back in 24:58.

The women’s race was much closer, with Kristin Barry and Sheri Piers repeating last year’s 1-2 finish. They were only 7 seconds apart, running 28:56 and 29:03, respectively. I didn’t see Joan Samuelson at all today, but she came through a hair under 30 minutes, just as she has for the past few years.

Despite the coolest weather since I began running this race, I did not do quite as well as I had hoped to. My goals were about a half minute to 45 seconds faster than I ran, which shows that I should have followed last year’s strategy of running negative splits. My last two miles were a solid and even effort, but they were both about 9 seconds per mile slower than they were in 2006. I came through in 28:02, which will hopefully serve as a good wake up call for my legs so that I can perform well in two weeks at the Beach to Beacon.

There were also 290 children who completed the kid’s 1 mile fun run, and 917 finishers in the 5 mile race.

(Full Results - Clam Festival - Fun Run Results - Photos)

The results for the New England Mile are available and are now online. The official press release is copied below. The race was a great time, and I am looking forward to it again next year. The race was twice the size of last year’s field, and it is very exciting to see that sort of growth.

Overall Results | Top Ten Males & Females | Top Ten Masters M/F
Age Group Results | Father/Son Team Results | Father Daughter Team Results

June 17th, 2007
Portland, Maine

The organizers of the KeyBank New England Mile got what they wanted when Pat Tarpy shattered the 4 minute barrier running 3:54 and collecting the $1,500 prize sponsored by The Downeast Group at Smith Barney, to lead a pack of 5 talented Mainers who all ran 4:05 or better.

“I’m still keyed up from Tarpy’s performance,” said an elated Pete Bottomley, Key Bank New England Mile director. “I expected Pat to be fast but I was surprised that he broke the 4 minute barrier by such a large amount. It was inspiring to watch.”

The lead packed came through the quarter mile in 56 seconds. 20 seconds later Tarpy surged to the front and was never really challenged. He led through the half mile in 1:56 and was running strong and smooth at the ¾ mile marker that he passed in 2:56. With 30 meters to go and the crowd going nuts Tarpy eased back a little and took a moment to wave to the crowd.

Ayalew Taye, who will attended Georgetown University in the fall, finished second in 4:02 followed by Gabe Rivard in 4:03, Jeff Caron in 4:04 and Louie Luchini in 4:05.

“We had truly amazing performances in all age group and gender categories with over 300 people running the race. I think we’ve hit our mark and I hope this race will continue to go and become a Father’s Day tradition,” exclaimed Bottomley. “We already have a commitment for equal award money for the female runners next year. Claudia Camargo shattered the women’s record running 4:27 which equates to a sub 4 mile for men. I would love to be able to reward a woman with the same amount of prize money that the men receive for that type of performance.”

For race results go to www.newenglandmile.com

For more information and interviews contact:

Pete Bottomley
207-807-1133

The Downeast Group at Smith Barney has come to the rescue of the New England Mile and is sponsoring the sub-4:00 minute mile prize of $1500 this year. Jeff Caron and Gabe Rivard are signed up to help bring Louie Luchini through in under four minutes. Top female master Zofia Wieciorkowska (1 mile PR of 4:41) and high school all-American Ayalew Taye (4:08.50 at the 2007 Nike National High School Track Meet) in will also contribute to a very fast field.

More about the race was included in today’s press release:

The Historic KeyBank New England Mile
June 12th, 2007
Portland, Maine

The 3rd annual KeyBank New England Mile will be held on Father’s Day June 17th at 9:00 am on Congress Street in Portland, Maine.

“This year is destined to be an historic run”, said Pete Bottomley the Director and Founder of the race. “Our goal has been to have the first Maine native break 4 minutes in the mile on Maine soil. This year we are extremely fortunate to have Louie Luchini flying in from Portland, Oregon to run. He is healthy after having Achilles surgery injury and he is excited to have this opportunity to continue his positive impact on Maine’s rich running history. The Downeast Group at Smith Barney also came through to sponsor a $1,500 prize to the first runner to break the 4 minute barrier”

Luchini is arguably the greatest high school and collegiate runner ever from the State of Maine. In high school he was a 14 time individual state champion and a 2 time finalist at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships.

At Stanford University Luchini was an 11-time All-American in track and cross country. At the time of his graduation Luchini held the Stanford school record in the 5000 meters at 13:25 and was one of the schools most accomplished runners.

Louie will be joined on the starting line by former University of Maine stars Gabe Rivard and Jeff Caron. Rivard, from York, recently ran a 3:48 1500 and Caron, from Auburn, is ready to run in the 4:05 range. Both runners are focused and ready to push the pace to help Luchini make history.

“ We have also added a father/son and father/daughter division to the race to encourage kids to exercise’, announced Bottomley.” The first 50 father / child teams will receive a $10.00 Friendly’s gift certificate just for entering. With the distance being one mile they will get an opportunity to run without being overwhelmed, see a talented field run and eat some ice cream. I can’t think of a better way to expose kids to exercise!”

Proceeds for the Key Bank New England Mile will benefit Easter Seals of Maine.

For more information contact:

Pete Bottomley
207-807-1133

More information can be found on the race’s website at: http://www.NewEnglandMile.com

The latest USATF-New England grand prix race was this morning in Methuen, Mass. The Whirlaway 10k had some better weather this year than they did last year, and they had enough water at the finish line for everybody this time. The course takes a quick trip up over the first few miles, and is predominantly downhill for the last few miles. There are a few rolling hills mixed in throughout. The starting line was not marked, as they use a crack in the road to determine where it is. As such, they had to pull the crowd forward about 200 feet since nobody knew where they were supposed to be and everybody was too far down the road.

The race was won handily by Ben Ndaya in 31:41. Jeff Caron and Ethan Hemphill were up front for Dirigo R.C., finishing in 3^rd and 5^th, respectively. Jennifer Busse was the first woman in 37:09.

I ran about what I expected at the race, (barely) breaking 36 minutes. I was trying to catch one of my teammates, but didn’t have enough time. Officially, he beat me by 1 second, but realistically it was more like 2 or 3 seconds.

There was a great spread after the race, but the awards structure left something to be desired. I had thought that this was a cash race that paid out 5 places, but the winner got a gift certificate and everything else was age group awards. Dirigo got 5^th place in the open division and 2^nd place in the master’s division, which were both won by the Whirlaway club.