When those responsible for organizing the race arrived at the host facility, Worcester State College, they found that the building normally used for race registration was being occupied by over 500 attendees of a Martin Luther King Breakfast. A search eventually resulted in the finding of an alternate location on campus.
It seems that, in his haste to set up the registration table in the new locale, one of the organizers whose name is being purposely withheld, left his car in neutral with the doors locked on what appeared to be a level surface. Apparently, it was somewhat less than level. About a minute later, one of the runners came tearing into the registration area yelling, "Quick, _____, your car is rolling down the driveway!"
Running close to a 9.1 hundred, the panicked owner dashed outside to find his vehicle - a rather large Nissan Pathfinder - inching forward, but being prevented from a runaway disaster by Bill, who had braced himself in front of the Pathfinder and was grudgingly giving up ground inch by inch. A frantic unlocking of the driver's side door and the hitting of the brakes ended the man versus machine battle.
1 Bill Ferrara 50-59M CMS Milford, MA 19:31 2 Nick Popiak 40-49M CMS Thompson, CT 19:36 3 Eric Thibaud 20-39M CMS Worcester, MA 19:40 4 John Grenier 40-49M CMS Leicester, MA 19:46 5 Peter Orni 50-59M CMS Fitchburg, MA 20:09 6 Bob Brady 40-49M CMS Worcester, MA 20:30 7 John Person 40-49M CMS Charlton, MA 20:51 8 Ric Buxton 40-49M CMS Sterling, MA 21:32 9 Eddie Gallivan 50-59M CMS Worcester, MA 22:29 10 Joanne Lachapelle 40-49F CMS Worcester, MA 22:48 11 Stan Vancelette 60-69M CMS Amherst, NH 23:13 12 Ray Lussier 60-69M CMS Grafton, MA 23:22 13 Laura Beckwith 50-59F CMS Holden, MA 23:33 14 Linda Usher 40-49F CMS Upton, MA 24:22 15 Joan Murzycki 40-49F CMS Leicester, MA 25:09 16 Mary-Margaret Kerns 40-49F CMS Worcester, MA 25:23 17 Ed Sato 60-69M CMS Worcester, MA 25:48 18 Dale Ames 50-59M CMS Worcester, MA 26:46 19 Jim DeZutter 60-69M CMS Harvard, MA 28:26The volunteers: Peter Cotter (Jefferson); Jerry DeZutter (Worcester); Dolores Drewniak (Princeton); Alice Erikson (Shrewsbury); Sam Fitzwater (Auburn); Ralph Mooers (Leominster).
(19f - clear; frigid - 0 - 2 degrees; clockwise)