Wachusett Mountain

by Dave Dunham
May-23-1998

     Wachusett is the sprint event of the four mountain races which make up the USATF NE mountain running circuit.   At around 25 minutes for the front runners Wachusett takes only about 40% of the time it will take to run Pack Monadnock.  Pack has been the longest race the first two years of the circuit, however the addition of the Stratton Mountain 12k may change that.  In mountain running the distance doesn't always mean as much as the amount of climb/descent.

    The Wachusett race may be short, but it can be deceivingly difficult.  The ups and downs make for constant "gear shifting".  It can be tough to find a steady pace.  Add into the mix the grueling first mile, the bone jarring downhill leading into the three mile mark, and it makes for a unique experience.  I've always found the shorter mountain races (and races in general) more difficult because it takes me a while to warmup and get into that "groove". 

    The night before Wachusett I got an email from the veteran road warrior Bob Hodge.  He ominously warned me "I'll whistle when I pass you".  He held true to his word as he quietly whistled while strolling past during the first mile.  I unfortunately had little breathe to spare for a clever retort. Hodgie still won't let me live down my first experience on top of Wachusett.  I pointed to the distant skyline and foolishly asked "Is that Worcester?".  Of course it was Boston, and I'll never hear the end of it.

    This year you could see Boston from the top.  The weather was warm and very windy.  The tail wind for the first mile didn't seem to help much as a large group went through the mile mark in a somewhat sluggish 6:23.  I was surprised by the size of the group, usually the pack breaks up very quickly.  It seemed that, with the exception of Fergus Cullen's slight gapping of the pack, no one wanted to make a "big move" in the first mile.

    As we turned into the park at 1.2 miles the pack did break up.  Mike Casner took control taking the inside track on the turn.  "I didn't cut the course, I just took the shortest route" claimed Caz.  Adam Hersh, Rich Bolt and I tucked in as Caz made his move.  "I felt really good from one to two miles" related Casner.  Mike may have felt good, I however was just holding on.  Rich was running a tactical race never going to the front, but always in the mix.  Somewhere between one and two Hersh lost contact with the lead group.

    At the bottom of the last downhill (around 3 miles) I made a move to go around Mike.  We both took sneak peek back.   Rich was still very close.  I decided that the time to push was NOW.  The last 1.3 miles climbs steadily, but is not as tough as the first mile.  I was not feeling great.  Every few steps I could hear footsteps behind me.  I thought it was Caz, not realizing that Mike had been passed by the steadily pursuing Bolt.

     On the last grinding ascent, in the last 200 yards, I snuck (sp) a peek again.  "Man he is close" I thought.  Don Drewniak (the race director) puts the finish line about as far up as you can go.  The last push is pretty difficult.  I managed to hold off Rich, Casner took third, Hersh held onto 4th.  Jim Garcia closed fast passing the early leader (Cullen) in the last section of the course. I couldn't resist ribbing Fergus on the warmdown about being outkicked by an Ultra runner.  "I looked back and Jim was catching me, suddenly he blew by" noted Cullen.  Jim probably ran 20 or 30 to warmup, and was sighted running up and down again after the race.

    Hodge took first in the masters competition with a 7th place overall.  This was the second year in a row Hodgie was top master, 7th place, and 27:01.  That is consistent, or possibly stagnant?   CMS placed 7 runners in the top 11 including all of the top 5.  The award ceremony took place on the summit, and it had the feel of a CMS yard sale with a variety of prizes to choose from.

    In the USATF NE mountain circuit the competition has really heated up.  The top 2 women in the 40-49 are separated by only .5 points. The top 2 men in the open are only .6 apart, with the top seven within 10 points.  The largest margin thus far is Charlie Gunn in the mens 40-49,  he has a 28 point edge over second place.  Next up is the Pack Monadnock 10 mile on June 7th.

Added 5/31/98 : Marc