Great day of competition for the 200+ runners gathered in Princeton Ma at the base of Wah-Wah-Wachusett Mountain.  Cool and somewhat humid conditions were on tap for the third race in the five races, USATF NE mountain circuit (6^th Annual).

Three time circuit champion Eric Morse and two time champion Dave Dunham (of the above mentioned CMS) had a spirited duel for the first 1.25 miles. The duo pulled away from the circuit appearance and point leader (1996 to present)  Mike Casner  in the first half mile. Dunham noted “It wasn’t much of a duel, Eric smoked me”. Morse had no trouble finding his way to the summit, running alone and comfortably to a 24:30. Morse’s time was the 2^nd fastest ever run, only behind his own course record of 24:14. “If there had been someone to push me, I would have run faster” noted Morse while doing a warm-down back down the mountain. Morse was giving his teammate some good-natured ribbing on the run down. Dunham ran the 9^th fastest time clocking in at 25:01.

 Morse and Dunham now have 8 (4 each) of the top 9 times. The only other runners to crack the top ten all-time list are Richard Bolt (with an excellent 24:35) and Sean Livingston (the Mount Washington Junior record holder).  Mike Casner took third in 26:54 to continue leading the appearance and point totals for the 6 years of the circuit.  Robert Chasen took 4^th overall in the 9^th fastest 40+ time of 27:52.  The 50+ competition was heated with Richard Stockdale (29:28), Jim Impresscia (30:22) and Sumner Brown (30:47) all finishing in the top 16.  Stockdale’s time was 3^rd fastest, Impresscia was 5^th fastest, and Brown (who now has 4 of the ten fastest times) was 7^th fastest.  Over 60 runner John Pelton ran an impressive 32:51 to break his own CR by one second.

Suzie West, a two time US team member, took the win in 30:57.  Suzie’s time was a one-minute PR and ranks her tenth all time.   Maureen Sullivan took the 40+ with a fine 34:32 (6^th fastest) with Susan Maslowski 9 seconds in arrears taking the 8^th fastest time.

The circuit moves on to Pack Monadnock on June 3^rd for the difficult 10 mile rolling to mountainous race. 

 Each competitor is scored based on their percent of the winning time (i.e. 24 minute winning time, 48 minute your time = 50% or 50 points).  The best 4 of 5 races will be used.  Currently John Pelton holds and insurmountable lead in the 60+, he is the only competitor to have completed the three races.  Don Ross as the only competitor is leading the 70+.  Richard Stockdale has a 50-point lead in the 40+.  The open category is lead by circuit founder Dave Dunham; he holds a 1.6 point lead over Mike Casner.  Eric Morse having gone off course at the USATF championships still has a perfect 200 points and may win the circuit if he runs well at the remaining races.  Suzie West has a 100+ point lead in the women’s open.  No one has run more than one race in the 50+.  In the 60+ Jane Goodman is the only competitor.  The closest battle in the circuit is between leader Donna Smyth and 2^nd place Lisa Doucett.  A mere 1.7 points separate the two.

Pos First   Last      Town             Team   Age  Time     W time   Points
1   Eric    Morse     Berlin, VT        CMS   M20 0:24:30  0:24:30  100.00%
2   Dave    Dunham    Bradford, MA      CMS   M20 0:25:01  0:24:30   97.93%
3   Mike    Casner    Keene, NH         CMS   M20 0:26:54  0:24:30   91.08%
4   Robert  Chasen    Weymouth, MA      TVF   M40 0:27:55  0:24:30   87.76%
5   John    Friedman  Cambridge, MA           M20 0:28:06  0:24:30   87.19%
6   Mark    Selwyn    Newton, MA              M20 0:28:30  0:24:30   85.96%
7   Charlie Gunn      Henniker, NH            M40 0:28:57  0:24:30   84.63%
8   Tim     Blouin    Templeton, MA     NMC   M40 0:29:03  0:24:30   84.34%
9   Joe     Kelley    Pembroke, MA            M40 0:29:08  0:24:30   84.10%
10  Bob     Johnson   Leominster, MA    NMC   M40 0:29:19  0:24:30   83.57%
12  Robert  Molnar    Bradford, MA      CMS   M20 0:30:09  0:24:30   81.26%
17  Tom     Leonard   Marlborough, MA         M40 0:30:55  0:24:30   79.25%
21  Nick    Paquette  Portsmith, NH     CAA   M20 0:31:20  0:24:30   78.19%
29  David   Wickman   Jefferson, MA     CMS   M20 0:31:48  0:24:30   77.04%
32  Randy   Rheault   Oxford, MA        CMS   M20 0:31:57  0:24:30   76.68%
41  Dave    Birse     Hancock, NH             M40 0:32:38  0:24:30   75.08%
56  Tom     Bockus    Athol, mA         CMS   M40 0:34:02  0:24:30   71.99%
65  Jeff    Alder     Harvard, MA      IATC   M40 0:34:43  0:24:30   70.57%
81  Dan     Wagner    Sterling, MA      CMS   M40 0:35:35  0:24:30   68.85%
82  Pat     McCormick Rutland, MA       CMS   M40 0:35:40  0:24:30   68.69%
86  Kevin   Fallon    Worcester, MA     CMS   M20 0:35:56  0:24:30   68.18%
90  Vincent Rivard    Leominster, MA    NMC   M50 0:36:04  0:24:30   67.93%
124 Darlene Murray    Sterling, MA    NMC/CMS F40 0:38:51  0:24:30   63.06%
130 Ray     Boutotte  Pepperell, MA     CMS   M50 0:39:11  0:24:30   62.53%
131 Ken     Deary     Dudley, MA        CMS   M40 0:39:13  0:24:30   62.47%
141 John    Bakstran  Northboro, MA     CMS   M40 0:40:26  0:24:30   60.59%
146 John    Armstrong Worcester, MA           M20 0:40:52  0:24:30   59.95%
157 Michael Sullivan  Sterling, MA      CMS   M40 0:42:25  0:24:30   57.76%
159 Paul    McDermott Fitchburg, MA     CMS   M60 0:42:30  0:24:30   57.65%
166 Ethan   Leininger Westminster, MA   CMS   M19 0:43:16  0:24:30   56.63%
169 Bill    Haskell   Sterling, MA      CMS   M50 0:43:35  0:24:30   56.21%
175 Jim     Maloney   Woonsocket, RI    CMS   M40 0:44:41  0:24:30   54.83%
181 Keith   Leininger Westminster, MA   CMS   M50 0:45:30  0:24:30   53.85
192 Jim     Conley    Worcester, MA     CMS   M40 0:48:40  0:24:30   50.34%
203 Dan     Lavoie    N. Oxford, MA     CMS   M40 0:53:02  0:24:30   46.20%