Let there be no doubt about it. The Merrimack Valley has got to be the running capital of the country for masters runners.
Even without all of the accomplishments of Craig Fram of Plaistow, N.H., who regularly breaks masters records in track and captures New England Grand Prix titles as easily as he purchases a movie ticket, it's pretty clear cut.
That was reinforced earlier in the month when Bradford's Dave Dunham and Dan Verrington, Jim Johnson of Salem, N.H., and Judge Jones of Pelham, N.H., went out to Oregon to compete in the USA Trail Marathon championships.
Not only did the foursome capture the masters team title but they also won the open team crown as well.
Johnson, 32, led the way, finishing fifth overall in 2:56:57 for the 26.2 miles, Verrington was 10th in 3:03:10, Dunham came in 16th at 3:09:36 while the 59-year-old Jones was 59th in 3:48:39.
Those times are quite remarkable because, as a trail run, the course is far from flat and has all sorts of obstacles on it. Moreover, Dunham was running on the heels of several injuries that had severely curtailed his training and Johnson suffered from some serious leg problems during the race. He and Jones also came in second individually in their age group and Verrington, 47, was first in the 45-49 division.
This was the second national title of the year for the local foursome as they captured the team gold back in June for the USA Mountain Racing championship at Cranmore Mountain in North Conway, N.H.
For Jones, this marked the fourth kind of national title he's won with a team or as an individual. He's also won titles in swimming, a triathlon and a duathlon.
Two weeks after the Trail Marathon title, Dunham was named the USA men's mountain master runner of the year. He was first masters in seven races and was the masters USATF NE Mountain running series champion.
Unique Mill Cities relay
One of the most unique running events in the country gets underway at 8 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, with the Mill Cities Relay.
It's 27.1 miles, run in five legs of different distances (5.6, 4.75, 2.5, 9.5 and 4.75 miles) with the region's running clubs competing against each other. It begins at the Nashua YMCA, follows Merrimack River through Lowell and finishes in Lawrence at the Claddagh Pub.
Each relay team consists of five runners except the female seniors, female veterans, coed veterans and ancients, all of which consists of three runners.
It's a great way to cap off the road racing season and it promotes tremendous camaraderie. The top three running clubs overall are presented with awards. Last year, the Gate City Striders placed first.
Also, following the race, the annual Phil Quinn Award is presented to a runner from one of the clubs who contributes to the sport.
Past winners include Haverhill's Dave LaBrode of the Andover Striders, Sharon Yu and Charlie Farrington of the Merrimack Valley Striders and Bob Manning and Mike McCormick of the Winners Circle Running Club.
Catoggio shines in half-marathon
Former Haverhill High stalwart Tim Catoggio, from Bradford, currently living in South Boston, had a strong race at the BAA Half-Marathon in mid-October. He finished 23rd out of nearly 4,000 runners.
Odds and ends
If you wake up today looking for a race, there are few better than the 6K Cross Country race at the Andover Country Club. Any race put on by Dave LaBrode is run efficiently and is enjoyable. ... Race director Roy Dennehy reports that next year's Larry Robinson road races in Andover, in its 10th year, will be the last one. Among other reasons, he cites difficulty in getting volunteers to help.
Friday's Gabe's Run in South Hamilton, which is run in memory of former Hamilton-Wenham star Gabe Paccione, drew 596 runners. ... While the Feaster Five in Andover is the big race in the region, the Derry Turkey Trot 5K in Derry, N.H., is worth noting. It had 1,310 finishers. Pinkerton girls cross country coach Amy Bernard was the third female finisher.
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