photo by Green Mountain Athletic Association
Donna Smyers won the F60-69 age group at Kaynor’s Sap Run with a 10k time of 53:09. The Adamant physical therapist is gearing up for the 127th Boston Marathon on Monday.
BURLINGTON ‒ Four Hardwick-area runners took on the 17th Annual Unplugged Half Marathon on April 8. Andrew Gilbert, Tim Hogeboom, Cathy Dupont, and Elizabeth McCarthy were among 695 athletes pacing 13.1 miles on a crisp early spring day. The point-to-point, no-frills race started at Airport Park in Colchester and finished on Flynn Avenue in Burlington.
Gilbert, 61, went the distance in 1:47:06 after recovering from “a wicked calf cramp at mile 8.” The Hardwick ultramarathoner placed third in the M60-69 age group.
Hogeboom, 71, captured second in the M70-79 age group with a 2:02:06 effort. Twinfield cross country coach Cathy Dupont, 58, finished in 2:20:53. Elizabeth McCarthy, 70, was the sole F70-79 entrant. Her age group winning time was 2:23:35.
“It was hard running on pavement,” McCarthy commented. “Not as comfortable as the soft packed snow we’ve run on.
Next on the schedule for area runners is the Paul Mailman Ten Miler and 5k, on Saturday, April 15. The races begin and end at the Vermont Department of Labor building in Montpelier. The event is coordinated by Central Vermont Runners. Online preregistration is encouraged. Race details are available at cvrunners.org.
photo by Green Mountain Athletic Association
Rose Modry, from Greensboro, was the fastest local finisher at Kaynor’s Sap Run on April 1. Modry completed the 10k race in 47:56. The Genny Tenny 10-miler on May 6 is next on her race schedule.
No Fooling Around at Sap Run
WESTFORD – Ninety hardy, but not foolish, runners turned out April 1 for the 42nd edition of Kaynor’s Sap Run. With snow overnight, morning rain, and balmy spring temperatures in the afternoon, the forecast kept runners guessing. A few optimistic souls shivered at the starting line in shorts and singlets, while the cautious donned long-sleeved shirts, gloves, and tights.
Temperatures reached the 40s by the 11 a.m. start and continued to rise during the 10k race.
Runners warmed up quickly on the hilly, out-and-back, rural dirt roads course.
“The conditions were relatively good, with slush for a quarter mile each way from the prior night’s snowfall,” said Donna Smyers of Adamant. “At least the cold rain stopped well before we ran and it started to warm up. Some wet sections and potholes, but as dirt roads go in April in Vermont, over all pretty good.”
Smyers, 65, raced to victory in the F60-69 age group. She finished the 10k course in 53:09 to place 39th overall. The 127th Boston Marathon is the next station on Smyers’ whistlestop spring race schedule. Held on Patriots Day, April 17, Smyers will join nearly 30,000 athletes on the storied marathon route from Hopkinton to Boylston Street.
Greensboro’s Rose Modry, 43, was the fastest local athlete at Kaynor’s Sap Run. Modry finished 28th overall, in 47:56. She placed sixth in the highly competitive F40-49 age group.
Kasie Enman, 43, from Huntington, won the women’s division in 38:30. Lindsay Simpson, 45, from Jericho, came in two places ahead of Modry, in 46:34. John Stanton-Geddes, 41, from Burlington, was the men’s division winner, in 35:35.
“It was a fun, challenging first race of the season and a good test of spring fitness,” said Modry. “I like that it’s an entirely dirt-road course. It was muddy but not really sloppy. I enjoyed catching up with Kasie Enman and Lindsay Simpson. We ran cross country and track together at Middlebury College, so I always appreciate getting to race with those fast friends.”
Modry, whose maiden name was Nash, grew up in Marshfield. Dave Morse, the Hardwick Gazette’s late sportswriter, covered her running career at Twinfield Union High School, Middlebury College, and as a cross country and track field coach at Hazen Union.
Morse reported that Nash began running as an eighth-grader at Twinfield under the coaching of Rod Davis, a veteran marathoner. She was a standout cross country and track and field runner for the Trojans, graduating in 1997 and entering Middlebury College.
Nash excelled at Middlebury on the Panthers’ nationally ranked women’s cross country team. She joined the Hazen Union teaching staff in 2002. Her Middlebury College teammate, Lindsay Simpson, signed on as a Hazen Union teacher in 2003.
When Hardwick Trails opened in the fall of 2003, Nash launched Hazen Union’s first cross country squad. Track and field followed in the spring, with Nash as the Wildcats’ trail-blazing coach. Over the past two decades, the Hazen Union program Nash founded, and succeeding coaches continued, produced dozens of outstanding athletes and several state champions.
Rose (Nash) Modry is still running two decades later, balancing her career as an English teacher at Danville High School with being a mom. The Genny Tenny, on May 6, is next up on Modry’s race calendar. The point-to-point, ten-mile course runs from the Craftsbury General Store to the Albany General Store. A 5k option is also available. Race details are at craftsbury.com.
Double Dirt Challenge – May 6 & 7
ADAMANT — The Adamant Half Marathon and Half Marathon Relay is slated for Sunday, May 7, in Adamant Village. The back-roads event is part of the Central Vermont Runners Race Series. The hilly figure-eight course includes scenic vistas, ponds, and waterfalls.
Registration information is posted at cvrunners.org. The entry fee includes an after-race meal of hearty soups and bread. Start time is 10 a.m. An early 9:30 a.m. start is available for runners who expect to complete the 13.1-mile race at a 12-minute per mile or slower pace.
Central Vermont Runners and the Craftsbury Outdoor Center are teaming up this year to offer the Double Dirt Challenge. Runners who complete the Genny Tenny ten-miler on May 6, along with the Adamant Half Marathon on May 7, will receive a special award. Double Dirt discounts are available for runners who dual register for the Challenge at craftsbury.com and at cvrunners.org.
