Spring Forward 15k

The 10th running of Fleet Feet Sports Spring Forward 15k was held on April 1 at Mendon Ponds Park. Fortunately the predicted rain held off until the race was completed, though it was a cold day with temperatures hovering in the 30's.

The rolling, hilly course is always a challenge, but another participant record was set with 562 finishers, 296 of whom were female. Tim Chichester won the race in 48:42, a 5:13 pace. Jennifer Bigham finished first among females in 56:53, a 6:06 pace and beating Trisha Byler by a narrow 13 seconds.

Sals runner Frank Quattrone won the 55-59 age group in 1:09:17, just 16 seconds ahead of second place. I finished 7th in the same age group, far back of Frank, in 1:14:55 (8:02/mile). But I was satisfied with my effort and time, especially being able to stay strong in the last 1.3 miles (7:30 pace). Jan was fifth in the 50-54 age group, 1:23:09 (8:55 pace). The three of us picked up RROY points and Frank is now in first place for his age group in the series! Jennifer K. ran a strong 1:13:36, 12/52 in a tough age group.

Another 175 people completed the 2.5 mile race. Parking was at a premium. Cars were strong out on the roads for a mile in either direction. YellowJacket Racing had timing result kiosks. Instead of posting paper results on the side of a truck runners went to a machine, punched in their race bib number and printed out personal results. In the future these results will also include age group placing instead of time and overall finish place. Sending a text after crossing the finish line was also a new option.