Gate City Striders
http://www.gatecity.org/gcs_Big_Med/bm/Competition/negp/gate-city-conquers-the-hill-of-tears.shtmlGate City Conquers the "Hill of Tears"
We had 28 GCS runners make the trek over to Shelburne Falls, MA for the 6th New England Grand Prix Race of the year. Check out how well they did!
The Bridge of Flowers Classic was conceived in 1979 as part of the Buckland Bicentennial. The foot race has remained on the same course since that first competition except for a few alterations. The first 2 mile loop of this course is mostly shaded & flat that starts in the center of the village on the Iron Bridge next to the Bridge of Flowers and runs through the downtown area. After the start of the second loop (mile 2) you hit Crittenden Hill which is as steep as Mount Washington in sections. It starts as a paved surface but quickly turns to a dirt country lane. Fortunately the so called “Hill of Tears” is followed by some nicely shaded flats and downhills for 4 miles on pavement to the finish line on Bridge Street.
In the early years of the race, the runners actually ran across the Bridge of Flowers. However, in 1980 the Bridge was rehabilitated and the course was slightly altered & with construction around the Elementary School, the course once again altered in 1997. What has not changed is the beauty & charm of the village and the warm & friendly people of Shelburne Falls. This year’s race was the sixth race in the New England Grand Prix Series and it was another great day of running and team camaraderie for the GCS-Triad Racing Team
We had 28 GCS runners make the trek over to Shelburne Falls on August 14th for this classic summer-time New England race. Our Mens Open team finished 8th overall, Our Mens Seniors & Womens Open finished 5th, Our Mens Masters & Womens Masters finished 4th. And Our Mens Veterans Team took home the New England Grand Prix 10k Championship trophy with their First Place finish!
Individually, Rich Smith & Karen Pattelena finished 4th in their respective 40-44 age groups. Karen also finished 17th female overall! Rich Galera finished 2nd in his 55-59 age group while Joe Noonan finished 2nd in his 65-59 age group. And, both Joe Donnelley & Milt Schumacher were 10k Champions by winning their 40-49 & 65-69 age groups respectively! Congrats to all!
Complete results can be found on Coolrunning here. And, photos of the race can be found here.
Our next NEGP race is the PRMH Classic 5k on Oct 3rd in Providence RI. This event is a Women Only Race on a certified, flat and fast 5k course. It’s run through the scenic and historic East Side of Providence and finishing in Olympic style on the Brown University Track. Proceeds for this race go to the Ronald McDonald House of Providence which improves the health and well-being of hospitalized children and their families.
Also, this race is directed by one of our “Southern Striders” and Providence, Rhode Island native – Brad Johnson. Brad’s looking for 3-5 people who would volunteer to help him on the course. Volunteers could also see the start before reporting to their place. Please let me know if you are able to run this great Grand Prix race. Just e-mail Michael Wade with your info (including USATF#) and he’ll get you all signed up. And, if you can bring someone along who might be able to help Brad out please let me know that as well.