This morning Mr. P and I roused ourselves at 6:30am and stumbled/drove to Gloucester for the 4.1-mile Ravenswood Trail Race. Trail running is our new thing; it’s the perfect activity for avid hikers who enjoy occasional gusts of speed but grow weary of asphalt’s monotonous cuddling. We trained a few times this summer in the Middlesex Fells, plus we incorporated trots into our mountain descents, plus there was that whole lung-conditioning Inca Trail/Machu Picchu thing, but this was our first trail running race and we weren’t sure what to expect.
The low-key, casual, friendly race organizers as well as the $10 entry fee was a welcome departure from the pricey running events involving timing chips, sponsors, and a crush of participants at the starting line. The ~140 participants simply gathered in the woods, lined up based on a quick visual assessment of where each person determined that they belonged, and then someone at the front shouted “Go!” We were off, running through the beautiful autumn woods in cool sunshine.
The Ravenswood race course alternated between rough woodsy terrain and wide dirt roads. One big difference between a road race and a trail race is that it’s much trickier to pass someone on a narrow, uneven, sometimes steep dirt path pocked with rocks and roots. This is unfortunate for me, because my main advantage in a trail running race is my technical prowess on rugged earth, not my lackluster lumbering speed. I would pass people as I solidly bounded up and down the trail, and then they would pass me on the expansive pine needle-covered access roads. All-in-all, it was a tough but invigorating 4.1 miles. I finished in 93rd place (about 46 minutes) and Mr. P in 54th place (40 minutes) out of 143 runners– not bad for a couple of novices.
After the race, there was a wonderful smorgasbord of baked goods provided by the sponsoring running club as well as an impressive raffle featuring free Montrail running shoes, $50 gift certificates, packages of Yodels and Yoo-hoo, socks, and a plastic running trophy that plays “Chariots of Fire.” Sadly, Mr. P and I won nothing, not even the garish scarecrow mile-markers from the race, but overall it was one of the best races I’ve ever run in with a great post-race vibe. I loved it from the moment that some guy shouted “Go!”
