Runners go the extra mile at Lynn Woods

LYNN – It was the night of the longest run at the Lynn Woods Summer Cross Country Races, and for some, the course took an unexpected twist.View Photo GalleryPaul Gouthro of Lynn, who was running the extra-long run of 10.4 miles as preparation for the Marine Corps Marathon, said that his route ended up close to 11 miles.The reason? A wrong turn at Walden Pond.”We ended up on the right side (of the pond),” Gouthro said. “Whoever was leading us continued on a single-track trail.”This errant turn added a half-mile to the run, Gouthro said, noting that his Garmin on his wrist helped calculate the distance.However, he still enjoyed the run, and thanked race director Bill Mullen and assistant Joe Abelon for “another good job.”Mullen said that “several people said they either took a wrong turn or missed a turn at the first little loop on the right side of the pond. I’m not sure what happened.”He added that for other runners, the course ended up being “a little longer than 10.4 miles.” However, he said, “They didn’t seem too upset.”Greg Esbitt of Salem won the extra-long run in 1:09.22, followed by Chris Smith of Woburn (1:10.23) and Chris Carmody of Lynn (1:19.32).Underscoring its distance, the near-half-marathon began at 6 p.m., a half-hour before the normal starting time of 6:30 p.m. for the Wednesday-night races. Thirty people signed up.”There’s a little bit of mud,” Mullen said. “We had so much rain. They’re certainly not impossible conditions. Part of the course is 7.7 miles. The roads are in good shape. It’s the Woods in the summer.”This is a top-10 day of the summer. It’s sunny, pleasant, low humidity. We’re lucky to be here today.”Gouthro called the Woods race “challenging” for several reasons.”The terrain was challenging, because of the roots and rocks,” Gouthro said. “Not just on single-track but the main roads. It was challenging physically, but also challenging on elevation.”He added, “You might think the downhills are easy, but some of the downhills are extremely challenging. Downhills can tear up your legs just as easily as uphills.”Mullen, meanwhile, said that mapping out a course for the Woods races poses challenges of its own.”What I try to do is, a) make it interesting and b) try to find it laid out in such a way that no one will get themselves too badly lost,” he said. “It’s not always successful. It takes longer to mark than to actually run.”Runners who might shy away from double-digit mileage in the Woods could try the 7.7-mile long run as an alternative.”It’s sort of a tradition, and by that I mean five, six years old,” Mullen said, “to have the longest long run of the year on the day closest to the longest day of the year. We turn the page and it’s fully summer in a couple days.”The 7.7-mile race is as close to that day as possible. It maximizes daylight time. Three years ago, (we added an) additional option of an extra-long run.”While Gouthro’s extra-long run ended up being a little extra longer, he sounded satisfied.”If it wasn’t for (Mullen and Abelon), we wouldn’t have regular runs and Wednesday-night fun,” he said.NOTES: Top finishers for the 7.7-mile race included winner Jerzy Eisenberg, West Somerville, 47:46; Jim Pawlicki of Lynn, 51:48; and John Bowser of Revere, 53:38. In the short (2.49-mile) race, the winner was Brendan Reen of Swampscott, 16:32, followed by Thomas Mackin of Lynn, 16:39, and Shea Reny of Swampscott and Jack Simpson of Lynn, both in 16:56. Top finishers for the 1.59-mile Kids Race were winner Matthew Brown of Nahant, 11:52, followed by Jack Gilmore of Topsfield, 12:16, and Thomas Frisoli of Nahant, 12:57, and Katherine Clancy of Lynn, 12:58. Top finishers in the Pee Wee Quarter Mile Race were Brett O’Brien of Lynn (2:10), Juan Imul of Lynn (2:15) and Sophian O’Brien of Lynn (2:20). ? Ward 1 City Council candidate Deb Plunkett made a pre-race appearance ? There were 324 finishers, a new record.Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].