July 30: Dashing madly in Madbury (#123)

This morning it was out to Madbury, N.H. (about an hour's drive to the east) to bag this quiet Rockingham County town by running in a 5K-or-so trail race. Today's conditions: Relatively dry, hot in the sun, nice in the shade, with intermittent breezes to keep things reasonable rather than roastable. A great day for a race, considering what's possible for July in New Hampshire. (How often do I look at the weather map this time of year and find it's warmer here than in Miami?)

Going in, all I knew about Madbury is that it's home to one of our U.S. Senators, Jeanne Shaheen, and that the town is shaped like a thin slice of birthday cake. I've already run races in all the towns around it, but none had been held in Madbury - until today's trail race on the town-owned Kingman Farm property, which is across the road from the town's elementary school, where they've painted their own rendition of the town hall.

And the reason for the race is Chris Dunn and "Acidotic Racing," an adventure/endurance group (motto: Dare Mighty Things) that he started with his brother James in 2001. From the looks of the Web site, they organize a lot of wild events all over the place, including participation in the "New England Dirt Cup," a regional trail race competition. And they raise money for a lot of good causes.

I was surprised to see their members include a guy from my current hometown of Bedford, N.H. and also people from my original hometown of Nashua, N.H. Pictures show members running in snowshoes and across mountain ridgetops and biking in the fog and scaling sheer rock walls and one guy actually leaping a series of burning logs! Well, maybe someday. :)

Today's trail run (sponsored by GoLite Footwear!) seemed rather tame in comparison, but it attracted the faithful, as a very-much-fitter-than-the-usual-5K-road-race crowd was on hand. It being race day, I didn't expect much of a chance to speak to organizer Chris Dunn, but right off the bat I encountered his cheerful and energetic dad, who told me where I should park (around by the dumpsters near the school) and encouraged me to take advantage of the "brand spanking new" port-o-potty on hand, because I'd probably be only the 15th person ever to use it. (I did and it was pretty nice, for a portable toilet.)

One piece of great news about Madbury's Kingman Farm trail race: the entry fee was a "economy-friendly" $10, which came as welcome relief after seeing fees in some cases hitting $30 this year. Thanks! Proceeds were to go to the "Friends of the Earth, Sea, & Space Museum."

One bad piece of news, at least for me with my history of turning ankles, is that, yes, it was entirely a backwoods trail race. But that really means I just have to pay extra careful attention about where my feet fall from start to finish and not get too ambitious in terms of pace or whatever. Luckily, the trails that made up the course were all pretty well groomed.

About 75 people showed, which Chris Dunn told us all was way more than he expected, but it all went off without a hitch. I parked myself near the back (as usual) and off we went to a cowbell starting signal. Surprisingly, I found I had put myself too far back, and began passing folks when the trail allowed. We circled clockwise through shady forest, sometimes on paths and other times on old farm roads, down at first but then grinding up a long hill to emerge in open and working farmland. The corn wasn't quite as high as an elephant's eye (with apologies to Oscar Hammerstein), but it seemed to be coming along well enough.

(The photos here, including one of me, were taken by Steve Wolfe. At that point, I began to hear this horrible bird-like squawking coming from up ahead. Not sure what was going on, I began to feel like a cast member of Alfred Hitchcock's film 'The Birds.' What it was, I found, was the latest scarecrow replacement technology: automated recorded bird screeching triggered by motion, including passing runners, apparently. The real concern here, though, was that it was a long stretch to be in the sun, which is still pretty high in the sky this time of day in Thermador, as Napoleon would have called it.

But I made it back into the woods, entering a dizzying series of switchbacks that took the course up and over a large hill. Weird to see people running in other directions in the forest above and below you! I played tag with a pair of young men, who tended to fall behind on the uphills but powered by me on the downhills.

I had just said "Go for it!" to one of them as he passed me when he tripped on a log and took a classic tumble in the dirt. He wasn't hurt, but the excitement (and the finish line and cowbell looming somewhere below) prompted me to pour it on in the final switchbacks, flying over rocks and turns -- not the smartest thing for me to do, but I somehow survived.

One nice thing about the race was that in the middle of it, I got to hear the horn of Amtrak's Downeaster passenger train, which connects Boston with Portland, Maine. The line runs right through Madbury, and so it was nice to hear the train's flatulent toot echo through the woods as it sped through town while the race was in progress.

Finished in about 39 minutes, 49 out of 75 (Official result: 39:50, 48 out of 74) and was curious to see Chris Dunn's homemade "old school" results board -- something you see less and less of in this age of computerized results. Nice to see the old ways being kept alive! Afterwards, I did get a chance to say hi to Chris and tell him about this adventure, but couldn't stay for the awards and prizes because I had to hightail it back home.

Chris and all the organizers, thanks for a great race!

Marlow (#122) 5K: Happy 250th Birthday!

It was the biggest birthday cake I've seen all year. Unfortunately, it was made of plywood. But there it was, as big as a hot tub turned inside out, sitting on a wagon and waiting to be pulled by a tractor in the parade honoring the 250th birthday of Marlow, N.H., population about 750.

But first there was a 5K road race to run -- a rare one-time-only event, presumably, in a town I never expected to get. So I hauled myself the 90 minutes up to Marlow to bag it.

Marlow is another one of those towns I used to write about while working as a local news reporter in this part of the state. My big hurrah, I remember, was reporting the 50th anniversary of the Great Marlow Forest Fire of 1941, which started in Marlow and burned most of three towns, but miraculously missed Marlow's historic village area. (It's pictured above.)

Speaking of pictures, dopey me forgot to bring the camera today, which was too bad. Not only was there an over-sized plywood cake to photograph, but all sorts of other interesting things, too. How many chances will I have to get so close to an antique hand-operated road-grader?

Marlow is a classic New Hampshire upland rural town in that its history follows a common pattern: established just prior to the Revolution, most of it soon cleared as farmland or pastures, then steady population growth until the Civil War; after that, a slow decline as farms were gradually abandoned for better land beyond New England. Bypassed by the railroad, Marlow developed little real industry, so the population continued to shrink right through the Great Depression. Things finally started perking up after World War II, when better roads put the town within commuting distance of the bustling county seat -- in this case, Keene, N.H.

Marlow's history has one really unusual twist. In 1982, it was the birthplace of PC Connection, Inc., a mail-order computer supply business. The company grew like a weed -- so much so that new phone lines had to be run to the town to handle all the calls coming in.

Soon PC Connection moved into a dilapidated mansion, which the company renovated, restored, and eventually rechristened the Christmas Trees Inn, giving the community a highly visible showpiece (instead of an eyesore) right on Route 10, the main road into town.

PC Connection did right by Marlow, even building homes so employees could there, but it eventually had to move to larger (and less remote) facilities, on its way to becoming a $2 billion company. The inn is still used as a conference center, though it sports a prominent 'Christmas Tree Inn' sign. To prevent confusion, a permanent NO VACANCY sign has been added, which lends a strange aura to it. Not as blatant as KEEP AWAY!, but carries the same feeling.

It's not the only building in Marlow that sports an unusual sign. Jones Hall, where we registered for the road race, carries this placard: BUILT 1792, MOVED 1845, ALTERED 1892, GIVEN 1908.

While waiting for the start, I explored Marlow's impressive war monument, which anchors a triangle-shaped park in front of Jones Hall. Dating from the 'World War' of 1914-18 (no one expected a second one at the time), it features a lifesize doughboy atop a large pedestal, on which are carved names of all Marlow residents who answered their nation's call.

The monument's roll call actually provides a rough snapshot of the town's declining fortunes. A total of 50 names are listed as Revolutionary War veterans (including my favorite, Zebidee Whittemore); then 19 in the War of 1812. This is followed by 44 for the Civil War, then just eight for World War I. (No mention is made of the Spanish-American War.) A plaque added later lists 39 residents as World War II veterans.

What about the road race? A nice and mostly level 5K, including a loop right through a historic cemetery, which if nothing else serves as a good reminder of where we're all headed -- the ultimate finish line. Entrance fee: just $10, yay! Small field, about two dozen runners, plus about same number of walkers. Warm and humid, though not nearly as bad as what we've had recently (temps of 100+) in this part of the world.

Felt tired during warm-up run, and draggy for first half of the race. Not sure why, but the weather is a factor for sure. Sun and humidity slow me down. Even so, surprised to finish in my best 5K time so far this season, breaking the 30-minute barrier. Completed in 29:27. No idea about placement but at least I know I wasn't last.

Had to leave before other town birthday activities took place, including the parade with the birthday cake. My favorite on the schedule: the "town picture" scheduled for 1:15 p.m. at Jones Hall. Say cheese, Marlow!

Ossipee (#121) 10K: once again, not last!

Drove about two hours north and east today to run in a 10K in the town of Ossipee, a town just south of the White Mountains and close to the Maine border. Town #121, and it wasn't one of the easier ones.

Why? Because it's mid-July, the start of the hottest time of year in this part of the world, and today's run had a relatively late start of 10 a.m., meaning we'd be out on the roads when the sun was at its strongest. A cloud-free morning and a lack of shade along portions of the course helped heat things up. Good thing the finish line was at a church, because I might have needed it.

And who knows what I was thinking this morning when I left the house without sunscreen and wearing a dark blue moisture-wicking shirt -- one that would absorb the heat -- rather than a white one, which would deflect it. Well, at least it wasn't humid, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

Very small turnout for this one, which was a benefit for the town's Main Street revitalization efforts. Kudos for the relatively reasonable $18 registration fee, but I hope they cleared enough for the event to be worthwhile. Exactly 12 people registered for the 10K, and I think about two dozen were in the 5K.

With such a small field, there's always a chance that I might be the odd man out in a field of otherwise elite runners. This time, however, it was mostly just plain folks, and I came in 8 out of 12, with a time of 1:02:08. That's close to a 10:00 minute mile pace, which is pretty good for a hot day with lots of ups and downs, though I was disappointed to once again not break the one-hour barrier.

I arrived at 9:30 a.m., and glad I did because the 10K started at 9:45 a.m., not the advertised 0 a.m. The few of us brave enough to do a mid-summer 10K lined up, and the next thing I knew, an airhorn was blown and off we went. Course was basically a loop that took us out into backwoods Ossipee, out southwest of town, then back to town center to the finish line in a church parking lot.

Once again, a longer race (6.2 miles) didn't seem as long as it might have. Seemed like we reached Mile 3 before we knew it. The course between Mile 4 and Mile 5 was the only tedious section, with ups and downs and some sun exposure that was really starting to get to me. Nicely paved roads, but not much to look at, though at one point we went by a charred mobile home, the remains of which were choking on mounds of half-burned debris.

I had been just ahead of a woman most of the race, and then we both passed a guy who was clearly slowing down, so as we progressed I felt assured that at least I wouldn't be last. The last mile, mostly in the sun as we headed downhill and back into town, I was able to push myself so that I finished more than a minute ahead of the woman. Still, a tough race and, by virtue of its mid-day time in mid-summer, one of the hottest races I've done.

The only two I can think of that compare to it are a blastingly hot races in Keene on July 4 about 10 years ago, and the pavement-meltingly hot 5K race at the NASCAR track in Loudon at about the same time. And there have been a few CIGNA 5K races in Manchester that have taken place in sweltering heat, but they're evening races (in August), and the sun is usually low enough for its impact to be mitigated.

Missed a race in Langdon today, but hope to pick up the Monadnock Region town of Marlow next week (Saturday, July 23), where they're celebrating the town's 250th birthday. See you on the road!

Some unusual towns coming up

Update on running. So far it's been a good season. Bagged seven new communities since April, which takes me up to #120 out of 234 total. And many more possibilities starting in mid-July -- something like a dozen that I may be able to get in 2011.

I'm especially impressed with the number of one-shot races this year in the state's picturesque southwest corner. It's a place filled with sleepy small communities that often claim fewer residents today than before the Civil War, when they were in their agricultural heyday, or hayday.

Let's see: on Saturday, July 16, there's a 5K race in Langdon, N.H., a small community where as a reporter I once covered the doings of the Fall Mountain Regional High School. The school, which served five communities, was in Langdon, and so is the road race. I once profiled the community for the Keene Sentinel, and one thing I remember was that Langdon didn't get electric lines until the 1940s. Wow!

And then the tiny town of Marlow on Saturday, July 23 to celebrate the town's 250th anniversary. Marlow is locally famous as the starting point of a spectacular forest fire in 1941, one which miraculously missed the village itself, going around either side before continuing on through three towns. It's also as the birthplace in 1982 of PC Connection, Inc. a computer sales company that has since become a Fortune 1000 company with annual sales topping $2 billion. (And for which I worked for four years, from 2000 to 2004.)

And then on Saturday, Aug. 13, there's a 5K in the even tinier town of Richmond. It's being put on by Camp Wiyaka, which sounds good to me. (It's a YMCA camp celebrating its 90th season this summer.) Richmond is where, after graduating from college in 1986, I almost bought 48 acres of long-abandoned farmland for $15,000. On the property was were several cellar holes, a few derelict family cemeteries ("Here Lies Caliph, 1810-1836), a full-size beaver dam, and an abandoned school bus which a few years earlier had been the scene of a murder! The lot was pretty useless; no building permit could be issued because the lot did not front a town-maintained road. But still, the plan was to build a cabin where I could work on some writing. (Not as economical as, say, roistering in Istanbul and living like a prince for $10 a day, the going rate then, but I digress.) Anyway, the sale didn't go through, so neither the cabin nor the writing has happened. But here I am, getting ready to run through the town!

And, perhaps oddest of all, there's a 5K race in Lempster on Saturday, Oct. 8. What's unusual is that it apparently takes place on a wind farm: a series of giant propellor-driven turbines arrayed on a ridgetop. Just learned of this one, but that time of year the foliage should be beautiful.