Thetford Invitational
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On Saturday the team travelled to Thetford Vermont, site of the Thetford Trail Run. Thetford is to Vermont as Derryfield is to New Hampshire, and is a famously challenging course, home to Vermont’s State Meets as well as the New England Championships when they are held in Vermont. With it’s unique schedule of races, funky music, wonky t-shirts, and affordable food (free for coaches and bus drivers!) it is high on everyone’s favorite race lists.
Our day started early, with a 7 am bus departure. It rained a bit on our drive up and on the drive home, but other than a brief sprinkle during the course walk the day stayed surprisingly dry (and warm). We skipped the yurt on this years course walk, but did pay a visit to the trojan horse! Paying us a visit were several alumni - Ryan, Anna, Emmaleigh, and Sam, all from the class of ‘23; and current New Balance professional athlete Kristie from the class of ‘17. It is so great to have these reunions!
The races are broken up into 5 sections, based on predicted time. We had runners in the Seed 5, Seed 4, and Seed 3 races. Up first in Seed 5 was Eliza, Lydia, Nicole, Reagan, and Emily. Emily quickly demonstrated that she was there to RACE, going right to the lead pack and never backing down, eventually crossing the line in 6th, with a time that was almost a PR and earning the first ribbon of the day, given to the first 15 runners in each race. Reagan and Nicole were in the hunt for the first two miles for a top-15 finish, but Morty the Monster took his toll over the final mile. Nicole did squeak under the 30-minute mark by a whopping 4/1000ths of a second, finishing in 25th place. Reagan had a great first race back from injury, finishing just behind in 28th. Eliza ran a very smartly-paced race, finishing 51st of the 92 runners, while Lydia conquered the course a defeated 20 racers in the process.
Seed 4 had Kendra, Tessa, Kiera, and Sydney lining up. With reigning Seed 4 champion Maddy moving up to Seed 3 a new champion needed to be crowned. After a visit to Keira and Tessa the goats, the human Keira, Tessa, and the others were more than ready to go. 1/3rd of mile into the race Sydney had already taken the lead with confidence, with Keira and Kendra not far back in a chase group. A mile into the course it was a two-girl race with Sydney and another girl, while Keira had worked her way up into the top 10. A mile later, just before Morty’s Monster, Sydney had taken charge and was all alone in first. She had the look of a champion in her eyes. Keira was looking great in 6th, but the question of course was…the hill? Would she survive? The highlight of the day happened shortly after, as Sydney became the second MV winner of Seed 4 in the last 2 years, breaking the tape just over 24 minutes and earning a gold medal. Keira, meanwhile, did survive the hill, coming into view of the finish still in 6th and cranking out an awesome kick to snag 5th, good for the third award on the day. Kendra and Tessa each had a bit of a rough go of things, but survived to race another day. Their ability to keep going in the face of difficulties is a testament to their fortitude!
Lily (2nd), Emily (6th), Maddy (13th), Keira (5th), and Sydney (1st) show of their hardware
The Seed 3 race was our last race of the day, with Lily and Maddy representing the Pride. Lily had fire in her eyes, and was intent on taming Morty, who gave her some difficulties last year. After a good start in the top 10, Lily moved into solo 2nd and managed to stay there the whole way, earning our 4th award and second medal on the day. Maddy, defending Seed 4 champ, ran a strong race despite feeling a little less than perfect. Flirting with the top 15 the whole race, she eventually came out the woods in 14th and outkicked (and outleaned) the next girl to snag 13th place and our 5th and final award.
The famous “Thetford Roll-Off” wrapped up the day for us, with the whole team rolling down a grassy hill then sprinting across a soccer field. Three-time winner Sam was present but not eligible to roll. Pre-roll favorite Keira showed why she was the favorite, crushing field to take her first win.