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The GMAA Green Mtn. Marathon in South Hero, VT and the Baystate Marathon in Lowell, MA both fall under the aegis of “by runners, for runners.”
The Green Mountain AA would have hosted its 50th event this Oct, the Greater Lowell Road Runners its 32nd. Green Mtn. cancelled and Baystate went virtual.
Eli Enman of the GMAA winning his 3rd Green Mountain Marathon title in 2010 when the event hit its peak with 416 finishers. Photo courtesy of Ellie Bouffard.
Green Mountain is vintage Vermont, run on 50% dirt roads along the west side of South Hero island, the out and back course has some rollers but isn’t overly strenuous as it passes farms and apple orchards while hugging the water.
Baystate was a USATF-NE GP Championship in both 2017 and 2018. Its fast, two-loop course is a well-known Boston qualifier. This is Lowell so you’ve got canals, bridges and bricks. Have at it!
(From the Jan’Feb 2020 issue of New England Runner)
O’Dea Carries the Day, Crushes Record at Baystate
The Ashworth Awards Baystate Marathon in Lowell is always a top destination for those looking to punch their ticket into the Boston Marathon; of the 1,113 marathoners who finished the 31st edition on Oct. 20, 302 qualified for Boston. The only other marathon that requires a qualifying standard rolls around every four years. For a pair of women, the 2:45:00 needed to take the line in Atlanta on Feb. 29, 2020 for the US Olympic Marathon Team Trials was achieved at Lowell.
Trials qualifier and Bay State Marathon women’s course record holder Jordan O’Dea of the Heartbreakers. Photo courtesy of Bay State Marathon
Former Dennis-Yarmouth and Northeastern ace Jordan O’Dea, 25, of Allston, passed halfway in 1:18:45 clear of the female competition and aware she was on trials qualifying pace. Then she hit a glitch at 20 miles, relaying to the Lowell Sun, “My IT-Band in my right leg kind of tightened up a bit, so miles 20 through 23 were a bit rough. But then it kind of let go, so the last three miles it was more like hanging on. So those last two miles were tough.”
Well not that tough…the Heartbreakers standout not only hit the trials standard, but managed to crush the women’s course record of 2:42:21 set by Vermont’s Megan Boucher just last year. O’Dea logged in at 2:39:00 to place 6th overall while becoming the first woman in the history of the race to break 2:40:00.
The BAA’s Katie Edwards, 28, of Cambridge, also had the trials standard in mind. The former U. of Minnesota runner won the 2017 New Bedford Marathon in 1:17:55 and was familiar to regional observers by her maiden name: Moraczewski. Now married and running a controlled, smart race she passed halfway in 1:21:37 and held on to clinch a trials qualifier by 8-seconds in 2:44:52.
Former URI runner Courtney Hawkins, 24, a 2012 Gatorade selection as top girls xc runner in NH while a junior at Milford, pulled in third at 2:56:17. Worcester’s Charlotte Walmsley, 25, in 2:59:31, and Duxbury’s Melanie Kennedy, 32, in 3:08:07 rounded out the top-5.
New Balance employees, pals and debut marathoners Byron Gartrell (L) and Bay State Marathon winner Andy McCann. Photo courtesy of Byron Gartrell
Men’s winner Andrew McCann, 31, of Atlanta, Georgia, took an entirely different path to the winner’s podium than O’Dea. Working for New Balance and running for the Western Mass Distance Project, McCann was running his debut along with fellow New Balance employee and debut marathoner Byron Gartrell, 37, of Hudson. “We talked a bit beforehand, but I’m not sure either of was entirely sure of what we were doing,” said Gartrell, who lost track of McCann after the start while hooking into his own group. “We were going faster than I would have liked, but I figured it was better going a little too fast with a group than running inconsistent by myself.”
A former runner at BC, Gartrell had taken time away from the sport as had McCann. A native of upstate NY who ran at UMass/Amherst, McCann drifted from the the sport after graduating in 2010. Once working for New Balance he got back into it last year. McCann wasn’t going for the win. When he reached halfway in 1:19:29 he was behind the women’s leader and seven other men, and a whopping 5-minutes-plus behind the leader.
However, the leader would blow up and place 7th, while the second runner through halfway—Tewksbury’s Brian Amaral, 25, in 1:16:08—wouldn’t lose his wheels, but he also wouldn’t post the huge negative split that McCann would. A former runner for Fitchburg State, Amaral would be caught at mile 25. McCann continued on for the win in 2:34:35 with Amaral second at 2:35:51. Boston’s Flannan Hehir, 23, would post up third in 2:36:57 followed by Allston’s Liam Garvey, 23, in 2:37:20 and NJ’s Will Washer, 33, in 2:38:36. Gartrell passed halfway in 1:23-flat and ran steady to a 2:46:35 finish that landed him 20thoverall.
“ I ran into Andy, asked him how he did and when I figured he wasn’t’ fooling when he said he won I was like (expletive deleted),” laughed Gartrell Well, all in good fun with two auspicious debuts from Team New Balance.
Hats off to the immortal Jim Garcia, 61, of Westford. The 1993 Bay State champion in 2:28:34, Jim set a new Veteran’s record 26 years later in 3:04:54. The record rampage carried over at half the distance, and with O’Dea setting the women’s CR, it could be said it was a good day for the Heartbreakers as teammates Stephen Bourguet, 24, of Somerville, and Jarred Iavovelli, 26, of Brookline, led the charge. The pair planned on running 5-minute pace as long as they could and that basically took the friends and training partners to the finish line well ahead of the field.
In the last mile, former Brown University ace Bourguet was further motivated by Iavovelli, telling the Sun, “Jarred came up on my back shoulder and said, ‘let’s go’ so I was like, ‘OK, let’s go, man.’ I was able to get it into another gear.”
That extra gear brought Bourguet to the finish line in 1:05:48 to eclipse the previous course record of 1:06:46 set back in 1997 by Scott Cody. Former SUNY-Cortland runner Iacovelli closed in 1:06:12. Keene, NH’s Tom Paquette, 28, placed third in 1:09:43.
Former women’s marathon course record holder Megan Boucher, 29, of St. Johnsbury, VT, dropped down to half the distance and won in 1:18:54, just one spot and 7-seconds ahead of Tracksmith’s Gabi Drummond, 26, of Somerville. South Dartmouth’s Molly Rouillard, 29, was another 19-seconds behind Drummond in 1:19:20 as the trio placed 12-13-14 out of 1,000 finishers.
In a day of firsts, the Greater Lowell Road Runners also had their event serve as the 2019 RRCA Eastern Region Marathon Championship for the first time.
—Bob F.
31st Annual Ashworth Awards Baystate Marathon, Lowell, October 20
1,423 Marathon Entries, 1,115 Finishers; 71 Marathon Relay Teams; 1,203 Half Marathon Entries, 1,000 Finishers – Timing by: Yankee Timing – Hosted by: Greater Lowell Road Runners – Marathon USATF Certified: MA03026RN – Marathon Records:Dave Dunham, 2:21:36, 1998; Jordan O’Dea, 2:39:00, 2019. Masters:Jason Porter, 2:33:44, 2010; Rebecca Trachsel, 2:59:12, 2018; Seniors: Martin Tighe, 2:40:11, 2010; Nina Caron, 2:56:07, 2011. Veterans:Jim Garcia, 3:04:54, 2019; Patty Foltz, 3:31:19, 2008. Half Marathon USATF Certified: MA03025RN – Half Marathon Records:Stephen Bourguet, 1:05:48, 2019; Kristen Beaney, 1:13:47, 1999
Men (Overall): 1. Andy McCann, GA, 2:34:35; 2. Brian Amaral, 2:35:51; 3. Flannan Hehir, 2:36:57; 4. Liam Garvey, 2:37:20; 5. Will Washer, NJ, 2:38:36; 6. Charles Schaefer, VT, 2:39:33; 7. Conor Sleith, 2:39:41; 8. Sean Cameron, 2:39:48; 9. Justin Maloney, 2:40:32; 10. Issam Krieche, 2:40:54; 11. Ian Holdway, NS-CAN, 2:43:31; 12. Sam Reed, NH, 2:44:41. (19-under): 1. Tom Kelly, NY, 2:50:32; 2. Jeff Morrissey, 3:52:05; 3. Donavan LeBlanc, 4:21:27. Masters: 1. Justin Maloney, 2:40:32; 2. Issam Krieche, 2:40:54; 3. Ian Holdway, NS-CAN, 2:43:31. Seniors:1. Sean Snow, NH, 2:55:31; 2. Yong Xue, 2:55:36; 3. Greg Horsley, NB-CAN, 2:57:50. Veterans: 1. Jim Garcia, 3:04:55; 2. Matt Palmer, 3:11:42; 3. Glenn Stewart, 3:28:47. (70+): 1. Stavros Kanaracus, 4:02:29; 2. Rich Neal, 5:13:20; 3. Tom Henderson, 5:36:33.
Women (Overall): 1. Jordan O’Dea, 2:38:57; 2. Katie Edwards, 2:44:52; 3. Courtney Hawkins, NH, 2:56:17; 4. Charlotte Walmsley, 2:59:31; 5. Melanie Kennedy, 3:08:07; 6. Rory Kelly, IL, 3:09:22; 7. Stephanie Caswell, 3:09:42; 8. Andrea Love, 3:10:19; 9. Madeline Dolins, 3:12:05; 10. Jean Burr, ME, 3:12:25; 11. Laurie Cass, 3:12:31; 12. Lauren Dobson, 3:13:15. (19-under): 1. Morgan Ashworth, NH, 3:23:54; 2. Maia Madison, 3:25:56; 3. Jade Law, CT, 4:11:53. Masters: 1. Andrea Love, 3:10:19; 2. Jean Burr, ME, 3:12:25; 3. Laurie Cass, 3:12:31. Seniors: 1. Sherri Brown, ME, 3:21:49; 2. Manon Jobin, PQ-CAN, 3:40:59; 3. Kathy Kearnan, 3:42:41. Veterans:1. Leigh Webb, NH, 3:51:23; 2. Linda Hurteau, RI, 4:02:06; 3. Martha O’Brien, 4:15:39. (70+): 1. Arlene Rockefeller, 4:51:10.
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