Monday, 16 March 2009
A quick yet hearty Congratulations to all hardy Greater Lowellites who ran the New Bedford Half Marathon on Sunday, the second stop on the 2009 USATF-NE road racing grand prix! It was an unusual day for a New Bedford Half -- neither too cold nor too windy, and what wind there was was at your back in the last four miles instead of in your face.
Particulars:
Dave Oliver, again the #1 senior dude in a PR (!) 1:06:02;
Liane Pancoast, again the #2 senior dudess, 1:34:56
Patty Foltz, again the #1 Veteran dudess (yaawwwwn), 1:39:13
Mark Reeder, a tres-superbe age-49 1:13:47
Senior men, 2nd by a mere 50 seconds (no thanks to yours truly) yet with a tightly-packed team finish (if only five counted instead of three . . .)
Women's team scoring #18 Open, #6 Masters, composed of one Senior (Liane), one Master (Melanie Hire), and one Veteran (Patty).
An Observer's Note: It has been my wont, since the first time I ran New Bedford, so take an hour or so to explore town before heading for home. The cobblestoned historic distrct is fascinating, anchored by the excellent Whaling Museum, the Seamans' Bethel (of Moby-Dick fame), and any number of good shops and (yes, Phil) pubs. But the highlight has been the short trip across the harbor to Fairhaven, cutting through town to Phoenix State Beach at the head of the harbor, site of a Revolutionary War skirmish and the still-poised guns of a Civil War battlement. The magnificent harbor view is, however, at least equaled by the mind-blowing architectural display clustered in the center of this otherwise unassuming town, unavoidable if you make the trip to Phoenix Beach. The high school, town hall, library, and Unitarian church all look like they might have been designed by H.H. Richardson. It turns out that they were at least Richardson-influenced, all done by Charles Brigham, a Watertown native whose own credits include the MFA and Christian Science mother church in Boston as well as several Back Bay masterpieces. But why Fairhaven, and all the major civic buldings therein? Turns out that it was home to one Henry Huddleston Rogers, #2 robber baron of Standard Oil after Rockefeller, and Rogers wanted to reward the place in his robber-barony way. Hence one of the most remarkable clusters of period architecture to be found anywhere in small-town America. Go see 'em for yourself next time you're in the area: http://www.davidjrusso.com/architecture/brigham/buildings/DesignList.php.
Next up: the Bedford, NH 12K on May 16th . . . THIS IS THE MOST LOCAL GRAND PRIX RACE OF THE YEAR BESIDES BAY STATE SO DON'T NOBODY MISS IT . . . LET THERE BE A BODCACIOUS GREATER LOWELL TOEIN' OF THE LINE IN BEDFORD!
jb
A quick yet hearty Congratulations to all hardy Greater Lowellites who ran the New Bedford Half Marathon on Sunday, the second stop on the 2009 USATF-NE road racing grand prix! It was an unusual day for a New Bedford Half -- neither too cold nor too windy, and what wind there was was at your back in the last four miles instead of in your face.
Particulars:
Dave Oliver, again the #1 senior dude in a PR (!) 1:06:02;
Liane Pancoast, again the #2 senior dudess, 1:34:56
Patty Foltz, again the #1 Veteran dudess (yaawwwwn), 1:39:13
Mark Reeder, a tres-superbe age-49 1:13:47
Senior men, 2nd by a mere 50 seconds (no thanks to yours truly) yet with a tightly-packed team finish (if only five counted instead of three . . .)
Women's team scoring #18 Open, #6 Masters, composed of one Senior (Liane), one Master (Melanie Hire), and one Veteran (Patty).
An Observer's Note: It has been my wont, since the first time I ran New Bedford, so take an hour or so to explore town before heading for home. The cobblestoned historic distrct is fascinating, anchored by the excellent Whaling Museum, the Seamans' Bethel (of Moby-Dick fame), and any number of good shops and (yes, Phil) pubs. But the highlight has been the short trip across the harbor to Fairhaven, cutting through town to Phoenix State Beach at the head of the harbor, site of a Revolutionary War skirmish and the still-poised guns of a Civil War battlement. The magnificent harbor view is, however, at least equaled by the mind-blowing architectural display clustered in the center of this otherwise unassuming town, unavoidable if you make the trip to Phoenix Beach. The high school, town hall, library, and Unitarian church all look like they might have been designed by H.H. Richardson. It turns out that they were at least Richardson-influenced, all done by Charles Brigham, a Watertown native whose own credits include the MFA and Christian Science mother church in Boston as well as several Back Bay masterpieces. But why Fairhaven, and all the major civic buldings therein? Turns out that it was home to one Henry Huddleston Rogers, #2 robber baron of Standard Oil after Rockefeller, and Rogers wanted to reward the place in his robber-barony way. Hence one of the most remarkable clusters of period architecture to be found anywhere in small-town America. Go see 'em for yourself next time you're in the area: http://www.davidjrusso.com/architecture/brigham/buildings/DesignList.php.
Next up: the Bedford, NH 12K on May 16th . . . THIS IS THE MOST LOCAL GRAND PRIX RACE OF THE YEAR BESIDES BAY STATE SO DON'T NOBODY MISS IT . . . LET THERE BE A BODCACIOUS GREATER LOWELL TOEIN' OF THE LINE IN BEDFORD!
jb
posted by John Barbour at
10:20 AM
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