A “50 CENT” DAY FOR THE BLACK FLY TRAIL RUN AND RELAY
Pinkham Notch, NH — Runners in the Black Fly in My Eye Trail Run and Relay held on Saturday, June 12th, were greeted with a “50 Cent Day” for the race, post-race entertainment, and BBQ lunch at Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center.
The perfect weather bolstered the already energetic crowd who were thrilled to attend the race after a year of covid cancellations. Just under 150 people signed up for the race, which uses the meandering carriage roads and single track on the Great Glen trail system. The 10 mile course consists of three distinct loops, and runners had the option to run it solo, as a team of three, or to run the first loop for a 3 mile race.
Participants had positive feedback on the course, which is set by a joint effort of Great Glen Trails and Mt. Washington Auto Road staff. The grounds crew had cleared brush which had grown up in the two years since the race was last held in 2019. Trails staff set flagging and cones during the week prior to the race. The infamous river crossing over the Peabody River in the last .5 mile of the 10 mile course was supported by a hand-line for safety set by the Road Crew, even though the river is at its lowest point in recent memory for the event.
After the race, runners were greeted with three sets of music from local favorite Shark Martin, a catered BBQ from Kimberly’s Gluten Free Kitchen, and refreshments from Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery. Many participants gave rave reviews on the musical variety and cheerful vibe Shark Martin brings to the event, who have now performed at the past three Black Fly races and plan to be back for 2022. This event is always held on the 2nd Saturday of June.
The event was supported by Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery, Ski the Whites, Settlers Green, Pepsi, and by Seek the Peak fundraising event for the Mt. Washington Observatory, which this year will have its own 5k race on the Great Glen Trails system on July 17.
Congratulations go out to all the runners, as well as a heartfelt “thank you” to all the volunteers for making this one of the best trail races in New England.
Of the 76 runners who competed as individuals, Tristan Williams posted the fastest overall time of 1 hour 5 minutes and 17 seconds. The men’s, women’s, and team podium positions were held by:
Women’s Individual — 10 Mile
1st Place Margaret Graciano 1:18:56
2nd Place Lily Morgan 1:21:58
3rd Place Kimberly Proulx 1:23:09
Women’s Individual — 3 Mile
1st Place Emily Greenslit 28:44
2nd Place Jill Spring 29:53
3rd Place Noreen Ward 30:18
Men’s Individual — 10 Mile
1st Place Tristan Williams 1:05:17
2nd Place Jeff Miner 1:21:48
3rd Place Brad Clarke 1:22:36
Men’s Individual — 3 Mile
1st Place Scott Varin 29:31
2nd Place Ezra Boisseau 30:15
3rd Place Michael Bryan 33:17
Relay (Teams of 3)
1st Place Cupcake Cuties 1:40:56
(Luethje, Leuthje, and Conneally)
2nd Place TLT 1:45:50
(Brockett, Wood, and Hartley)
3rd Place The Only Good Bug is a Dead Bug 1:47:40
(Gifford, Carnright, and Miller)
A complete list of results on the Black Fly Trail Run and Relay can be found online: greatglentrails.com/blackfly. For high resolution downloadable photos from this event, please visit the Great Glen Trails Black Fly Flickr album.
Contact:
Lisa McCoy
Events and Marketing Director
(603) 466-3988
[email protected]