Wanderers Fought Hard
at the 2006 Fighting Irish 5K
By Babs
On Saturday, March 18, at the fourth annual Fighting
Irish 5K in Chestnut Hill, it was hard to think of
the approaching spring as we stood at the starting
line adorned in tights and hats, shivering in the wind
and sub-30 degree temperature. Wanderers achieved new
levels of closeness as we sandwiched together pre-
and post-race in an attempt to generate some extra
body heat. Kudos to Phil, Kylie, Jim and Fred all
of who embraced the spring spirit by donning shorts – brrr. Sarah and Barbara also
wanting to join in the revelry attempted to answer the age-old
question, what do the Irish
Musicians wear under those kilts.
The Wanderers
were unrelenting in their attempt to fight those Irish,
and proved once again that a little adversity brings
out the best in us. Jeff Hayes was the top Wanderer,
finishing second OVERALL in a time of 17:19. Phil
Ranly (17:35) momentarily thought he had beaten his “fourth
place curse” when
they announced him as the third male overall. Good
job, Phil! Alas, his glory was short-lived. Thanks
to a mix-up with the awards, the $50 check for third
place was yanked from his hand and replaced with a
bag with rainbow socks and pint glasses as he was reduced
to fourth-place, but still first in his age group finish.
I bet those glasses will get some use. The curse
of the ladies socks lives on as Chris Moore (18:11)
finished ninth overall, also first in his age group
and received more socks and mugs. The 55-59 age group
was well-represented by Wanderers taking 1st and 2nd
place, Steven Rook at 20:22, Randolph
Clever at 21:31. Other male Wanderers included Fred
Kenney (20:06), Kylie
Costello (23:59) and Jim Trainor (30:54).
Performances
for the Ladies were equally impressive. Wanderer-In-Training
Cecilia Davis-Hayes (Jeff Hayes’ 16-year-old
daughter), finished second overall, in a time of 19:39.
Close behind, 3rd woman was masters runner, Sarah
Tabbutt,
at 20:17. Top Masters was another Wanderer, Barbara
Gorka (21:01), who finished fifth overall - (All three
collecting some much needed beer money) Rounding
out the ladies was a rare appearance by Kristina
Butcher who crossed the line in 22:15 and took second for her
age group.
These great performances suggest that although
spring was not in the air on race morning, Wanderers
have come out of hibernation ready to take on all comers.
Ready...set...at the Fighting Irish 5K on March 18. Look
closely
for Phil on the far right and Fred in the second row.
Chris hits finish
line in 8th place, and bagged another top place in
his age group.
Phil ripped the course to shreds coming in 4th.
Look closely for
the Eagles cap and Wanderers jersey, and
you'll find
Jim Trainer at the
start of the Fighting Irish 5k
Sarah
Tabbutt starts the spring season strong with a 3rd
place finish in a
time of 20:17
Babs was a star winning yet another masters title. Her
time was 21:01
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