Sound Shore MultiSport Completes 200-Mile Relay in 27 Hours

Finish 29th Out of 300, Despite Injury to Key Member

by Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt

(Sept. 18, 2006) A 12-member relay team from the Sound Shore Runners and Multisport Club finished 29th out of 300 teams this past weekend at the Reach the Beach (RTB) Relay, a 200-mile running adventure race across the state of New Hampshire.

The team of nine men and three women also finished 5th in the competitive Mixed Open division out of 130 teams, despite a debilitating injury to one team member. Calling itself the “Sound Shore Sand Seekers,” the squad averaged 7 minutes and 37 seconds per mile over almost 210 mountainous miles.

Joe Garland, Runner #1, began the race at noon on Friday, Sept. 15 with a wave of 19 runners at the Bretton Woods Ski Area, pounding out a punishing 3.1-mile alpine leg. Racing distances ranging from 3.1 to 8.9 miles, team members ran up and down the White Mountains, passing a reflective wrist band from runner to runner as they wound along wooded paths and through the lakes region, finally finishing at the ocean in Hampton Beach, NH, around 2:30 pm on Saturday, Sept. 16 -- 2 6 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds later.

The team’s achievement was born of sacrifice, however. Jerri Lynn Fields came into the race nursing a sore hip, and was forced to drop out after her first leg when she heard a snap and could only hobble to the runner transition area. Teammates Joe Garland and Patrick Kaufer each ran an extra leg to compensate, increasing their individual cumulative distances to close to a marathon. Ms. Fields joined the team at the finish and was able to hobble on crutches through the finish line with them.

Pierre Boulat ran a leg of the race at midnight in a foggy drizzle.

“The RTB Relay was everything and more…we laughed, we cried, we did not sleep,” said team captain Tom O’Brien. “But most importantly, the RTB was a great way to turn a solitary endeavor like running into a team sport. I was extremely proud of the entire team — we exceeded all expectations and did so by dealing with some adversity after one of our anchorwomen, Jerri Lynn Fields, got injured during her first leg.

“It was also a great motivator and sacrifice for all of us, in that we put aside our jobs, and families to compete for two days side by side, and we competed without killing one another!”

Members of the Sand Seeker team logged thousands of miles on roads and trails over the past year preparing for the race. One, Guillermo Gutierrez, even flew in from Paris. The roster included:

• Pierre-Antoine Boulat, 46, of Larchmont
• Dave Burgess, 37, of Mamaroneck
• Jerri Lynn Fields, 41, of Mamaroneck
• Joe Garland, 49, of Mount Vernon
• Guillermo Gutierrez, 46, of Paris, France (formerly Larchmont)
• Lisa Hamm-Greenawalt, 46, of Mamaroneck
• Erin Haugh, 27, of Larchmont
• Patrick Kaufer, 40, of Larchmont
• Joe Moore, 39, of Mamaroneck
• Tom O’Brien, 36, of Mamaroneck
• Gregg Rubin, 48, of Mamaroneck.
• Greg Stern, 28, of Harrison

GuillermoGutierrez hands off to Gregg Rubin.

The team spent the race traveling in two gaily decorated vans of six members each, drinking donated Poland Spring water and eating PowerBars and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The race began with a drizzle in near-perfect low-60s temperatures, followed by pleasant cloudy skies. By midnight, however, the runners were slogging through thick fog, wearing headlamps and reflective vests on dark country roads, illuminated by heart-shaped red blinking lights donated by V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls, of which Fields is executive director. The weather turned hot and sunny for the final stretch of the race.

Mr. Boulat found the race organization to be “flawless” and said he saw “excellent spirit throughout. … For me, one of the most surprising aspects of the enterprise was to see hundreds of passenger vans driven by thousands of non-professional drivers crisscrossing New Hampshire country roads and small parking lots at any time of day or night without any damage to limb or bodywork, no honking, no arguing about right-of-way or parking space!” he exclaimed. “I just wish New York drivers would learn the lesson.”

Jerri Lynn Field's diagnosis: Extremely strained, possibly torn hip flexor. She has to rest a month and should then be good as new.

The Multisport Team sport new medals at the end of the race.

The Larchmont/Mamaroneck-based Sound Shore Runners & Multisport Club was founded in summer 2002 to fill a need in lower Westchester County for a group that brought people together who pursue a healthy, active lifestyle through running, cycling and other sports, including biathlons, triathlons, kayaking and swimming. Anyone seeking a healthy lifestyle is encouraged to join. More info is available at www.soundshorerun.com. Complete results can be found at http://www.rtbrelay.com/RTB2006_Final_Results.htm.

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