Husband & Wife Sweep the XTERRA Northfield Mountain Race

 -- Northfield, MA

This morning, a pack of nearly 230 individuals from nine different states crossed the finish line in the XTERRA Northfield Mountain 10k Trail Run --- the second event in the XTERRA New England Trail Series.

The first overall male and female winners was the couple Paul Low and Kelli Lusk -- a husband and wife team that train with Central Mass Striders Running Club.

Paul Low of Belchertown, MA was the first to break the finish tape in a time of 36:36.  This is his second consecutive win in the XTERRA New England Series, setting him up nicely to finish as a regional champion. 

Low's wife, Kelli Lusk made it a household sweep, joining her husband on the victory stand completed the course in a time of 43:29.

For the overall men's event, Erik Nedeau (New Balance) and Andy McCarron (Central Mass Striders) finished second and third in times of 37:21 and 37:42 respectively.  

In the overall women's division, Abby Woods (Greater Springfield Harriers) and Sarah St. Martin (Gate City Striders-Triad) finished second and third; they had running times of 46:41 and 47:35.

The field, ranging in ages of 13-77, was met with temperatures in the low 70's and humidity around 100%.  The 10.3K (approximately 6.5 mile) course climbed over 800 feet to the summit of Northfield Mountain and returned to the base on mostly grass double-wide trails.  Talk about a "runners high"!!

Trail running adventure is a healthy way to wake-up your endorphins and do something wonderful for your body and soul.
The picturesque paths of Northfield Mountain will pave the way for the second chapter of the XTERRA New England Trail Running Championship Series and the USA Track & Field N.E. Trail Running Championship.  This renowned course "has everything a trail race should have.  Steep up-hills, single track, gravel roads, grass, and don't forget good old New England rocks and roots". -- Kevin Tilton, 2006 TEVA USA mountain team member.

Talk about a "runner's high" – the peak of this course hits an elevation of almost 1,200 feet!  "The Northfield course is a unique combination of grinding it out and then letting it fly…up and down and done." -- Steve Peterson, 1995 USATF mountain team member.

For the New England Series, the top 10 runners in each age group earn points at every XTERRA race attended.  When series concludes, those with the most points are crowned New England Champions and the top 5 in each class are invited to compete against other regional champions at the 2007 XTERRA National Trail Running Championship, held this September in Lake Tahoe, NV.

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