Ndaya and Reilly win 7th Annual Medical Center 6K—2nd USATF-New England Grand Prix Event
Run on Mothers Day, May 11, 2008, in downtown Nashua, New Hampshire, the Medical Center 6K was the second of seven races in the highly rated New England Grand Prix, and the only one in the Granite State.

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By Skip Cleaver
Posted Monday, 12 May, 2008

Benjamin Ndaya of Lowell, Massachusetts and Stephanie Reilly of Whitensville, Massachusetts were the overall winners as both blew away the previous course record by a minute or more. Ndaya sped through the 3.72-mile certified course in 18:20, and edged teammate Casey Moulton of neighboring Pelham, New Hampshire by three seconds. Ben Schmeckpeper of Charlestown, Massachusetts was third, one second behind Moulton. Wilson Perez of Keene, New Hampshire (18:27) and Matthew Ely of Natick, Massachusetts (18:30) rounded out the top five. Ely (third) was listed among the individual leaders following the first Grand Prix event at New Bedford; individual points leader Ryan Carrara finished seventh. The top 27 men beat the previous course record of 19:27.

Reilly set the new course record of 20:41 with a comfortable margin over Heidi Westerling of Ackworth, New Hampshire (21:12), followed by Brett Ely of Natick (21:15), Caroline Bjune of Andover, Massachusetts (21:18), and Amy Gosztyla of Dover, New Hampshire (21:20). Previous record holder Kara Hass of Chelmsford, Massachusetts also finished under her previous mark of 21:41 with a 21:26 sixth place finish. Caitlyn Clark of Haverhill, Massachusetts was seventh, also beating the previous record (21:36).

The top two men, Ndaya and Moulton, as well as the women’s winner were all from a new club, Retailers Union, although this new entity was not able to score in any of the team categories. There were 15 scoring clubs fielding 64 scoring teams among the 608 finishers; this field was double the previous high for this race.

The BAA dominated the men’s open with places 3 through six and 5 of the top 11 spots. They extended their lead in men’s open after a similar showing at New Bedford. However the women’s open was won by the Merrimack Valley Striders in a very close contest over previous winner BAA. Only 51 seconds separated the two in one of the closest team contests of the day, cumulative 1:51:44 to 1:52:35. The BAA and the Greater Boston Track Club (5th men’s open, 3rd women’s open) scored only in the open divisions.

Only three clubs scored in all seven of the contested divisions (no scoring teams in women’s veterans). The host GCS Triad Racing Team had the best average team placement of the three, with the Merrimack Valley Striders and the Cambridge Sports Union a close second and third. Three additional clubs scored in six of the seven, dominated by the Central Mass Striders with the Greater Lowell Road Runners and the North Medford Club with outstanding showings.

In the women’s open club scoring, it was MVS, BAA, GBTC, Whirlaway, and CMS. The women’s masters had the same top three as at the New Bedford Half with Whirlaway, CMS, and MVS taking the top three. In women’s seniors it was the same top two, CMS and CSU, with previously unranked GCS Triad taking third.

Men’s open teams following the BAA included CMS (improving from 8th to 2nd), Whirlaway, MVS, and GBTC. Whirlaway Racing Team extended their lead in the masters over CMS, with GCS Triad moving up from 8th to third. The men’s masters was the closest contest of the day with only 20 seconds separating the 10 scorers’ cumulative time (1:39:10 to 1:39:30). In the senior division Greater Lowell retained the top spot over neighboring GCS Triad in second place, with the Tri-Valley Frontrunners taking third. In veteran men’s it was CSU followed by Greater Lowell and GCS.

It was a beautiful day for racing as the seventh annual Medical Center 6K in downtown Nashua became part of the prestigious New England Grand Prix lore. There were many USATF members joining or renewing membership in the registration tent.

There was $4,300 in prize money offered for USATF teams, and the top winners overall took home Red Sox tickets. The race was centrally located, easy to get to from anywhere in New England, and offered plenty of parking, and excellent organization.

For many this event in downtown Nashua brought back memories of the old New England Championship 10K, one of the most competitive races in New England during its 10-year reign.

The Southern New Hampshire Medical Center works diligently to promote wellness and fitness in the community; they created, sponsor, and administer this outstanding event, which includes a 2K walk in addition to the 6K run. As with the old 10K, this race is managed by the Gate City Striders and the Triad Racing Team, known for their excellent organization of such events as the Applefest Half Marathon and Relay, and the USATF-NE Mountain Circuit ten miler, the Pack Monadnock Challenge.

This certified 6K course winds through neighborhoods and along tree-lined roads, through the campus of Rivier College, and along the Nashua Country Club golf course. It has a wide, straight and fast finish, and made for an exciting race for the many spectators along the final stretch.

The Medical Center’s 6K offers such novel amenities as free team and family photos. It has become known for specialties such as “Dave’s Famous Buffalo Chili” and other goodies in a plentiful post race spread; there was free post race massage, and lots of fruit.

This race also serves another very important purpose: It is a primary source of funds for Fitness University for Kids, the well known, award-winning fitness/running program administered by the Gate City Striders, now in its 19th year. This program is more important than ever, a significant event in the fight against childhood obesity, a major goal of both the SNHMC and the Gate City Striders.

USATF-New England Grand Prix
This legendary New England Grand Prix is one of the top regional race series in the country, any way you measure it—quality of races and level of competition. Few of the other 57 USATF Associations around the country can match this outstanding series.

The 2008 version kicked off on March 16 with the New Bedford Half Marathon. The Rhody 5K in Lincoln, Rhode Island will be the third of seven races, with one each month (except April) through the Baystate Marathon on October 19. This is the first ever selection to the Grand Prix for both the Medical Center 6K and the neighboring Baystate Marathon. The other races have been included in previous years.

The other races selected for the 2008 USATF-New England Championships and Grand Prix:
• Mar 16 - New Bedford Half-Marathon, New Bedford MA
• June 1 - Rhody 5K, Lincoln RI
• July 29 - Newburyport 10 Mile, Newburyport MA
• Aug 9 - Bridge of Flowers 10K, Shelburne Falls MA
• Sept 6 - Ollie 5 Mile, South Boston MA
• Oct 19 - Bay State Marathon, Lowell MA

Please check the USATF-New England Website at www.usatfne.org for additional details and information on scoring and participation. We hope to see you at each of these outstanding races.

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