A great day for trail racing, especially if you are team Vasque members Debbie Livingston and Brian Rusiecki. It started with dad and I loading up the SUV and heading over the Mohawk trail to rural Adams, MA en route to Mount Greylock for the infamous trail half marathon that begins with a daunting 3 mile haul up the face of the mountain.

The Vasque athletes laced up their trusty all terrain Vasque Mindbenders and tackled the 13 plus miles with enthusiasm and enduring speed. Watching these New Englanders hustle straight up a mountain with such fast finishes blew me away.

Congrats to Debbie for her first place finish. Winning the women’s field in a time of 2:12:40 and taking home a prize of farm fresh strawberries (only in rural Massachusetts), she was greeted at the finish line by her husband Scott (who is also a heck of a trail runner), her mother and father, and her  two young children.