Tri State
CVAC duo defends Mountainback 50-mile relay title
Hagerstown’s Andrew Mason and Norfolk’s Pete Breckinridge
lower course record time
Results
By Kevin Spradlin
Tristaterunnur.com
BOALSBURG, Pa. – Andrew Mason and Pete Breckinridge rarely see each other. When they do meet, however, the result is usually worth talking about.
The veteran ultramarathoners had another story to tell after defending their super relay team titel on Saturday at the Tussey Mountainback Relay in Rothrock State Forest near State College, Pa. The duo combined to cover the 50-mile loop course event, in which each runner completes six legs ranging between three and six miles each, in 5 hours, 10 minutes and 29 seconds.
They lowered their course-record time, set last year, by six minutes and 30 seconds. Both Mason, of Hagerstown and a 1990 Chambersburg High School graduate, and Breckinridge, of Norfolk, Va., use the relay as a final tune-up for the John F. Kennedy 50-Mile Ultramarathon next month.
While neither runner tapered for the event – that is, methodically eased off their training schedule for the past two to three weeks in order to have fresh legs and excel – they did manage to take two “easy” days.
“I only see him once or twice a year,” said Mason, 36. “It’s an unbelievable race. We were moving along out there today. I thought, ‘Man, I almost I wish I was in a regular marathon today.”
It’s an experience made all the more memorable for the two because it’s a hint of good things to come. Breckinridge, 38, won the JFK in 2006 and placed seventh last year. Mason achieved his first-ever top 10 finish in 2007 with a personal best time of 6:39:09.
“Last year, the race was around Sept. 20,” Mason said in a phone interview during the awards ceremony, noting this year’s later race date. “Both of us, we’re like … maybe three weeks further along with our training. Overall, I’d say I’m in better shape (than in 2007). Hopefully, the same thing will happen in the JFK.”
While the JFK – entering its 46th year – is an infamous, if not famous, 50.2-mile endeavor, one might wonder why Mason doesn’t enter other ultras to test his skill. It could be because the JFK does that just fine. Or it could be something else altogether.
“How can you ignore the JFK? It’s such a prestigious event right in your back yard,” said Mason, who lives less than 30 minutes from the starting line at Boonsboro High School. “I don’t see myself doing two ultramarathons in one fall (season). It’d be very hard for me to pick another one of JFK.”
Breckinridge and Mason placed second overall among all relay teams, which could be comprised of two, four or six people each. The winning team had four members. The third-place team had six runners.
There were 15 super, or two-man, relay teams in the field. Chambersburg resident Tim Schuler, 45, and Greg Cauller, 49, of York, Pa., took runner-up honors in 5:40:55. Out of some 50 two-man teams, Schuler and Cauller were pushed along enough to set the masters course record.
For complete results, visit www.tusseymountainback.com..
Contact Kevin Spradlin at run@mountainMDmarathon.org.