Three weeks from age 60, Mary Cass was the class of the Mattapoisett Road Race, brushing off her closest competitor and Saturday morning’s humidity with a stellar if sweat-soaked performance.
Cass, whose official time of 20:46 (she timed herself at 20:47.3) was 14th overall, led all women by a comfortable 37 seconds.
“You know what this means? I have the course record, and if they never run it again, I’ll always have the course record,” she mused, comically cognizant of the fact the racecourse was improvised this year from a 5-miler to a 5k in the interests of all participants’ wellbeing. “Almost [age] 60, it’s very rare [to win], so it’s only small races that I’ll do well in. But I love it.”
Cass also holds the course record for the Acushnet 3-miler (on another pandemic-adjusted distance) and the Old Rochester Regional Frosty 5k, but none of the brisk air that permeates ORR’s winter race was available on August 21.
“I always do reverse splits. I went out slow and just build it up, build it up,” said Cass, who knew the outcome two miles in when she was even with only one rival, “Because I’m doing 40 miles a week.”
The coronavirus pandemic that turned last year’s race into a virtual, remotely contested event, cost Cass 10 pounds. “I got 10 pounds lighter; I didn’t put on any weight, just lost muscle. My glutes are very weak, and it’s caused me all sorts of knee issues,” she said.
The Westport resident grew up in Wareham and Middleborough, and her husband is from Marion. “So, I’ve always done the Mattapoisett [race],” said Cass.
Mattapoisett’s Julie Craig, 54, finished second among women in 21:23, 39 seconds ahead of the women’s initial pack that finished with Erin Carr (22:02) third, Madeline Cutrone (22:04) fourth, Katherine Mello (22:09) fifth, and Karen Keenan (22:13) sixth.
Trevor Wysong, 23, finished first overall in an official time of 15:09, a 4:52 mile split (he timed himself at 15:10). The Taunton native won the race by a whopping 2:40 ahead of runner-up Jason Eddy and finished only 14 seconds off his personal best 14:55.
“This is close, considering it’s on the road, too,” said Wysong, who clocked his best 5k on a track.
Wysong won the 5-mile version of the Mattapoisett race in 2019 but did not compete in last year’s virtual race. He said his goal was “mostly to win and push myself. I always try to win, but when I can really test my fitness, I’m happy about it.”
Although he runs approximately 85 miles per week, Wysong has used his summer primarily to train rather than race. The Bridgewater State University graduate still has a year of eligibility remaining for indoor and outdoor track and is enrolled there in a graduate program in computer science.
The race was especially meaningful for Eddy, a 41-year-old East Bridgewater resident who grew up in Rochester and was a 1998 recipient of a scholarship awarded by the Mattapoisett Road Race.
“I like to try to come back and run as much as I can,” said Eddy, who trains with Wysong. “He’s a great runner, one of the best in the area. He was a great cross-country runner…. He qualified for nationals twice, he’s the real deal. … I knew when I saw him at the line, ‘Alright, I’m running for second.'”
Eddy’s 17:49 was 18 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Corey Hebert (18:07). Will Vrattos (18:46) and Murray Copps (19:10), a second ahead of Torsten Brickley, rounded out the top five overall.
“I haven’t raced much, to be honest, in a long time, so definitely slow – much slower than I usually run,” said Eddy. “I’m happy to be able to get out here and run a race for the first time in a long time, so I’ll take it.”
The pleasant Saturday morning along the coast was deceptive, as humidity took its toll on many runners who were only too happy to step into an optional shower of mist just beyond the finish line.
“Humidity was very tough today,” said Eddy. “It’s a shaded course, which is good, but humidity was off the charts.” Recalling the humidity during Hurricane Bob in 1991, Cass said, “This is climate change.”
The race also paid tribute with a poster remembering late race founder Bob Gardner.
Mattapoisett Road Race
By Mick Colageo