Great Stew Chase 2024

The Great Stew Chase 2024 was run on February 4th this year. Usually, Stew is one of the rare January races and runners really look forward to it.

Most runners at The Great Stew Chase are with a running club. It’s been like that for as long as I can remember and it’s probably always been like that.

The race is sponsored by and benefits the Wyoma Lions Club and this year they took over management of the race. The race has been a fundraiser for them over the years and they put a lot of work into it.

Who better to manage a race than a group of volunteers who know how to get things done!

The Race Director said they had 201 registrations and about 180 runners toe the line. That’s pretty good for a race held in one of the coldest months, is known for it’s hills and has the unusual distance of 15K.

The Melrose Running Club had 12 runners this year, which is an increase from last year. A lot of our runners were participating in our Sunday Long Run, spring marathon training program and couldn’t make it.

We had a nice mix of new club members, almost new and veterans. We even had one of our original club members and past club president, Linda Ford, run this year. And Linda came in 1st in her age group.

Linda has run Stew many times and really enjoys the race and seeing everyone from all of the local running clubs.

Pre Great Stew Chase

The race is in Lynn, MA which is about 30 minutes from my house. With a 10AM start time, I had plenty of time for a leisurely morning

I rolled into parking spot in front of the building around 9AM.

As I unplugged my phone and looked for my registration info, I noticed a man standing beside my car. I figured I knew what this was about: I had to move.

But when I got out he just wanted to let me know that I would not be able to leave right after the race. No worries I said.

I picked up my bib and found the MRC table. A few members were around the table engaged in various stages of race prep.

The start was about a quarter-mile away and we all waited until quarter of to head out. It was around 28F with a bit of a breeze and no one wanted to endure that.

Running The Great Stew Chase

At 10AM they gave us the start and we were off.

Joshua McLeary

I was running with Joshua McLeary and Regina Curran. The street was narrow and winding and runners were still bunched up. This helped us keep a comfortable pace.

By the time we got out of the neighborhood my legs were stretched and Regina and I moved ahead a bit.

I started talking to Joshua and then realized he wasn’t there. I looked around for him a few times, but he was wisely running his own race.

Soon enough, Regina moved ahead and I settled into my own race.

Regina Curran

My goal was a 10-Minute pace, if I could keep it. I tend to run as fast as I can, so keeping it can be a challenge.

I knew this race had some serious hills and I wasn’t in great shape, so running a conservative pace was essential.

After Regina moved ahead and before mile 1, I found a small group of runners who seemed to be running at about a 10-minute pace. I decided to tuck in behind them and let them set the pace.

This worked pretty well until we got onto Lynnfield Street. I crossed the street a bit ahead of my pace group and one guy tucked in behind me. Everyone else fell off.

When I was running behind this group, I controlled the pace. I could push up the hills and back off on the downhill and flat. I was trying to keep a fairly consistent pace.

Now I was in front and had to see if this guy was going to push me. The road was flat and I still felt pretty good. At the next turn around the 5K mark, I was alone.

Disadvantages of running by yourself

When you run with other people, someone sets the pace. You either pull, get pulled, or drop off. Watching the group pull away is a great motivator to kick it in and keep up.

Running with other people can be dangerous if you run well beyond your capabilities.

At most races, runners sort out after the first mile so it is easy to find people running your pace.

When running alone there is only one person to set the pace. And that person can have moments of weakness and doubt. They can get tired or thirsty or start making excuses.

Without other runners to pull you along, you can succumb to these moments and not run your optimal race.

When running alone there isn’t anyone to talk to. I’ve had some interesting conversations with complete strangers. These conversations can make the miles melt away. Before you know it, you’re several miles down the road and you barely noticed!

Talking is a great way to pace yourself on a long run. If you can still talk and run the pace, it’s probably the right pace.

Without someone to run with, you miss these great advantages,

The Great Stew Chase Hills

I had started near the back and did not make up much ground. In fact, a lot more people than I thought had passed me.

As we approached the turn around, I counted the runners headed back. As the turn came into sight, I had counted about 75 runners. Then there were so many runners at the turn I had to stop counting and look for the water station.

After the turn around I was still running alone. Most everyone else was ahead of me!

I was focused on my run and looking for the next water stop. At this point in the race, a conversation would have been out of the question anyway!

After we went over the Rt. 93 bridge I knew this race was not going to end well. I had already walked on the way out when we got to the big hill in the industrial park.

But once you walk you have broken the covenant, the bond, the promise to yourself that you will do what it takes to run your best race.

When we got back onto Lynnfield Street, I realized it was a long incline. And my legs were pretty much done with running inclines. I ran as much as I could but walked a hundred yards or so. In full day light with other runners on the course.

Not ready for Prime-Time

I love to run races and would run one every weekend if I had time and could find them. But to run races you have to train. This is particularly true if you want to run well and avoid injury.

Running without training is like expecting you can perform at a concert with very little practice. Success in not likely.

I have been missing too much practice the past few months. Without a spring marathon, I have little motivation to run long distances in the freezing cold. I don’t have a lot of motivation to run short distances in the cold!

I’ve been pretty good about getting a long run in each weekend and running Tuesday night with the club. But I’m not getting that 3rd or 4th run in each week.

This is not enough to maintain my fitness level and to perform well at races.

It’s nice to say I’m running a race for fun, but I do have standards to maintain. When I walk during a race I miss that mark.

When I was coming down Lynnfield Street on the final approach to The Elks Club I reflected on previous runs of this race.

I had gone out at an 8 or 9 minute pace and kept it up. I had chewed people up on the hills and pushed through my own pain.

This year I was struggling to maintain a 9:30 pace for the last half mile. The only part of the race I was able to run this pace.

I didn’t even have a kick. As I approached The Elks I kept waiting to hear running shoes closing in on me. But I was so far back in the race that everyone else was spent also.

I finished the race at 1:37:51 for an overall pace of 9:51 on a 9.5 mile run. The course was supposed to be 9.3 but everyone said they ran a bit long also.

Time for Stew

Besides the race, everyone looks forward to hot soup and great bread after the race. In the old days they actually had stew. But it was a lot of work for a small group of volunteers.

The chicken soup was great! Homemade and full of all the good stuff. They also had rolls and cookies for us.

A lot of carbs, but we had all just run 9.5 miles.

Most people stayed for the first part of the awards ceremony. But after the over all finishers were announced the crowd started to trickle away. Some people were not there to receive their awards! I hate it when that happens.

Here are photos of everyone else as they approached the finish line. I couldn’t find photos of everyone, so my apologies to anyone I missed.

Photo credits for this post go to Ed Miller and Great Stew Chase photographers.