Rain Men

Let me say right at the outset: after the winter we've just had, we really can't complain about running in bad weather.

That being said, running for more than two hours in today's cold temperatures, with a constant, driving rain, and inches of slush and deep puddles along the roads of Westford and Chelmsford sucked.Okay, now that that's out of the way. Let's get to today's drama.

With varying loops added in to today's mix, it was hard to keep all of the E Streeters together for the entire 13 miles. But we're nothing if not accommodating. And sympathetic. Like, say someone's been sick all week, or injured, or has doctor's orders to lay off all - yes ALL - physical activity. There's no chance we'll be merciless in our ribbing of that person.

And sometimes, even the elite just can't run with the big dogs. Here, we say a sad farewell to today's cartographer, Scott Spence.

But the run must go on. And so, too, must the quest for town line victories. And as you can see here, Andrew, home on loan from Holy Cross for a Spring Break, claims the victory.

Or does he? John, after dodging raging gunfire in Westford, dashes further ahead to a stone pillar to claim what HE claims is the real town line. Apparently he plays by Colonial rules, not modern day signage. Long may he rain.

Somewhere in his haze, Barry tries his best to prevent Sean from claiming the next town line.

Needless to say, he wouldn't be succesful in his quest, as Sean claimed a thriller, pulling off a 400-yard dash that will go down in the books of legend.

Gorillas in the mist

This runner went off the rails a long time ago

Back at East Boston Camps, a father can only wonder how his son might possibly lose a town line to John. Think of the embarrassment if it were true!

And in the end, even the prospect of potentially having lost one to John proves too much for Andrew, and all the frustration just explodes. And of course, his fellow runners showed him nothing but sympathy.He's young and resilient. He should be able to recoverSo another run in the books, but admittedly, not a fun one. Soaked to the bone, and faced with the potential of listening to John gloat about an alleged town line victory combined to make this a run to forget.