PRINCETON — Crossing the Vermont 50 finish line in September along with her father and husband was an amazing feeling for town native Colleen Sands, one made even sweeter as they took first place in the team relay run category.
“We felt a lot of gratitude that we all raced well that day,” Sands said. “Afterwards, we talked about how motivating it was knowing that we were racing for our team and not just our own performance. It was a memorable event to be able to share as family.”
The Vermont 50 is an annual race held the last weekend of September at picturesque Mount Ascutney in West Windsor, Vermont. Participants choose from different types of races, including the team relay and ultra runs, a 50-mile mountain bike race, 50 km endurance race, bike relays, and even races for kids.
Net proceeds go to Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, where youth and adults of all abilities gain a measure of self-confidence and independence by participating in adaptive sports programs and activities year-round.
Colleen and her husband, John, live in Amherst and are both completing PhDs in kinesiology at UMass Amherst. She grew up in Princeton, where her father, Roger Sands, and mom, Marcia Sands, still live, and where she and her husband visit “on many weekends.”
Colleen began running while in middle school at Thomas Prince School “under the excellent coaching and mentorship of Larry Pistrang.” Her husband started running in school as well, out in Michigan. Roger Sands had done some running earlier, including completing the holy grail of races for runners, the Boston Marathon, after college, and “got back into consistent running” when his daughter caught the bug.
“We all share a passion for running and like to choose races we can all do together,” Collen said. “In particular, we have been doing longer distance trail races together. Usually, that means we are all signing up for the same races but running individually. When we saw the opportunity to be able to actually compete together as a team … it seemed like a very fun and unique opportunity.”
They were able to train together on a few weekends leading up to the race and do some group runs in Princeton.
“My dad enjoys doing his training runs up and down Mount Wachusett, so we enjoy exploring those trails,” Colleen said. “I always have a lot of fun when we have the opportunity to run together and really appreciate that we are able to share this together.”
Their overall team time for the 50 miles was an impressive 7 hours, 47 minutes, and 55 seconds. Colleen said that she could certainly see them returning to the Vermont 50 at some point in the future, and that it would be great to do another relay race next year. For now, they are eyeing the Seven Sister Trail race in Amherst in May, “a very technical course,” as a solo race they will all run.
“Running provides an opportunity to be grateful for having the health and well-being to take on physical challenges like these,” Colleen said. “Trail running in particular also allows us to access beautiful locations in natural spaces. It also provides a chance for social connection with family, friends and others.”
She said it’s important to mention that while her mother, Marcia, “was not officially on the team relay roster as a runner, her support is always invaluable at our races, and we could not have achieved it without her.”
“She is at all of our races providing tireless support, everything from cheering to packing our favorite snacks, which is very important at these longer races.”
Truly a team effort.
