A glorious sunny day greeted the 2007 addition of NEOC's Halloween-O, and over 200 competitors took advantage of the setting to enjoy some exercise admidst the early Fall foliage. The event took place on the hilly western half of the Powissett Map and featured somewhat longer than usual course lengths in order to lead participants away from the relatively featureless bottleneck near the parking lot. The preceding dry summer had reduced some of the underbrush which is a bit of an issue on the map. Nevertheless, the course lengths and significant climbs contributed to generally longer finishing times. The course-setter accepts much of the blame as well, although he encourages participants to view the relative lack of straightforward controls and obvious trail-running options as an excellent training opportunity for higher level competitions.

As has been customary, competitors were rewarded with time reductions for dressing in costume. This year, the strategy paid ultimate dividends for Tim Parson, whose somewhat time-worn devil outfit provided the winning margin on the Red course. The time reductions are included in the results below. The GO control featured a large witch's cauldron filled with Halloween candy. Unlike previous years, the high turnout consumed virtually all the treats, forcing the meet director to restock his supply before the arrival of trick-or-treaters at his house on Oct. 31.

Many thanks are offered to the meet assistants, both planned and impromptu, including Donn Springer, Kathy McArdle, Amy Schapiro, Pia Webb, Caroline and Ceire Fleming, Joanne Sankus, and especially Jim Paschetto, who stayed well into the gloaming to help collect controls. My best wishes also go out to the woman whose name I never caught who suffered a shoulder injury during the event. I hope that you are healing well and would enjoy any feedback you could give me. (JRSchapiro@aol.com)

Finally, I continue to welcome comments about the map or courses at the above address. I hope to see you all again in the Spring at Rocky Woods in Medford.