USATF NE Athlete of the Month

BOSTON – Justin Fyffe, age 29 of East Dummerston, VT, who runs for the Central Mass Striders (CMS), has been named USA Track & Field – New England’s Athlete of the Month for November 2009. Fyffe was 2nd American and 9th overall at the I.A.U. World Trophy 50K championships in Gibraltar, running 3:15:02 on a very rugged course. On November 27, Justin also won the 31st annual 4.5 mile Cranberry Run in Keene, NH in 23:16. Fyffe has already demonstrated his versatility this year, as the overall men's winner of the 2009 USATF-New England's Grand Prix Road Racing Series. The series consists of seven events ranging in distance from the 5K to the marathon. Justin nailed down the Grand Prix victory by finishing 2nd in 2:28:15 at the BayState Marathon in Lowell on October 18. Justin's training supports this versatility. During heavy training periods, he averages 100 miles per week, but also incorporates speed work that focuses on mile repeats in some sessions, and fast 200s and 400s in other sessions. Fyffe was ranked 12th in the field at the World Trophy 50K championships and set two goals: 1) to finish in the top 10, and 2) to break his 50K personal best of 3:06. Local authorities forced a course change at the last minute when they decided not to close roads on what would have been a flat course. The substitute course included seven out and back loops over a steep hill. The circuit also included dozens of hairpin turns that affected runners' tempo and rhythm. Fyffe realized early that he would not be able to break his PB, but made the most of the conditions and felt that training in New England helped on the hills. He lead the chase pack in about 11th place through the middle of the race and was able to rally and move past two competitors late in the race to finish 9th. Fyffe was born in Vermont and starred in track and cross-country at Keene (NH) High School. After high school, he served five years in the U.S. Navy aboard the destroyer USS Thorn. While in the navy he stopped running, but returned in 2004 with high motivation and a determination to do his best. Fyffe's goals include running the New England Grand Prix series again and getting a qualifying time for the 2012 U.S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trials. Justin embraces running, saying, “running and competing complete me, I feel like the best person I can be when I'm training and racing”.