Last Sunday was the annual Woodstock-Quechee Covered Bridges Half-Marathon.  Each year the Inn at Clearwater Pond welcomes runners into our home and each year we are honored to host these talented runners.  We were especially lucky this past weekend as not only runners stayed with us but we enjoyed the company of John and Stephanie's 1-year old son, Graham, and their dog Ellie.  We were also delighted to spend time with Will and Julia's dog, Max.  A NYC resident, Stephanie ran a great race, finishing #182 out of 1775 runners.  Running at a pace of 7:39, Stephanie crossed the finish line in 1:40:05 - pretty darn good for a new mom with a 1 year old!  Her sister, Ashley, also from NYC finished in #206 position.  Ashley ran an outstanding race in 1:41:21 at a pace of 7:44.  Our guest, Will, shared Christina's Cottage with his wife, Julia, and their dog Max.  They reside in Jamaica Plain, MA.  Will ran at a pace of 9:41 and hit the finish line in 2:08:54.  Next time we see Will and Julia they will be new parents!  We also hosted 3 other delightful runners who enjoyed the Lila Marin Suite.  Naturally I must extend my congratulations to the 1st place winner, Keith Drake.  Keith is from Vermont!  Norwich, VT to be exact. He ran at a pace of 5:24 and was cheered by the crowds at the finish after only 1:10:48.  Gabriel Proctor was right on his heels in the #2 position. Gabriel is also a Vermonter, residing in South Royalton.  She paced at 5:33 and finished in 1:12:44.  The Inn at Clearwater Pond sends our congratulations to all 1775 runners.  We hope that next year Mother Nature is a bit more gentle.  The rain poured, the wind blew, the air was quite cool.  I suppose that's better than sweltering heat.  The biggest complaint from our runners was that their shoes were soaked and heavy from all the rainwater.  Again, congratulations and we're looking forward to seeing everyone next June 2011.