The latest update is more of a digest, but it is winner and is coming to you from Reach The Beach team captain – The New Guy

It all started (well, at least the second group of legs started) when Van Flatbush roused at 2:30a after a brief nap. A couple bowls of Cheerios later, we were on the road as the fog briefly lifted to reveal a gorgeous moon rising over the Hampshire hills.

Duke Steph, who was to lead the Flatbush charge, had suffered a race-ending stress injury to her right shin during her first leg.(This next section has been removed to protect the innocent, we shall accept it and move on. Nothing to see here)

The Captain got off to a smooth start and covered the 5.5 in just over 8-min miles. Jenn then took the baton for what is certainly the most difficult leg of the entire relay — 9.1 miles with a grueling uphill first 6. Jenn’s a kicker, though, and with a smile on her face she crested her last hill to the deserving sight of a rising sun through the mist, pink streams of light poking gently from behind the clouds. She’s our Van Flatbush MVP, for shizzle.

John took the torch as the day truly broke, knocking out 7.1 in just over 58 ticks, despite a strong desire to pull over and throw down seven hunnie for a sweet motor boat with 80 horses in the rear…would look mighty sweet in the Shelter Island waters…

Kristin threw down a speedy 5.5 in 44, gaining on other teams left and right. The New Guy then came back with a take-no-prisoners promise, laying down a straight 10k in 51:44 despite only a brief reprieve from the unexpected 5.5 pickup.

Kevin brought us home for this set, storming a number of hills on a 7.1 in a low 56:00. He had earned the home stretch on his leg, cruising down a tree-lined street over smooth blacktop for the transition back to Birch and Van Dukes.

To suggest that the Dukes are killing it on their virgin RTB outing would be an understatement on the scale of Kaiser Sose having a limp (who, incidentally, we spotted in the back of a truck just outside the township of Sandwich).