This weekend was Homecoming/Family Weekend at Providence College where our oldest daughter is in her freshman year. Friday evening I joined her on campus to take in a hockey game and then Saturday morning my wife, youngest daughter and I made our way back to Providence to run in the Friar 5K with our daughter and spend some time on campus and in the city of Providence.
It was a perfect morning for a run and close to 1200 runners made up of students, alumni, parents and community members made their way to the starting line to tackle the Friar 5K. The race took runners into the neighborhood surrounding campus and then onto sections of the campus, as well. The course was a tough little 5K with some sneaky hills mixed into the route including a big uphill climb before runners made their way onto the track to take half of a lap and head into the finish line on the campus track.
The run was a great addition to the homecoming/family weekend and we enjoyed being able to run. The crowd made the first mile or so a bit slower than planned but honestly this race was more about being out there than it was about getting a PR or anything. The Friar feel to the race complete with the cheerleading team cheering runners into the finishing chute made for a great environment and a really fun experience!
I finished up the Friar 5K with a time of 28:17, good for 9:06/miles.
Post-run, we did lunch at Providence Coal Fired Pizza and then made our way back to campus to enjoy the afternoon and check out a women’s hockey game, as well. A perfect Saturday seeing our daughter and spending time together.
Join me on Sunday, October 11th at 9AM in the Dorchester section of Boston to run the Boston Firefighters 10K Memorial Road Race.
This race is a stellar 10K course that is an absolute treat to run. It’s been a number of years since I last ran the race but this race was first introduced to me as one of the Thirsty Irish Runners Grand Prix races a number of years ago. Because the race is held in memory of fallen firefighters and kicks off from the Florian Hall, there will be throngs of firefighters and those who support the thin red line both at the race and at one of the finest post-run celebrations you might find around!
The race raises funds for the Boston Fire Relief Fund which has an impressive record of supporting incredible causes. To learn more about their efforts, click here.
Even though I am an early bird and usually wake up before 5AM each day, there is something about a road race in the evening that I do quite enjoy. It doesn’t need to be a pitch-black run like the Medway Police Chase 5K but a race kicking off in the evening has a unique charm to it be it the Narragansett Summer Nights 5K or one of the weekly Colonial Road Runner races in Raynham.
Yesterday, Mrs. Running Griffin and I made our way to Somerset, Massachusetts for the Shirley May France 10K. We received a flyer for the race while running the Mattapoisett Road Race on the 4th of July and never have run the race so it sounded like a great opportunity to tackle a new to us road race.
The race kicked off at 5PM and we were both nursing a couple of aches so decided we’d run together to help support each other on the race and push each other along. The temperature was right around 60 degrees and a hint of fall could certainly be felt in the air. What really stood out for this race was the course; it was awesome! The race took runners along a closed down street that brought out residents along the course to cheer runners along. There was a 5K option that broke off from the 10K course and we were certainly happy we chose the 10K option as the course was a real gem.
The course took runners along the Taunton River which leads out to the Atlantic on the South Coast of Massachusetts. There were some nice rollers in the first stretch of the race and right before the halfway point runners ran through a small park to add on some distance and then up a good sized hill directly in front of a local church. This nice hill right around the halfway mark definitely stressed the legs and given it was an out-and-back at this point running both up and down the hill was required.
A great group of volunteers helped to control each side street leading into the main road where the running took place and the closed course running was a nice treat. The Somerset Police Department patrolled the course in cars and on motorcycles and bicycles.
We finished up the Sally May France 10K with a time of 1:05:26, good for 10:31/miles. Would highly recommend you adding this race to your radar for 2027!
Proceeds from the Shirley May France 10K benefits the Somerset Chapter of The Cure Starts Now, a charitable organization dedicated to funding research and providing support to children and families battling pediatric brain cancer. The chapter was founded by Somerset residents Ken and Michelle Oheman in loving memory of their daughter, Selina.
Born and raised in Somerset, Massachusetts, Shirley May France developed a deep love for the water that would shape the course of her life. As a teenager, she emerged as one of the most accomplished and promising long-distance swimmers of her era, earning national recognition for her remarkable endurance and determination.
Among her many achievements, Shirley became the first woman to swim across Lake George in the prestigious Lake George Marathon, setting women’s world records at both the two-mile and five-mile marks. Her success in open-water swimming quickly established her as a rising star in the sport and captured the attention of audiences across the country.
Chasing the English Channel
Shirley’s greatest challenge was the legendary English Channel. At a young age, she became the youngest woman to attempt the crossing, taking on one of the world’s most demanding endurance feats. Between 1949 and 1950, she made multiple attempts to conquer the Channel, facing powerful tides, frigid temperatures, and unpredictable weather conditions.
While the Channel ultimately proved unforgiving, Shirley’s perseverance won the admiration of countless supporters. Newspapers closely followed her training and progress, while the people of Somerset rallied behind their hometown hero. She became more than an athlete—she became a symbol of courage, determination, and the willingness to pursue extraordinary goals.
Just before an utter deluge of rain hit the area, this morning it was off to Weymouth, Massachusetts to run the Hop Harvest 5K sponsored by Vitamin Sea Brewing.
For years, now defunct brewery Barrel House Z hosted a few road races at this location each year and thankfully now Vitamin Sea, which is just doors down from where Barrel House Z was located, has picked up the torch and kept the races going. The Hop Harvest 5K was the September Grand Prix race for the Thirsty Irish Runners and it was great to see so many familiar faces at the starting line and out on the course.
The race kicked off promptly at 9:30 AM and having run races on this course before I knew what to expect in terms of the route. The first mile has a downhill stretch that then leads to a significant uphill portion that takes runners to the one mile marker and a bit beyond before leveling off some in a residential neighborhood. Just as you loop through the neighborhood, because the course is an out-and-back, right past the two mile mark you get to coast down the same goos hill before leveling off once again. However, the hill that leads up to the finish line, though it feels more gradual when heading out onto the course, definitely can take a toll on wearier legs in the final mile. The race finishes right in the driveway of Vitamin Sea and for those runners who wish to enjoy a beer, one free beer comes with each race entry.
There was no timing mat at the starting line so it was a gun start for everyone and I finished the race in 27:53, good for 8:59/miles. Even though the weather was relatively mild out on the course today, I still think a 5K race needs to have at least one water stop on the route and it was a miss that there was no water out there.
Certainly glad the race kicked off when it did as the rain that started just as runners were hitting the finish line has turned the rest of this Sunday into the perfect day to hang out on the couch!
Join me in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Sunday, September 27th for Paddy’s Classic 5K. After all, who doesn’t love a good old fashioned 5K kicking off at an iconic Irish pub?
Paddy’s Lunch is the oldest family owned pub in Cambridge. The atmosphere is timeless and has grown to become a home away from home to countless neighborhood regulars and new passers-by everyday. Paddy’s was started in 1934 by Patrick and Margaret Fennell, immigrants from Ireland. In the 1960s, the Fennell’s daughter Margaret “Peggy” Fennell Ryan took over the operation with her husband Harry “Bubby” Ryan. In 1998 Peggy’s daughter, Ruth Ryan Allen, took over and remains the current owner today.
This 5K race benefits the young girls of Cambridge with the Cambridge Girls Softball League and other girls’ sports teams are the primary recipients of the funds from the race. These great organizations work on team building, athletic skills, and strengthen the connection among physical, mental and social well-being of girls. Huge shoutout to the race organizers as over the history of the race they have raised over $130,000 for girls’ sports in Cambridge! As the dad of two daughters myself, a noble cause to certainly encourage some of my fellow runners to join me at the starting line to help continue to fund these causes!
After the race there will a block party outside Paddy’s until 7PM. Walden Street will be closed off to traffic and there will be a large beer garden, food trucks and a DJ. My younger days are well behind me and I might be back home asleep by 7PM but this race has all the fixings to be a really excellent time.
To register for the race, please click here to sign up. Look forward to seeing many of you alongside me in Cambridge for some running and some mighty craic on the 27th!
