Always like when you can find a brand new road race to take part in and even better when it supports a great local organization like a small farm. This morning it was off to Cohasset, Massachusetts for the inaugural running of the Holly Hill Hustle 5K.
This race took place in the general area of Holly Hill Farm and was a double loop on the streets in the neighborhood near the farm. The area is known for having some big money houses so runners had plenty to look at whether it be the houses or the beautiful views of the ocean along the run. Though a 5K, this race was not for the faint of heart as the hills on the course were quite simply no joke and the fact you had to run them twice made for some real climbing along the entire course. The weather couldn’t have been any better this morning with temps in the low 60s which made for just the perfect autumn morning for a run.
Felt decent while out there running but probably could have gone with just the short sleeve shirt as the sun really warmed things up while running out on the coastal course. The hills definitely challenged the legs on the 5K course and with the amount of climbing being done I had to peel back the pace some. Still, not a terrible ending time of 28:18, good for 9:07/miles. If this was a flat 5K, this would have been a bit disappointing but all in all not a bad end outcome with all the climbing being done.
Holly Hill Farm has been focused on sustainable growing since its start and ahead of their time in many ways, having received their first certification as an organic farm by the USDA in 2000. They have continued to meet these strict requirements and have been Certified Organic every year since!
In 1998, Frank and Jean White started an organic farm on approximately 5 acres of their property adjacent to Jerusalem Rd. In 2002 they established the non-profit Friends of Holly Hill Farm which now oversees the farm operation and runs a variety of year-round educational and community activities.
The Running Griffin 