When I was told the course was hilly, the half-marathon was one of the toughest around and that others have noted the half-marathon is “no joke” of a race one thought came to mind: Sign me up!

On November 11th, join me in Monson, Massachusetts for the Monson Memorial Classic Half-Marathon. The half-marathon course has been raved about by prior participants and they will tell you that the race will both delight and challenge you all at the same time.

The Monson Memorial Classic road race was started in 1996, shortly after the deaths of Kelly Waldron and Kathy Waldron Perry. These sisters died eight months apart from different types of cancer. Kathy suffered with melanoma, and Kelly had breast, bone, and liver cancer. They were wonderful, loving people. This race is in their memory, and past proceeds have gone to American Cancer Association of Western Mass, American Lung Association, Quaboag Valley Hospice, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This year we are giving proceeds to Griffin’s Friends.

In addition to the amazing course, the Monson Memorial Classic features great food and music at the post-race party! Additional race amenities include long sleeve tech shirts for the first 200 to register for the half-marathon, ale glasses for those who register for the half marathon  and finisher medals to all half-marathon finishers. For those elite runners who read The Running Griffin, there is also prize money available for top finishers!

As an added bonus, the first 100 runners who sign up for both the Monson Memorial Classic and the Amherst Half-Marathon will receive a $10 gift card for the iconic Tree House Brewing!

To register for the Monson Memorial Classic, please click here. Be sure to also “Like” the race on Facebook here. See you in Monson in November and let’s get ready to tackle some hills!

After a good, tough race there is nothing better than finding a refreshing way to take that sweat from your brow and clean off the dirt that may have kicked up on your legs. Now, thanks to our friends at On The Go Towels there is a great option for cleaning off post-race and adding that cool and fresh feeling back after a tough workout.

On The Go Towels are cool, moisturize and deodorize and leave you clean and refreshed in a matter of seconds. Conveniently folded into individual packs small enough to fit your pocket, you can take On The Go wipes anywhere! They are great to keep in the glove-box of your car and ideal to throw in your gym bag with your running sneakers and change of clothes.

On The Go Towels are made in the USA with the highest commitment to quality. Formulated with safe, natural ingredients like aloe vera, ginseng, green tea, witch-hazel and cucumber extracts, On The Go Towels are safe to use on all skin types.

The On The Go Towels can be purchased either directly on their website by clicking here or can be purchased on Amazon or Jet.

With the Labor Day long weekend affording most of us with an extra day to enjoy the final throes of summer, it was nice to be able to sneak in a Monday morning race on Labor Day. It was off to Marshfield, Massachusetts for the Marshfield Hills 5K.

As you can tell by the name of the race, I assumed there would be some hills mixed into the race and some co-workers who have run the race in the past noted it was indeed a hilly course. But with a blast of heat and humidity mixed into the morning, the hills on Monday morning took an extra toll on a course that was hilly but very scenic throughout.

The race started and finished right next to the Marshfield General Store, a classic New England style general store that is now owned by The Office star Steve Carrell and his wife. The general store features the normal general store goods you would expect to find coupled with a little room of Dunder Mifflin and The Office gear, as well. Jams, local food, convenience items, coffee, beer and wine all make the general store both functional and quaint and it was a neat place to kick off a race from.

Though the course overall had some challenging hills mixed into the route, the final mile of the race is where the true test of the legs kicked in. The uphill grade was rough and was amplified well by the heat and humidity. Most of the course was in the sun so little reprieve was offered and the race could have used an extra water stop on the course as the only one available was one hosted by a farm along the course. It was hot and two water stops would have been ideal.

There was some nice neighborly support along the race course and the finish line in front of the general store finish line was pretty well packed with supporters. On the final hill heading toward the finish, some of the locals cheered runners along to help each step up the hill.

Not my best day of racing but a really tough course and some rough running conditions out there so I was pleased to finish with a time of 26:05, good for a 8:23/minute overall pace. Would highly recommend this challenging and scenic 5K course in future years for those looking to push themselves a little bit and who want to enjoy a nice Labor Day weekend run!

On Saturday evening, it was off to Medway, Massachusetts for the Medway Police Chase 5K. Though I have taken part in a few different road races in support of local police departments, I can honestly say that the Medway Police Chase 5K was something quite unique given the race kicked off at 9PM. I have run a few different night runs but they usually are few and far between and taking part in a police chase under the cover of darkness was quite exciting. The whole idea of going the day knowing you have a race at 9PM is also an interesting runner’s nuance to try and work through.

The race course took runners on closed roads throughout Medway and the red and blue lights of the police cruisers, motorcycles and other vehicles highlighted the race course that in some parts was otherwise pitch black. There were some portable lights along the way illuminating corners and runners were provided with glowsticks to wear along the race course should they so choose while I rocked my neon Thirsty Irish Runners shirt, a neon hat and a Glimmer Gear bracelet.

Running in the dark is always interesting given the sensory differences coupled with the fact that you might not be able to see obstructions in the road. Because part of the course was through residential roads, there were sections that were illuminated a bit but there were some stretches that were completely dark. The Medway Police did a great job shutting down the roads and patrolling the course and were appreciative of all the runners out on the course supporting the Medway Police Association. The overall course was quite hilly with a healthy amount of rolling hills mixed in throughout the course. It definitely felt as though you were climbing for most of the race but thankfully right at the end of the race was a nice downhill heading into the finish.

The starting line was packed with flashing lights but quickly I broke from the pack and made my way onto the route. Despite the late starting time, I felt strong on the course and was running pretty strong through the first two miles. A couple of later uphills kept the legs honest and I continued to run strong in the final mile. I ended up finishing the Medway Police Chase 5K in 10th place overall with a time of 24:30, good for 7:53/miles.

A couple of quick modifications to this first annual race will help this race grow even better. Even though the race was at 9PM, a water stop was needed on the course. It was still warm out on the course, not scorching, but one water stop on a 5K course (even in the dark) is pretty much a standard for a 5K race. The other thing that seemed off was the price of tee-shirts. Free tees were provided to the first 100 registered runners and then were being sold for $25 to those looking for a shirt on race day. With plenty of extra shirts, charging $25 for a shirt when the day-of registration was $25 would have brought the price for the 5K to $50 if you wanted a shirt. A more reasonable price or simply giving them away would have been a better option.

The Medway Police Chase 5K was a really nice inaugural race and I hope they do this one again. A great idea in terms of differentiating against other 5Ks coupled with a nice and challenging course made this race a good option for future years, as well.

Are you tired of ruining your favorite running shirts due to all the race bib pin holes you have on the shirt? Well, worry no more because thanks to our friends over at BibBoards you can now #SaveTheShirt!

BibBoards replaces safety pins, letting you express yourself without ruining your garments. Patented BibBoards are the world’s best pinless bib number fasteners and safety pin replacements. They attach easily, and don’t damage clothes. For years, athletes have been ruining race shirts, pricking their fingers and struggling to secure race bibs. That is, until BibBoards came along!

BibBoards have a really cool ability to make customized options perfect for including a running club’s logo, a charity logo, an inspirational note or a variety of other options.

Race Directors can differentiate their road race from others by making custom BibBoards with their race’s logo on it which works well both on race day and then serves as an advertising vehicle as runners re-use the BibBoards at future runs. BibBoards makes it easy for Race Directors to design unique BibBoards for their race and would make for a nice addition to a race of any distance!

Businesses can gain visibility through sponsoring BibBoards with their logo on it for runners; the possibilities are truly endless! If you are interested in seeing how easy it is to make custom BibBoards, click here for details.

BibBoards also has some really neat standard options available for purchase including I Love Running, I Run Boston, Will Run for Wine and more! To see some of these options available for purchase, check out their website by clicking here.

For more information about BibBoards, be sure to visit their website by clicking here. You can also “Like” BibBoards on Facebook and follow them on Instagram and Twitter!