Registration is now open for the New England Running Company 10 Miler and this is one race you are not going to want to miss! All proceeds from the race go to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem & Alzheimer’s Association of America, a cause near and dear to my heart as my grandmother passed away years back after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s.

This is the third race in the new New England Running Company/Brooks Race Series 2016! The New England Running Company/Brooks Race Series will feature some of the best road races from the North Shore and will have spectacular views of the coastline. For more information or to receive the NERC Race Series form please send an email to dougbollen12@yahoo.com.

Date/Time: June 19, 2016 (Father’s Day) at 7:30 am
Location: Cove Community Center, 19 East Corning Street, Beverly, MA.
Entry Fee: $35 for-pre race entries, $38 on race day
T-Shirts: Register early, short sleeve tech shirts are only guaranteed for the first 400 runners to register.
Awards: Overall winners Male and Female. Age Group Awards for top 3 male and females: 18 and under, 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+

Results to be posted on northshoretiming.com and Coolrunning.com

Information: Contact Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem (978) 744-0915 or Email:dougbollen12@yahoo.com

Packet Pick Up: Friday, June 17th from 10 am to 7 pm & Saturday, June 18th from 9:30 am to 6 pm at New England Running Company, 43 Enon Street, Beverly

Day of Packet Pick Up: Starting at 6 am, Cove Community Center, 19 East Corning Street, Beverly

Registration is now open for Stepping Stones For Stella and the JCC Freedom Run/Walk. Join runners and walkers for this wonderful Father’s Day event held on Sunday, June 19th at 9:00 AM.

The race will take place at the JCC of the North Shore located at 4 Community Road in Marblehead, Massachusetts. This event helps to raise funding for Stepping Stones for Stella, a non-profit who provides buggies for children in need.

This event is open to runners and walkers of all abilities and shirts will be given to the first 100 people registered. You can register online by clicking here.

Stepping Stones for Stella is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide Buggies to children with disabilities to ensure they and their families experience the joy and freedom of the great outdoors to its fullest.

For more information about Stepping Stones for Stella, please visit their website by clicking here. You can also check them out on Facebook and Twitter!

Please don’t delay and register for this great race for an amazing cause today!

With the warm spring weather hitting the Boston area on Saturday, the old adage about waiting five minutes for New England weather to change up rang true this past weekend as cooler and windy conditions graced the Boston area on Sunday morning. It was off to Cambridge, Massachusetts on Sunday morning for the Race 4 Research 5K which helped to raise funds for ALS research.

The race took place in the technology corridor of Cambridge and featured a nice run through Cambridge. A relatively flat run overall there were only a few gradual risers mixed into the route. The race directors did a great job having the busier cross streets on the open course patrolled by both Cambridge police officers, cadets and volunteers alike.

The wind certainly added a challenge factor to the race as the headwind made for some challenging strides but kept runners honest. The race had some quick runners as part of the field and in addition to the 5K run a 4 mile walk also went off a half-hour prior to the 5K race starting allowing both walkers and runners to raise funds for ALS research.

After the race, there was a nice spread of food available as well as beer samples from Portico Brewing Company, Wachusett Brewery and Cambridge Brewing Company. There were some cornhole boards available for people to enjoy and a DJ kept the vibe going.

I finished the Race 4 Research with a time of 24:31, good for 7:55/miles.

All proceeds benefit the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS.net), the first and largest nonprofit biotech focused 100 percent on ALS research. Founded in 1999, the Institute brings together 30 industry-trained scientists with experience discovering drugs and bringing them to market. Led by people living with the disease and their families, we understand the urgent need to slow and stop this terrible disease. For more information about how your participation impacts our work, visit www.als.net.

Spring came roaring in like a lion on Saturday as runners made their way to Norwood, Massachusetts for the Run for a Vet 5 Miler. The race served as a Grand Prix race for the Thirsty Irish Runners so a sea of the TIR green huddled amongst the runners gathered at the starting line.

The race kicked off at Norwood High School therefore the immediate concern of running up the Nichols Street hill, known by runners who run the Norwood Turkey Trot, was quickly allayed when the race director announced that the course would take runners down the hill but would loop through different sections of Norwood and Westwood and leave out the hill in the final stretch.

New England spring can always be rather unpredictable and Saturday brought one of the warmer days of spring to the region. The course was a nice, challenging course that even without the Nichols hill included some rather noticeable inclines along the way. Leading into the final mile there was a hill that although it was not the Nichols Street hill was still a significant incline that challenged runners particularly with the heat.

I finished the Norwood Run for a Vet 5 Miler with a time of 42:11, good for 8:27/miles.

Proceeds from the race benefited several veterans based charities and a special presentation was made to the mother of fallen soldier Alexander Arredondo in honor of the ultimate sacrifice he made protecting our freedoms. A beautiful ceremony and a great race!