Registration is now open for the 4th Annual New Life Furniture Bank 5K Trail Run! Runners and walkers of all ages are welcome at this race and there will be both a socially-distanced in-person race and a virtual race option available which makes this run perfect for runners from all over looking for a good challenge.

The in-person race will take place on May 8th at Medfield State Hospital in Medfield, Massachusetts. Participant will wait in their cars and will have staggered start times to allow for social distancing. The in-person event will only occur if Massachusetts moves into the stage of Phase 4 that allows road races. Race organizers will make a decision about whether or not the in-person event will occur by April 30th. If the in-person race is not able to be held, in-person registrations will be converted to virtual registrations.

The virtual run will take place anytime between April 17th and May 8th and runners can tackle a 5K course of their choosing anywhere around the globe.

To register for the New Life Furniture Bank 5K, please click here.

All proceeds from thus race benefits the New Life Furniture Bank of Massachusetts. New Life Furniture Bank of MA is a charitable organization, lead by volunteers, that accepts furniture and household items, and makes them available at no charge to those in need through referring agencies. A great cause to support so please register today!

Looking for another great spring challenge? Join me for the Hop to the Top 50 sponsored by elitefeats!

This is a minimum fifty mile challenge that will take from April 1st to April 30th and you can run, walk or bike as part of this challenge. You can set your own goal if you are looking for something more ambitious than a fifty mile challenge for the month. Those registering can also either run solo or can create a team to challenge friends and family to sticking to a mile challenge for the month. This would be a great option for running clubs or families looking for some fun, virtual competition to take place.

This virtual challenge comes with some great race swag including a running buff, a finisher medal, a drawstring bag and a running tech-shirt! Competing in a fun, virtual challenge complete with an awesome lineup of race swag; great way to tackle the month of April head on!

Proceeds from this race benefits the Never Stop Running Foundation, a 501c3 organization that supports athletic and charitable events as they raise awareness and foster community involvement as well as encouraging and promoting Olympic development for local emerging elite and post collegiate runners.

To join me in the Hop to the Top 50, please click here to register. I’d love to learn more about what mileage challenge you will be tackling so be sure to reach out and let me know!

With live races still on hold here in Massachusetts, it’s time to sign up for another virtual race series! Join me in registering for the Nantucket 250! Organized by the Boston Road Runners, this is a 250 mile run that will take place between April 1st and May 31st and will take runners on a virtual run from Boston to Cape Cod and then over to Nantucket.

Runners will be able to maintain motivation along the way with custom content, mini-challenges, digital badge awards and beach swag. As part of registration, runners will receive a shirt and sunglasses and a Nalgene water bottle along with great digital support to make this virtual race series a fun time.

Proceeds from the race will go to benefit Boston area charities that improve the community, health and youth initiatives. The Boston Road Runners have set a fundraising goal of $25,000 so each and every registration will help get them closer to that goal.

To join me in the virtual Nantucket 250, please click here to register for the run. There is already a Facebook group established for this run and it will be great to have you join me along the way!

This would typically be the weekend when thousands of runners make their way to the city of Holyoke, Massachusetts for the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race but for the second year in a row the global pandemic has forced a cancellation of the iconic race. This 10K course brings elite runners racing for cash prizes and casual once a year runners alike to the city with a rich Irish history for a road race that is truly one of the finest in the country. Spectators line the course, Irish music is a plenty, an unofficial beer stop in the final mile makes for some added merriment for those wishing to partake and the city really comes out and celebrates St. Patrick’s Day and makes for a really fun running atmosphere.

This year, the race directors pivoted and moved the race to a virtual 10K to keep people in the spirit as much as possible. Race registration came with one of the famous Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race shirts being mailed out to you so registering for the virtual race was a no-brainer.

I ran the virtual 10K around Bridgewater, Massachusetts this morning kicking off at 6:20. It was a cold start with temperatures in the 20’s but overall it was a pretty nice morning for a run. It certainly wasn’t the same as hearing the bagpipers on Homestead Avenue, racing down the hill on Cherry Street, making the final turn to head toward the old Holyoke Catholic High School or enjoying a pint at one of the Irish pubs near the finish lines but partaking in the virtual 10K was still a nice way to keep the legs moving and give me something to look forward to in 2022 when hopefully we are through the thick of the pandemic and races will be safe again.

I finished up the virtual Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race with a time of 56:31, good for 9:07/miles.

Hope everyone else who is partaking in the Virtual Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race had a good time and look forward to being back at the starting line in downtown Holyoke soon enough!

If you didn’t know that yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day, shame on you.

The past year has been a rough one and missing out on road races has been a significant struggle of COVID. And when it comes to running road races, some of my favorite races are St. Patrick’s Day runs as they usually feature the best crowds, Irish music, general merriment and usually a pint of beer at the finish line. (Or heck, sometimes even on the course!)

So yesterday it was time to tackle a virtual run while St. Patrick’s Day runs are cancelled once again this year and it was the Irish Cultural Centre of New England’s Luck of the Irish 3.17 mile virtual race that fit the bill. A touch over a 5K but with an appropriate 3.17 mile distance fitting for March 17th the race could be run anywhere in the world and I ran in Bridgewater, Massachusetts during the afternoon. The roads were, of course, open to traffic so I had to plan a route accordingly but ran a rather straight course from my home down to the heart of downtown Bridgewater. The weather was nice for March with temperatures right around 50 degrees and with clear skies so shorts and a jacket were in order. I felt good during the run and wrapped up the 3.17 mile run with a time of 25:21, good for 7:59/miles. Not too shabby for a virtual run!

To learn more about the great work that the Irish Cultural Centre of New England does, please be sure to check out their website by clicking here.