Registration is now open for the 12th Annual Butterfly 5K which will be held on August 12th in North Attleboro, Massachusetts!

The 12th Annual Butterfly 5K for Julia’s Garden will kick off at 9 AM at the WWI Memorial Park in North Attleboro, MA.

This net downhill race is a community favorite and is very much a family fun day: The race takes place at a community zoo, sports and playground complex at the WWI Memorial Park and Zoo. The Butterfly 5K is an annual fundraiser for The Julia Cekala Charitable Foundation and all proceeds support “Julia’s Garden”, a 4 acre memorial garden park and playground complex in memory to 9 year old Julia Cekala. Race day includes music, food, raffles, children’s activities and a Kid’s Fun Run. Post race, there is a trophy award ceremony and live butterfly release! The race is an official summer race of Team Hoyt and Dick and Rick Hoyt and Team Hoyt will join the race again this year!

The goal of The Julia Cekala Foundation is to focus on the issues that affected Julia’s life and to support the community through recreation, education and medical assistance. To learn more about the foundation and about Julia Cekala, please click here.

To register for the 12th Annual Butterfly 5K, please click here to register online. Be sure to also “Like” the Julia Cekala Foundation on Facebook by clicking here.

Registration is now open for the Bridge & Back 10K which is being held in Salem, Massachusetts on August 5th. Faithful readers of The Running Griffin attended last year’s Bridge & Back 10K and reported back glowing reviews of the race so be sure to add this 10K to your race calendar!

With a name like the Bridge & Back 10K you could probably have guessed that there is going to be a bridge involved! Runners make their way over the Salem/Beverly Bridge on this 10K route giving runners a bit of an incline while racing up and down the bridge. Once runners make their way along the 10K route, there is a great post-race party at the Tavern in the Square in Salem where runners can refuel and enjoy a cold pint after the run.

The first 300 participants will receive a short sleeve t-shirt! Race Director Doug Bollen puts on some amazing races and this year’s Bridge & Back 10K is sure to be no exception!

All proceeds from the event benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem. Be sure to help pack the starting line to help raise funds for this great organization!

To register for the Bridge & Back 10K, please click here. You can also “Like” the race on Facebook by clicking here.

 

Registration is now open for the 5th Annual Run for Jess which will be held on Saturday, September 1st in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. I have run this race a number of times since it has started and can assure you that this is one 5K race you will not want to miss!

All proceeds from the Run for Jess 5K benefit the Jessica C. Thurston Memorial Foundation. Jess was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 at the age of 27. After a very courageous battle with the disease Jess lost her life in August of 2013 at the age of 29. Throughout her illness she displayed so much strength and resilience; living her life with hope and a positive attitude.

Jess’s family and friends put on this amazing race that takes runners through the streets of East Bridgewater and the Foundation helps support breast cancer research in Jess’s memory.

The run is a good course on residential roads and there is a water stop half-way through the race. You get a couple of gradual hills mixed in for good measure which helps make the burgers and hot dogs served after the race taste all that much better! The race has a remarkable amount of raffle prizes available so be sure to bring some cash and take a chance on winning some great things to take home with you!

The race is a perfect family event complete with the kids race and the cookout. The race starts and finishes just outside the grounds of the Commercial Club in East Bridgewater so there is plenty of room to kick a soccer ball, run around, throw a football, etc.

To register for the Run for Jess, please click here. You will also want to be sure to follow the race on Facebook by clicking here and give a “Like” to the Foundation’s page here.

Every year it seems as though the Finish at the Fifty is held on the hottest day of the summer and this year was no exception. Though in the past I have opted to run the 5K at 6PM followed by the 10K at 7PM, I am glad this year I chose to only run the 5K course as the heat was downright ridiculous this past week here in New England.

The Finish at the Fifty is held on the hallowed grounds the New England Patriots call home. There is always a significant size crowd for this race given the allure of finishing at the fifty yard line inside Gillette Stadium and this year’s heat didn’t seem to thin the crowd out much. This isn’t a race you are going to PR at; rather, the race is an experience run and one that is quite fun to enjoy.

My daughter, one of her friends and Mrs. Running Griffin also ran this year’s race and deserve a ton of credit for tackling the run with such oppressive temperatures present even at a 6PM start.

The first mile of the race takes runners through the parking lots around Gillette Stadium and the heat coming off the pavement is quite noticeable. There is a water stop just around the 1 mile mark and then again around the 1.5 mile mark before runners head into the stadium. Once runners make their way through the parking lot, the race then takes an uphill turn as runners run the ramps from the ground entrance of the stadium all the way to the top of the stadium. Once the ramps have been tackled up, a quick loop around the upper bowl of Gillette then takes runners down another set of ramps to head back down toward ground level. These downhill ramps can be a nice challenge, as well, given the gravity pulling on your knees while running them. After heading down a set of the ramps, a half loop around the lower bowl of the stadium then takes runners outside quickly before heading into a tunnel to run out onto the field and be greeted by throngs of fans cheering you into the finish line.

As runners are heading into the finish line at the fifty yard line, runners are shown on the Jumbotron and the Patriots cheerleaders and mascot welcome you into the finish line. One disappointment this year is that there was no New England Patriot player available at the finish line as in the past players like Nate Solder or Jerrod Mayo were there cheering you in and available for photos.

After the race, we hung around the parking lot of Gillette Stadium and tailgated with friends and enjoyed a great fireworks celebration once it was dark out.

Even with the heat and the sea of runners and walkers present, I ran a nice race and felt strong heading both up and down the ramps and finished with an overall time of 26:11, good for 8:26/miles.