On June 9th, plan to make your way to Dedham, Massachusetts for the Pack the Pantry 5K.

Hosted and sponsored by St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 950 East Street, Dedham, the “Pack the Pantry 5K” will seek to raise money for the Dedham Food Pantry. The race day festivities will include a Kids Run at 8:30 AM followed by the 5K at 9:00 AM. After you are done tackling the 5K course, there will be a free pancake breakfast for all participants following the race.

This is a good opportunity for all members of the community to support the needs of the hungry in the Greater Dedham area. If you register online and share the race on Facebook, you will also receive a $2 discount off your registration fee so be sure to register today!

Runners (and walkers!) can sign up at https://www.raceentry.com/race-reviews/pack-the-pantry-5k-dedham.

I look forward to seeing you in Dedham on June 9th!

This weekend was a back-to-back race weekend with Saturday’s Benting Strong 5K followed by Sunday’s Spring Classic 5K in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Cambridge Classic series feature seasonal 5Ks that take runners through the heart of Cambridge and the weather for this year’s Spring Classic made for some very nice running conditions.

The Spring Classic is not the kind of race where you will likely make a PR as you are running amongst a sea of other runners on a 5K course. The course is relatively pancake flat and there is no shortage of running friends joining you along each step of the course. It is sort of surreal to run down Mass. Ave on a Sunday morning with bystanders, Uber drivers, Sunday commuters and others sort of taking it all in that close to 3000 runners are out for a run.

The course is patrolled at each intersection by a Cambridge Police Officer and the race really takes precedent to any traffic needs for the short amount of time it takes for runners to pass by. A water stop is at the midway point and runners are treated to both a tee-shirt and a pint glass should they register far enough in advance.

Post-race, a really nice setup of tents for larger teams and a beer line for all participants is available and this year Brooklyn Brewery was the featured beer with both an orange pale ale and a summer ale available.

Felt good running on Sunday and finished the Spring Classic 5K with a time of 24:44, good for 7:58/miles. For such a crowded course, great result and good way to cap off a back-to-back race weekend!

On Sunday, May 20th head over to Boston, Massachusetts and join me at the Esplanade 5K!

If you have never run the Esplanade before, this 5K will take you on the most popular route in Greater Boston! This course takes an unparalleled riverfront route with both water and garden views set against the iconic backdrop of the Boston and Cambridge skylines. The Esplanade is one of the best spots to run in all of Boston and this race, sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, will take runners across the Esplanade for a great run! The finish line is perfectly photogenic, with passing sailboats on the Charles River.

Proceeds from the race will benefit The Esplanade Association so in addition to being able to run a great course you will also be supporting an awesome cause. The Esplanade Association is a 100% privately-funded nonprofit organization that works to revitalize and enhance the Charles River Esplanade, sustain the natural green space, and build community by providing educational, cultural, and recreational programs for everyone. Working in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Esplanade Association is dedicated to improving the experiences of the millions of visitors who enjoy Boston’s iconic riverside park.

To join me at the Esplanade 5K, please click here to register. Be sure to also RSVP on the race’s Facebook event page and I’ll see you at the starting line on May 20th!

This morning it was off to Pembroke, Massachusetts for the 2nd Annual Benting Strong 5K. This race took place in memory of Matt Benting, a Bridgewater State University student who passed away unexpectedly at a young age.

The race took place on a familiar course that matched the HussDog Jog 5K Road Race course. Having run the HussDog course in the past, I knew what to expect in terms of the roads and the weather this morning made for some nice running conditions where shorts were called for and a long-sleeve top did the trick.

At this morning’s 5K road race, before runners made their way out onto the course the mother of Matt Benting noted the following: “As you leave here today, I ask you to do one thing in Matt’s memory: Be kind to one another. It doesn’t have to be buying someone a coffee or anything big, it can be holding the door for someone, smiling at someone or just saying hello.” Some pretty awesome words to live by if you ask me!

This course is a rather moderately challenging 5K course with a couple rolling hills mixed in and a decent little incline in the final mile. Just before you hit the three mile marker there is another late, slight uphill that keeps the legs honest. The Pembroke Police Department did an excellent job patrolling the course and volunteers were at a couple of the turns, as well. A water stop was available at the half-way point and each mile was marked for runners.

I finished the 2nd Annual Benting Strong 5K with a time of 25:15, good for 8:08/miles. Thanks to Marathon Physical Therapy for providing some much needed post-race stretching and muscle work!

 

This weekend was a back-to-back race weekend with a 5K on Saturday morning followed by a 5 miler on Sunday. Temperatures were still chilly and raw with Spring not  yet hitting the New England region but it felt good to tackle two races both of a different variety and distance in one weekend.

On Saturday, it was off to Carver, Massachusetts for the Coyote Family Challenge 5K. The race started off nice and early at 9AM and funds raised from the race went to benefit the local school organization that sponsored the race. Runners made their way to the back of the school toward trails and the race director announced that all of the run would take place around cranberry bogs and on trails and paths surrounding the bogs.

The course conditions were less than ideal with some previous storms leaving the course both wet in spots and other spots covered with some branches. The race was mostly on trails or dirt aside from a small patch of running on roads inside the farm lot adjacent to the bogs. Running conditions were less than ideal and an awkward sort of double loop was a bit of a challenge in terms of motivation. I finished the race with a time of 25:42, good for 8:16/miles.

On Sunday, it was off to the Jamaica Plain section of Boston for Doyle’s Road Race. The race served as the April Grand Prix for the Thirsty Irish Runners and all proceeds from the race benefit Sister Jeanne’s Kids Fund and the Boston Police Gaelic Column of Pipes and Drums.

Doyle’s Road Race is a 5 mile course through Franklin Park and features a relatively hilly course completely within the grounds of Franklin Park aside from the final stretch into the finish line immediately outside of the historic Doyle’s. An added bonus to the race is that the Gaelic Column plays runners into the finish line and some local residents also form a drum circle up the road leading into the finish line. Nothing gets your legs pumping into the finish like some great tunes!

Doyle’s Road Race is a true Boston-style run with locals in the park cheering runners along, Boston politicians handing out water at the water stops and none other than Boston Mayor Marty Walsh handing out water at the finish line. Now, Mayor Walsh can claim the fame of having a selfie with The Running Griffin, too!

Finished Doyle’s Road Race with a time of 42:18, good for 8:27/miles for the five mile race. Nice to have a back-to-back race weekend completed once again and look forward to the next tackling of two races in one weekend!