Sunday afternoon brought absolutely perfect running conditions to the Greater Boston area and a final blast of late summer graced runners as they toed the starting line at the 5th Annual Irish Cultural Center 5K. This event is held at the Irish Cultural Center of New England in Canton, Massachusetts and supports the Irish heritage work that the ICC does.

The race starts and finishes on the grounds of the Irish Cultural Center which features a building including a pub, fields where hurling, rugby and soccer matches and circles the grounds on the way out onto the course. Bagpipers played in the first mile and added a nice touch to the race. Fiddlers also were around the two mile mark and infused some nice Irish tunes into the course. The course runs through an industrial park that the ICC also calls home and for the most part is a relatively flat course. Volunteers were aplenty out on the race course and two water stops were present on the course for runners to hydrate.

An absolutely stunning rendition of both the American and Irish national anthems took place prior to the race which was a true highlight of the day. Perhaps another musical act on the course could have helped infuse a bit more Irish into the course.

Upon finishing the race, runners could enjoy two free pints with each race entry and food was available, as well. The Gobshites rocked the post-race tent and performed some great tunes for the runners to enjoy.

I finished the Irish Cultural Center 5K with a respectable time of 23:48, good for 7:41/miles. It was a great day for the Irish and a great day for runners!

This morning it was off to East Bridgewater, Massachusetts for the 4th Annual Run for Jess. This great event features a rolling 5K course through the road of East Bridgewater and has a great post-race BBQ complete with food, raffles and games for the kids. Next season if you are looking for a race to add to the running docket be sure to mark this one down to complement your Labor Day weekend activities!

The Run for Jess 5K  is held in memory of Jessica Thurston who passed away from breast cancer at the young age of just 29. To honor her memory the Jessica C. Thurston Memorial Fund was established by her family and friends. By holding events throughout the year, and raising funds for breast cancer research The Fund’s sincerest hope is to one day put an end to this dreaded disease. Additionally, the Memorial Fund also supports graduating students at the East Bridgewater High School with a scholarship in Jess’s name.

It’s heard to fathom a 29 year old young woman passing away from breast cancer coupled with the toll such a loss must have had on her family and friends. However, seeing the remarkable good coming out of such a loss is truly inspiring and the race organizers should be proud of their efforts to help fund a cure for breast cancer.

The course is an open-road race with a nice mix of rolling, residential hills mixed into the race. There is a water stop about half-way through the race and a fast finish into the finish line. Today’s running conditions were absolutely perfect weather-wise and it was a great experience to once again run this race. I didn’t have my best run today but finished with a decent 26:01 finish time good for 8:22/miles.

For more information about the Jessica C. Thurston Memorial Fund, please be sure to “Like” the page on Facebook by clicking here.

 

Edgewood Pool & Tennis Club invites runners and walkers of all ages to join them on Sunday morning, August 27th, for a 3.1 mile race that will begin at Edgewood, wind through the streets of Raynham, Massachusetts and finish back on site.

Bib and t-shirt pick up will occur at Edgewood that day before the race, Saturday August 26th, from 4:00 – 7:00 PM and again the next morning beginning at 7:30 AM. The race will step off at promptly 9:00 AM.

Registration is $25 per person and the first 50 registrants will receive a free t-shirt, so act quickly… sizes are limited!

This race is open to the public and is a great way to meet fellow runners who are members of Edgewood and see what a great club Edgewood is!

You can register for the Edgewood 5K by clicking here.