Registration is now open for the Kittery Fire Association 5K Run and Walk which will be held in Kittery, Maine on May 21st at 9AM.

This is a great, family friendly race in support of the Kittery Fire Association. Children under 12 years of age may walk free of charge and participants over age 60 years will receive a $5 discount for the race. Pets and strollers are welcome at the race and the stroller category features a fastest stroller award.

In addition to a great course that is a fun, mildly challenging 5K (3.1 mile course) with some hills, the Race Director has done a remarkable job ensuring the morning is a complete event focused on raising funds for Kittery’s bravest. There will be gift certificate awards for age categories by gender and the fastest firefighter will also receive an award. Each runner will receive a raffle ticket at registration which will be for the numerous prizes to be awarded after the event.

After the 5K race, a kids run will take place at 10am!

A pancake breakfast is held the morning before the race on Saturday, May 20th from 7 AM to 10 AM and runners can register at the breakfast for the race the next morning.

To register for the Kittery Fire Association 5K Run and Walk, please click here. Be sure to also “Like” the race on Facebook by clicking here to keep up to date with information about the race.

 

Last weekend it was back to my hometown of Holyoke, Massachusetts to celebrate the high holiday of St. Patrick’s Day in a city once known as Ireland Parish. Needless to say, the Irish heritage of Holyoke runs deep in a city that prides itself on a St. Patrick’s day weekend complete with a 10k road race and a parade that brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city to partake.

The Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day 10k is one of the finest 10k races you will find that takes runners along a course that features some challenging up and down hill stretches and through streets lined with revelers cheering runners along the way. Groups will break out with Irish tunes playing, a bagpiper plays just shy of mile 4 and supporters hand out water and Gatorade along the way. (Just past the Mile 5 marker is an unofficial quick beer stop where a shot of beer can help refuel for the final mile, as well.)

As I am training for a marathon, I had to add on a couple miles so ran three miles down to the starting line of the race. I arrived in plenty of time to see the pre-race performance by the Mummers who had a great crowd cheering them on as they played their Irish tunes to fire up the crowd.

Though some significant snow hit the area the week before the race, the course was in relatively good condition. There were some spots where running became a bit narrow and some spots seemed thinner than normal with crowds due to snowbanks but overall the course was in decent condition.

I finished the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Road Race with a time of 55:10, good for 8:52/miles. Adding on some miles before the race, I was happy with the pace and look forward to returning for next year’s run.

The season of Irish-themed road races is upon us and on March 5th it was off to New Bedford, Massachusetts for the Ireland 5K. This race is a flat course in the seaport district of New Bedford and starts a few yards away from Slainte Irish Pub which puts on a great post-race party for runners.

Race day weather had a rather typical March chill in the air but the wind was definitely a force to contend with. For this out and back 5K course, the wind wasn’t noticeably at your back on the first half of the race but was intense in the last mile of the run as you made your way into the whipping winds coming off the ocean. In the final stretch of the race running between two buildings it felt as though you were running in quicksand so the legs had to kick even harder to ensure a strong finish.

The race is very well organized and is hosted by former two-time Boston Marathon winner Geoff Smith who with his fellow race director ensure the race goes off without a hitch. With some water on the course, police and volunteers patrolling the turns and Irish music playing at the start helping to keep runners warm and moving, the Ireland 5K is a great race for runners to tackle annually.

I finished the Ireland 5K with a time of 24:59, good for 8:03/miles.