On Saturday morning it was off to America’s Hometown of Plymouth, Massachusetts for the 3rd Annual Heroes Live Forever 5K. This 5K takes place right in the middle of American History and kicks off and finishes adjacent to Plymouth Rock and brought out a nice group of runners tackling the streets of Plymouth for a good cause.

The race supports fallen first responders who passed in the line of duty and several of the runners had close ties to law enforcement. Even for those who are not personally connected to law enforcement a a general appreciation for all they do certainly was noted amongst the crowd.

The family of Massachusetts State Trooper Thomas Clardy will be the recipient of the Maloney Family Pay-It-Forward fund for the 2016 race.  Trooper Clardy lost his life in the line of duty on March 16, 2016 during a traffic stop on the Massachusetts Turnpike.  In addition to his 11 years of service as a State Trooper, he served for 13 years in the military including 11 years in the Marines.  Funds will support his family; his wife, Reisa, and their six children who are between the ages of 4 and 17.

Earlier this week, Officer Ronald Tarentino of the Auburn, Massachusetts police department was also killed in the line of duty, shot during a routine traffic stop. Moments of silence were held for Clardy and Tarentino and all of those who have died in the line of duty.

The race day temperatures were quite warm with the thermometer hitting the 90 degree mark therefore it was a warm and sunny race course. The course has a rather gradual incline the first two miles that while running is certainly more pronounced than one would expect. The last mile of the run brings runners back into the Plymouth Harbor section of Plymouth and features a rather fast and flat final stretch.

I’ve been battling some health issues recently which Thursday had me at the cardiologist and with a CAT scan followed Friday with an echo-cardiogram. Though I still have some more health things to deal with ahead, running is a good way to free up the mind from some of those issues and I wasn’t going to let that hold me back from racing on Saturday.

I finished the 3rd Annual Heroes Live Forever 5K with a time of 24:59, good for 8:02/miles. Not my best time of the season but with the heat and health issues to contend with, I am happy with that time. Plymouth is an absolutely great place to run, particularly in the summer, so keep an eye out for races taking place there and sign up to tackle the streets the Pilgrims walked if you can!

The 3rd Annual Race the Lake will be held on Saturday, June 11, 2016 in the Greater Cooperstown, New York region. Featuring both a full and half-marathon option you definitely want to check out this race!

The race will circle clockwise around the picturesque Otsego Lake. Runners will travel through Cooperstown, Springfield, Middlefield and the Town of Otsego. You will have views of the lake almost all the way as you pass Glimmerglass Opera, The Farmers Museum, The Otesaga Resort Hotel and several other landmarks. Both of the races will be challenging, not only for the mileage, but also the elevation changes. It’s the perfect setting for a marathon!

The 26.2 will start and end at The Clark Sports Center. The 13.1 race will start on Route 80, just past the Glimmerglass Opera. Half-marathon runners will merge with marathon runners shortly before the 5 mile marker on County Rt. 31. Both races will finish together at The Clark Sports Center.

To register for the Race the Lake Marathon or Half-Marathon, please click here.

37th Annual Shelter Island Run 10K/5K Run/Walk Presented by Bridgehampton National Bank  

Run with Former Olympians and Revel on the Rock at the NEW After Race Party! 

The 37th Annual Shelter Island 10K/5K Run/Walk, a USA track and field certified course, will be held on Saturday, June 18th, 2016 at 5:30 p.m.  Touted as the most scenic course by Runner’s World Magazine, the Shelter Island Run is a fundraising event for East End Charities. This year’s race will welcome former Olympian, four time NYC Marathon winner and four time Boston Marathon winner, Bill Rodgers and Olympic Gold Medal winner and first-ever women’s Olympic marathon champion, Joan Benoit Samuelson.  As well George A. Hirsch, Chairman of the Board of the New York Road Runners, a veteran of well over 40 marathons, publisher of Runner’s World, joint founder of the NYC Marathon in 1976, and labeled “the most mentally tough runner I know” by writer, runner, ultra athlete, Bart Yasso, will run the race.  In honor of George and Bill’s participation, the running duo has devised a unique challenge for the race field “The Great Prediction.” Saturday afternoon prior to the race, a booth will be set up where runners can make predictions of the combined running time of George and Bill in the 10K. There will be prizes for closest predictions.

Introducing the NEW After Race Party Revelry on the Rock

New to the race this year is “Revelry on the Rock,” the official Shelter Island Run after party, produced and sponsored by John Kowolenko of Hampton Event Management International.  Revelry on the Rock will be held following the race starting at 7 p.m. at the Island Boatyard and Marina on Shelter Island.  There will be live music with the Hoo Doo Loungers and DJ Twilo, local artisan food trucks, cash bar, local merchant shopping area, a photo booth, kids fun area, amazing raffle prizes including airfare, hotel stay and sailing charter, and a free BBQ for runners prepared by Salt Waterfront Bar and Grill.  Free admission for runners, $10 admission for non-participants and kids 14 and under are free.  For a full schedule of events throughout the weekend visit http://www.shelterislandrun.com/events.html.

Race for Good – Supporting Local Charities

Proceeds from the race will go to support several East End charities. The Shelter Island 10K Community Fund, which assists our community with philanthropic donations to community programs for Shelter Island, educational services including scholarships, project Excel, school trips and family services.  East End Hospice, which offers home health care, with short-term hospital stay when needed, for the people of the Hamptons and surrounding Long Island towns. Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch, which provides a safe haven for boys ages 10-21 who are in need of a therapeutic environment.

Registration Information

Runners may register online or by mail.  Sign up is available online at http://bit.ly/1WbHUKN.

Register by mail by printing the application at http://www.shelterislandrun.com/10KApplicationWeb2016.pdf and mail with check payable to S.I. Run Inc., PO Box 266, Shelter Island, NY 11964.  Fees are as follows: 10K – $40, $50 Day of Race; 5K – $30, $40 Day of Race, $15 Kids under 14, and veterans are free.  Awards will be given for winners in the 10k, 5k run and 5k walk categories, with a $10,000 Runner’s Purse and course bonuses for the 10k. For a full list of runner’s purse visit http://www.shelterislandrun.com/elite.html.

Sponsors of this year’s event include: Bridgehampton National Bank, Frank J. Adipietro, MD, Hampton Jitney, Shelter Island Environmental, South Ferry, Shelter Island Reporter, The Ram’s Head Inn, Hampton Event management International, Edible East End, Norsic, The Island Boatyard & Marina, Hamptons.com, Joseph J. Theinert Memorial Fund, Sunset Beach, WordHampton Public Relations, Schmidt’s, WBAZ, WEHM, Beach 101.7, American Legion, WLNG, Harry Hackett and Dr. Louise Collins, The Chequit, North Fork Beverage Corp., Ian McDonald Architect, Little Dutch Sailing Charters, One Healthy Hamptons, Erica Stype McKenzie of Andrew Stype Realty, Krauss Musculoskeletal Institute, Historic Films, PopChips and Bai Water.

For more information about Shelter Island Run please visit http://www.shelterislandrun.com or call (631) 774-9499. For press inquiries contact Nicole Castillo of WordHampton Public Relations at (631) 329-0050 or email nicole@wordhampton.com.

Registration is now open for the Provincetown 10K which will be held on June 5, 2016 at 9AM in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Come run the pristine town of Provincetown! Located at the end of the Cape, the charity event donates all proceeds to art and community services local to the area. Come help support wonderful organizations all while taking in the wonderful sights of “P’town”. The race kicks off at Lopes Square/MacMillan Pier in Provincetown.

The Provincetown 10K raises funds for the Provincetown Art Association & Museum and Outer Cape Health Services.

To register for the Provincetown 10K, please click here. You can also “Like” the race on Facebook by clicking here and can follow the race on Twitter by clicking here.

Dedham Trails Day Set for Saturday, June 18^th

Canoe & Kayak Rides, Biathlon, 5K Trail Run/Walk, Live Music, Food and More! 

DEDHAM, Ma.  Join us to celebrate our town’s land and water trails at Dedham Trails Day, Saturday, June 18, 2016 from 10AM-1PM at the Dolan Recreation Center, 269 Common Street.

The event will feature free demos by L.L. Bean of kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) from 10am -1pm as well as local civic groups, environmental and health-based organizations.

The NewBridge on the Charles campus will host a biathlon starting at 9:30am, featuring a 5K trail run and kayak race on the Charles River.  The 5K Trail Run/Walk kicks off at 9:45am taking runners from the NewBridge trails through Whitcomb Woods to the Dolan Center trails. Both races finish at the Dolan Center where there will be free food, refreshments, live music, face painting, balloon art and much more!

To register for the Biathlon or 5K Trail Run/Walk visit www.llbean.com/dedham.