WMass Mother’s Day Half-Marathon Race Recap

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On a day that is supposed to be full of relaxation and pampering for mothers, I decided to bring Mrs. Running Griffin out to Western Massachusetts and have her run a half-marathon with me!

The WMass Mother’s Day Half-Marathon takes place in Whately, Massachusetts which is a small, rural farm community situated in beautiful Western Massachusetts. The race kicked off in the Yankee Candle factory parking lot so the scent of candles wafted through the race air and made me really want a piece of apple pie; subliminal candle scents must work!

The race day weather was rainy and the temperatures were sort of all over the place throughout the time out on the race course. The rain was misting at times and coming down more steadily at other times and the variation in temps ranged a bit adding an interesting component to the race that needed to be considered.

The first half of the race had a couple of decent hills mixed into the race and in the very first mile there was a nice incline that made me initially worry the race was going to be terribly hilly. But after hitting the Mile 7 water station the terrain really flattened out. The hills were rolling for the most part in the first half of the race and overall the elevation changes were quite fair but offered a nice challenge.

There were some absolutely beautiful stretches of this race as runners made their way past brooks and streams and alongside country roads full of farms, farm stands, small businesses and supporters greeting runners along the way. Some houses alongside the course had nice porches where locals read their papers and had a morning cup of coffee and cheered on the runners. The race had a feel reminiscent of the Covered Bridges Half-Marathon in Vermont and I highly recommend the race.

I finished the WMass Mother’s Day Half-Marathon with a time of 1:56:36 good for 8:55/miles. Overall not a bad a result for a moderately challenging race and some bad weather. I’ll take it!

Be sure to check out the WMass Mother’s Day Half-Marathon’s Facebook page to keep up to speed relative to next year’s run.

 

 

HMEA 15th Annual IncredABLE 5K

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Registration is now open for the  HMEA 15th Annual IncredABLE 5K! Held on May 22nd in Franklin, Massachusetts and supports HMEA’s work  of supporting 4000 children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities and allow them the ability to do pretty much anything they want or need to do.

HMEA celebrates the values, dreams and potential of individuals with disabilities and their families.

The 5K run takes place at EMC and after the race at 9AM stick around and enjoy a great lineup of activities that start at 10:00 am including entertainment and refreshments; a “Kids Corner” with lots of fun activities and prizes; a Kids FREE raffle, a “Dream Raffle” with great prizes; and a 50/50 Raffle where you could potentially win $5K at the 5K (payout is contingent upon number of spaces sold)! And, there’s so much more!

The race is chip timed, with mile splits on a USATF certified 5K course. All runners receive a t-shirt and awards for the top 3 finishers in each age group is a matted painting created by individuals who attend the programs at HMEA.

For more information about this race and to register, please click here.

2nd Annual Flag Day 5K in Woonsocket, R.I.

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The American Legion Post #85 is holding their 2nd Annual Flag Day 5K on Saturday,  June 11th.

The race director is currently running a special right now where anyone who signs up before the end of the month will be reimbursed $5.00 on race day! That means your registration fee is only a $15.00 registration fee and includes awards, t-shirt and a post run breakfast!

The course is a 5K rolling loop and is very well marked. The race features indoor facilitles with on site parking. After you run, runners are invited inside the American Legion Hall to enjoy a sausage and egg breakfast which is included with your registration fee. Proceeds from this event will be donated to “Operation Stand-Down” which provides homes for our local veterans and “Vittles for Vet’s”which is a local organization which provides food for hungry veterans.

To register for this race, please click here.

Race Recap: West Island 5K

On By The Running Griffin2 Comments

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Thankfully today’s race kicked off at 11AM which allowed me to take in my 8 year old’s soccer match that started at 8AM. Perhaps seeing her take the pitch and have a strong game was the motivation I needed to go out and have a good run today!

I left soccer and made my way to Fairhaven, Massachusetts for the West Island 5K. West Island is a great beach community of Fairhaven that has charming homes along the water. The race starts right next to the community center and a general store that sells the essentials needed for beach living.

I ran the West Island 5K in 2013 and many of the memories I had from that race came true again today. The course starts on a very nice downhill trajectory prior to making a left hand turn into residential roads. As runners make their way out to the tower along the water pictured in the medal above, a water stop is present and allows runners to quickly take some water before heading toward the Mile 2 marker. The final mile is a rather gradual climb heading back toward the finish line on this out-and-back course. I remembered when I pulled up to the race that the final .2 miles of the run features that downhill that was so enjoyed on the way out but becomes far more noticeably uphill given there are not as many people around as there were at the start. I put my head down and made my way up the hill and blasted into the finish chute feeling pretty good overall.

I finished today’s West Island 5K with a time of 23:25, good for 7:32/miles. Knowing I felt pretty strong along the course, it was nice to see that hard work pay off as I improved my 2013 time by 22 seconds.

Be sure to “Like” West Island 5K on Facebook by clicking here as this race is a great race you will want to add to your 2017 race schedule.

Join The Running Griffin at the Black Goose Marathon

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Anyone looking for a fall marathon and want to join The Running Griffin on what looks to be a great marathon course? Join me at The Black Goose Marathon in Seekonk, Massachusetts on October 30th for 26.2 miles!

If your looking for a beautiful run throughout the countryside, then this event is for you . This event will have limited traffic so you can enjoy the beauty of the course. The Black Goose Marathon will take you throughout two states (Massachusetts and Rhode Island) and four towns. Prior to the start of the event, runners can stay nice and warm inside if the weather is a little chilly. The finish line will be a stadium style finish and the course will be a certified 26.2 mile course and will serve as a Boston Marathon Qualifier.

The beauty of this race is that it has a reasonable marathon entry fee of just $65 and is sure to be a race you will not want to miss. You can register online for The Black Goose Marathon by clicking here. For those not ready for a full marathon, there is also a half-marathon option available. Please be sure to “Like” the race on Facebook, as well, by clicking here.

I hope to see many of you in Seekonk on October 30th!