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A little delayed getting this posting done but last weekend it was off to Hanson, Massachusetts for Damien’s Freaky 5K. Hosted at a local, neighborhood haunt known for having some amazing South Shore bar pizza, this race was the October Grand Prix Series run for the Thirsty Irish Runners so a number of TIR teammates packed the starting line along with a nice crowd of other runners making this the largest field of runners to ever run the Freaky 5K.

Runners can dress up and don Halloween costumes for this race and there are some real gems of costumes out on the course. Kudos to two guys who decided to wear jeans and jean shorts as part of their costumes which had to have caused a significant chafing situation to be dealt with post-run. Vikings, football players, police officers and maybe even someone dressed up as a convict running for president were seen out on the course but for the less adventurous runners like myself the day made for some nice running conditions to rock shorts and a long-sleeve out on the course.

The course has a nice upward climb in the first mile and though it is nothing too signficant, you are climbing for most of the first mile. After a quick left into a neighborhood you then flatten out for a bit in the second mile and there is a water stop you can hit as you make your way both in and out of the neighborhood. Because it is an out-and-back course, the climbing of the first mile provides you with a nice downhill finish in the final mile and as you make your way back to Damien’s you begin to be greeted by a relatively nice crowd of folks cheering runners into the finish line.

Finished up Damien’s Freaky 5K with a time of 25:42, good for 8:17/miles. Post-run, runners could stick around the parking lot for burgers, hot dogs and beer but we ended up hitting up one of our favorite coffee shops, Slacktide Coffee Roasters, which was about 10 minutes down the road instead.

Always like when you can find a brand new road race to take part in and even better when it supports a great local organization like a small farm. This morning it was off to Cohasset, Massachusetts for the inaugural running of the Holly Hill Hustle 5K.

This race took place in the general area of Holly Hill Farm and was a double loop on the streets in the neighborhood near the farm. The area is known for having some big money houses so runners had plenty to look at whether it be the houses or the beautiful views of the ocean along the run. Though a 5K, this race was not for the faint of heart as the hills on the course were quite simply no joke and the fact you had to run them twice made for some real climbing along the entire course. The weather couldn’t have been any better this morning with temps in the low 60s which made for just the perfect autumn morning for a run.

Felt decent while out there running but probably could have gone with just the short sleeve shirt as the sun really warmed things up while running out on the coastal course. The hills definitely challenged the legs on the 5K course and with the amount of climbing being done I had to peel back the pace some. Still, not a terrible ending time of 28:18, good for 9:07/miles. If this was a flat 5K, this would have been a bit disappointing but all in all not a bad end outcome with all the climbing being done.

Holly Hill Farm has been focused on sustainable growing since its start and ahead of their time in many ways, having received their first certification as an organic farm by the USDA in 2000. They have continued to meet these strict requirements and have been Certified Organic every year since! 

 In 1998, Frank and Jean White started an organic farm on approximately 5 acres of their property adjacent to Jerusalem Rd. In 2002 they established the non-profit Friends of Holly Hill Farm which now oversees the farm operation and runs a variety of year-round educational and community activities.

Learn more about Holly Hill Farm by clicking here.

This morning it was about twenty minutes down the road to Fall River, Massachusetts for the Officer Thomas Giunta Memorial 5K. This was the 30th anniversary of the race held in memory of a Fall River police officer who was killed in the line of duty. To learn more about Officer Giunta, please click here.

Proceeds from the race go to the Fallen Officers Memorial Trust of the Fall River Police Department which, amongst other things, supports scholarships awarded to graduating seniors from Fall River each year. Being that the race is organized by the Fall River Police Department, there was a nice contingent of police officers running, motorcycle officers patrolling the course and other police officers staffing a couple of the more significant turns along the course.

Knowing where the starting line was as we got closer, I recognized that the course would be the same as the Fall River Salvation Army 5K that I ran back in 2015. The course, though in an industrial park, has some really solid hills mixed in with the most significant one being right as runners make their way to the Mile 2 marker. It would have been nice to have a water stop out on the course today as it warmed up while running but thankfully there was water at the finish line as runners finished up.

I finished up today’s Officer Thomas Giunta Memorial 5K with a time of 25:14, good for 8:07/miles. Not too shabby given this challenging course!