Register for the Wild Turkey 5 Mile Run

On October 10, 2015October 10, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Registration is open for the Wild Turkey 5 Mile Run which will be held in Salem, Massachusetts on November 26, 2015. This race is the largest race on the North Shore and is one that you certainly want to take part in! It was voted Best Holiday Race 2012, 2013 and 2014 by North Shore Road Race Guide.

Proceeds from the 12th Annual Wild Turkey 5 Mile Run on Thanksgiving morning benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem. This race will feature close to 2000 runners taking part in a Thanksgiving morning run ideal for burning a few calories before the turkey and trimmings hit the table at your Thanksgiving dinner. With an early start time of 8AM this is race will allow you to have a great run and earn that extra piece of pumpkin pie!

The first 1500 participants get long-sleeved Brooks tech shirts. You can register for the race by clicking here.

You can also “Like” the race on Facebook by clicking here.

7th Annual Bernie’s Run

On October 9, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

On Sunday, it was a late morning kick-off at 11:30 AM for the 7th Annual Bernie’s Run. The Dedham Education Foundation (DEF) and The Village Manor once again teamed up to host the 7th Annual Bernie’s Run. The race is a great opportunity to walk or run the 3-mile route, participate in a fun community event attended by hundreds each year, and to provide much-needed support to Dedham’s schools. The race was a Grand Prix race for the Thirsty Irish Runners this yea and amongst the sea of green runners there were hundreds of other runners, many of them quite fast!

The race course is a quick 3 mile route that takes runners first away from The Village Manor and into an industrial park for the first mile. After that, runners pass by The Village Manor and then head into the residential neighborhood surrounding the local pub. A quick hill is in the second mile and neighbors along the route come out of their homes and cheer runners along.

The race finishes up back at The Village Manor for a nice block party complete with food, beer, a massage tent and a DJ. The race is very well organized and results are posted minutes post-race alongside the outdoor wall of the pub.

I finished Bernie’s Run with a time of 22:00, good for 7:20/miles. After having run 8.5 mils earlier that morning, a result I am quite pleased with!

Sign Up for the 4th Annual Gobble Wobble for SMILE Mass

On October 7, 2015 By The Running Griffin1 Comment

Registration is now open for the 4th Annual Gobble Wobble for SMILE Mass. The race will be held on on Saturday, November 21, 2015. Click here to register. Read more below about a discount code for our readers!

This wonderful event offers a kids fun run, a 5k event, and a 10k event, and welcomes athletes of all abilities and encourages strollers, and especially special needs “Ambassadors” and “Captains”. (Please visit http://www.smilemass.org/race-team.html for more information) All races take place at the Curtis Middle School, 22 Pratts Mill Road in Sudbury Mass.

Proceeds from this event benefit the beach wheelchair project and the SMILE Mass equipment loaner program. Over the past four summers, SMILE Mass has donated 100 floating beach wheelchairs to public beaches on across Massachusetts, with the majority located on Cape Cod. In addition to the beach wheelchairs around the state, SMILE Mass has an equipment loaner program. SMILE Mass has floating beach wheelchairs that can be borrowed at no charge, to be used at any beach. They also have two adapted tricycles in the loaner program along with several jogging strollers and a kick sled. SMILE Mass will be increasing this loaner program, and adding additional equipment.

Participants registered by November 1st are guaranteed a tee shirt. There will be awards given across several age groups in both the 5k and the 10k. Registration fees are $30.00 for the 5k and $35.00 for the 10K (plus processing fees).

For more information about SMILE Mass, please “Like” them on Facebook by clicking here. To register for the 4th Annual Gobble Wobble, please click here. Use the code “runningclub” at checkout and save 20% off your registration fee!

Register for the Sharon Cross Country Music 3K

On October 6, 2015October 6, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Registration is now open for the Sharon Cross Country Music 3K road race. This race, to be held on Sunday, October 25th at sundown, is one race you are not going to want to miss!

The cross country course traverses the trail through historic Deborah Sampson Park in Sharon. Deborah Sampson, an American Revolutionary War hero, enrolled in The Continental Army in 1782 and served for the Light Infantry Company of the 4th Massachusetts Regiment. She is one of a very small number of women with a documented record of combat experience during the Revolution. She died in 1827 and is laid to rest in Rock Ridge Cemetery in Sharon.

The course is fast, flat and tight in some spots. It is a trail race, so there are possibilities of roots and rocks along portions of the course. The race will be run at dusk so it is recommended that participants use a headlamp or running light. There will be lights along the course to help illuminate the path, but a running light is recommended for the darker sections of the trail. The race will be run in three waves. Kids (0-19) will run at 5:00PM. Women (20 and over) will run at approximately 5:20PM and Men (20 and over) will run at approximately 5:40PM. Sunset is at 5:47PM. The first 100 registered runners will receive a race T-Shirt.

It’s always great to support a local race that supports runners! Proceeds from this event will benefit the Cross Country and Track Programs at Sharon High School in Sharon, Massachusetts. Be sure to check out the race website by clicking here and register online today!

You can also RSVP for this race on Facebook by clicking here.

Country Heals 5 Miler: Running for Cailin

On September 28, 2015September 27, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

On Sunday, we packed up the SUV and took the kids and babysitter down to Wompatuck State Park in Hingham, Massachusetts so we could take part in the Country Heals 5 Miler. Though it was a crisp 34 degrees when we left home, by the time the race kicked off the sun helped warm up the fall air and made for a beautiful run through the State Park on some great paths that featured a good mix of flat stretches and both up and downhill sections. On the race course, country musicians were mixed into the course and played tunes as runners made their way by.

Many of my readers know about our personal connection to Tufts Medical Center and The Floating Hospital for Children. Beth Ann was admitted to Tufts Medical Center when she was 25 weeks pregnant with severe preeclampsia. After spending 7 weeks in the hospital with my 3 year old daughter Caroline and I at home, Beth Ann ended up delivering our daughter Cailin at 33 weeks. Cailin weighed 2 pounds 13 ounces and required the services and amazing care of the NICU at Floating Hospital. Cailin then spent 5 weeks in the NICU until she beefed up to 4 pounds. Without the dedicated doctors and nurses at Tufts Medical Center and The Floating Hospital for Children our family could look quite different today and ever since this experience we have looked for ways to give back including running the Boston Marathon and this race.

My parents joined us in Hingham today and took part in the 3 mile walk. The kids were able to hang with the babysitter and hit up the bouncy obstacle course, obtained balloon animals and were able to snack free samples that were being handed out.

At the end of the race, runners were able to enjoy a huge cookout and live country music including the up-and-coming country artist Chase Bryant and other acts. With the sun shining down, it made for a great event and a boatload of money was raised for Tufts Medical Center and The Floating Hospital for Children!

The timing may have been a little bit off for some runners but my official time was 39:46, good for 7:57/miles in the five mile race.

This is definitely a race that we will be back at in future years either as a runner or as a volunteer. If you’d like to make a post-race donation to Mrs. Running Griffin’s page, please feel free to do so by clicking here.