Register for the Discover the Woods 5K Trail Run

On September 15, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Registration is now open for the Discover the Woods 5k Trail Run. This trail run will be held on Saturday, October 3rd in Cohasset, Massachusetts.

The race takes place at Holly Hill Farm, a certified organic vegetable, flower and herb farm located at 236 Jerusalem Road, Cohasset. The farm has a nonprofit education center onsite that uses the resources of the farm as its outdoor classroom to teach about sustainable agriculture and eating healthy food grown in a way that protects the ecosystem. Proceeds from the race benefits the Frank H. White Scholarship Fund that makes summer camp experiences and school field trips possible for students whose families need financial assistance. Please come early to explore the barnyard that includes historic buildings and the farm animals – a horse, pony, 2 adorable goats, a bunny and many chickens. The farm stand opens at 11 am so please plan a visit to stock up on locally grown organic vegetables, flowers, herbs and products from our partners including bread, cheese, hummus, honey, and more. For more information, please visit www.hollyhillfarm.org.

To register for the Discover the Woods 5k Trail Run, please click here to register online. Don’t delay in registering; do it today! In keeping with the mission of Holly Hill Farm, all t-shirts will be organic cotton! T-shirts will be guaranteed for those who register by Friday, September 18th.

Jeff Coombs Memorial Road Race

On September 13, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

This morning was a rather overcast and dreary morning but the positive energy coming out of the little town of Abington, Massachusetts was enough to make the day so much brighter. When Jeff Coombs died in the terrorist attacks of September 11th, his wife Christie Coombs decided to honor his memory by starting a foundation in his name and hosting, amongst other events, an annual road race to raise funds for the Jeffrey Coombs Memorial Foundation.

At today’s race were several others impacted by the terrorist attacks against our nation both on September 11th, at the Boston Marathon bombing and defending our freedom across the globe. Notably, Carlos Arrendondo and Bill Richard, father of 8 year old Martin Richard who was killed at the Boston Marathon were present at today’s race and added an emotional element to the run.

Runners were presented with the option of wearing a sticker in memory of someone who lost their life in the terrorist attacks of September 11th or who died in either Afghanistan or Iraq. Given my connection to the Ace Bailey Children’s Foundation, I opted to run with Ace’s name on my race bib.

Not a dry eye was at the kickoff of run when 5 year-old Colin Van de Giesen took to the microphone to sign the Star Spangled Banner before the run. Colin’s father Kyle was killed in Iraq two weeks before Colin was born and Colin learned to sing the national anthem when listening to a patriotic CD each night before bed. When Colin finished up his singing of the national anthem, a thunderous round of applause rushed across the crowd that was speechless and quiet when first hearing of Colin’s story and then listening to each flawless note.

The race kicked off first with some US Army soldiers with complete ruck sacks hitting the 3.1 mile course. After they made their way onto the course, it was the the runners’ turn followed by a healthy contingent of walkers out to support this great cause. The race starts with a nice, gradual downhill first mile which means just one thing: a rather gradual uphill second mile. Two water stops are on the course just past miles one and two and the third mile into the finish line is a rather smoothed out flat course. A huge showing for this annual race and the energy each year just gets better and better. The emotion the race brings coupled with the great course and noble cause supported makes this race one that all runners should try to check out at some point.

This year I finished the Jeff Coombs Memorial Road Race with a time of 22:39, good for 7:17/miles; a few seconds per mile slower than last year’s run but still a pretty nice time out on the course.

Roller Coaster Race in Agawam, Massachusetts

On September 11, 2015 By The Running Griffin1 Comment

After running in the 2nd Annual Run for Jess on Saturday, it was off to Western Massachusetts to take part in the Roller Coaster Race at Six Flags New England. The Roller Coaster Race is a series of runs across the country that take place at theme parks and allow runners an opportunity to run through the parks and aside monstrous roller coasters and other rides. The Roller Coaster Race at Six Flags New England offered runners a 5k and 10k option and I opted for the 10k option through the park that as a kid was called Riverside and that I spent some of my high school summer days hanging out at.

The race kicked off nice and early at 7:30 AM to beat the rush of park goers looking to wind down the Labor Day weekend with one last theme park hurrah. All runners made their way out of the starting line at the same time since the 10k course was a double loop of the 5k race and ran through a section of the bark and out through the park entrance gates. It was interesting to see the small but gradual inclines mixed into the park’s terrain that became noticeable while running but perhaps not while walking through heading to the next coaster. After running out of the park it was across ramps both up and down and out to a parking lot across the street where theme park customers park for the day. Once through the parking lot it was then into a quick residential loop next to the park before then running into a back-entrance of the park and then past some more roller coasters and other rides and attractions.

Double loops always can be a challenge mentally but I felt pretty good at the half-way mark and continued onto the second loop of the run.

After crossing the finish line, runners were welcomed to a picnic grove area for post-race refreshments and awards. The race was nicely put on and the volunteers did a really nice job making sure everything from registration to the race to the post-race festivities went off without a hitch.

I finished the Roller Coaster Race with a time of 52:49 or 8:30/miles. There are additional Roller Coaster Race events scheduled this year so check out their website by clicking here and visit them on Facebook here.

2nd Annual Run for Jess

On September 6, 2015 By The Running Griffin1 Comment

On Saturday morning it was a quick trip over to the 2nd Annual Run for Jess in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Jessica Thurston was 27 years old when diagnosed with breast cancer, which quickly spread to her brain and liver. She passed away from the disease on 8/30/13 after a tough 2 year battle. All proceeds from this race goes toward the The Jessica C. Thurston Memorial Fund is a 501c3 Charitable Foundation, and with the money raised, they support local charities as well as breast cancer research.

The race course is a great 3.1 mile loop through residential roads of East Bridgewater and the race directors did a nice job moving the starting line up a bit so the race was a true 5K as last year’s race course was a touch longer than 3.1 miles. The race course is a moderately challenging route with a couple nice hills mixed in right around the first mile and then half-way into the race; nothing too terrible but noticeable for sure. Just like at last year’s race, the East Bridgewater Police Department did a nice job patrolling the course and keeping runners safe.

I finished the 2nd Annual Run for Jess with a time of 24:53, good for 8:00/miles. After still dealing with some quad pain from a soccer related injury, I felt good out on the course and was overall pleased with the result. This race is one that definitely could become an annual favorite and the cause it supports couldn’t be better!

Fort Taber 5K

On August 30, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Last night was a beautiful summer night and it was down to New Bedford, Massachusetts for the Fort Taber 5K. This race was co-directed by Charlie Breagy and two-time Boston Marathon winner Geoff Smith and took place right along the gorgeous New Bedford coastline alongside the Atlantic Ocean.

The race started at 6:30 PM as the sun was a little lower in the summer sky and the race time temps were just shy of 80 degrees. The race started off through some residential beach neighborhoods and some nice crowds of locals cheered runners on in the early part of the course. After running past the first mile marker, runners then made an about face and headed toward a bike path alongside the ocean. The salt water air was in full effect as we hit the second mile marker. The last mile of the run was past historic Fort Taber which added a nice, New England running element to the race. I had previously competed in another run at Fort Taber but this course was much better and allowed runners to gain a much better perspective of the fort’s importance situated right on the Atlantic.

After the race, runners were invited to The Pour Farm in downtown New Bedford for a free pint of Buzzards Bay Brewing‘s IPA which hit the spot after the hot evening run. After we had our pint, we crossed the street to the dynamite Mexican restaurant No Problemo for a killer burrito, chips, salsa and guacamole: all key ways to refuel in my book!

I finished the Fort Taber 5K with a time of 24:23, good for a pace of 7:51/mile. As this was the first running of this race, my hunch is that based upon the early success of this race the race will only continue to grow and I look forward to next year’s run.