West Bridgewater Senior Class Scholarship Fund 5k Run

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Just one town over, yesterday’s run was the West Bridgewater Senior Class Scholarship Fund 5K run. The run was an out and back course that started and finished at West Bridgewater High School and was a fundraiser for scholarships aimed at helping to defray the costs of college tuition for West Bridgewater students.

The race started on the high school track where runners made one loop and then hit the grass field making their way toward the road. Once on the pavement, the first mile was a rather decent climb up through residential neighborhoods. Though the race was a small, the race course had good volunteer support calling out the splits at each mile and handing out water just past the 1 and 2 mile markers.

Since the race was an out and back course, the same first mile uphill climb gave way to a nice downhill section where the legs could let loose a bit. Crossing back across the same grass field, there was then a 3/4 loop along the track into the finish line.

Overall, I was quite pleased with my run and finished 1st in my age division. With an overall time of 23:25 my pace was a 7:33/mile which comes in at one of my better paces for the season. Given the fact I am in the middle of marathon training, no complaints here!

Guest post: Upcoming Events from Reno Race Promotion

RRP_headerRGBA new feature on The Running Griffin, we’ll be including periodic guest posts by Matt Reno from Reno Race Promotion. Based in Lexington, Kentucky, RRP offers a range of promotional services to help races and other athletic events reach a larger audience.

First off, I want to give a huge thanks to Kevin for letting me provide guest posts on The Running Griffin. Running is a sport that can bring together people from absolutely anywhere in the world. I’m glad to have the opportunity to let more runners know about races in the southern part of the country. Though located in Kentucky, RRP can work with race directors anywhere to get more participants at their starting lines. In fact, as a Massachusetts native and former Vermont resident myself, I’m looking forward to helping some New England races gain more participants.

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The logo for the Susan G. Komen Lexington Race for the Cure, designed by RRP.

Here are upcoming races RRP is working on right now:

It’s been a lot of fun working with these and other races. In the short time since starting this business, I’ve already learned a lot and met some great people. Best of all, I’ve been able to help more runners find out about races and obstacle course runs in their local areas and support some excellent charities. If you have an event that could use promotion, or if you want to learn more about Reno Race Promotion, please visit the website and send a message. See you out on the course!

2nd Annual West Island 5k

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This morning it was off to Fairhaven, Massachusetts for the 2nd Annual West Island 5k. It was an absolutely perfect spring morning and heading down toward the coastal town of Fairhaven was a nice drive however what was ahead along the race course far outweighed a nice drive down. The scenic run on the West Island section of Fairhaven made for an ideal course to get a nice 5k race in along.

The race started off with a moment of silence for those injured and killed at the recent terrorist attacks at the Boston Marathon which was then followed by a brilliant rendition of the Star Spangled Banner sung by a local student with the crowd of runners joining in leaving you with pre-race goose-bumps before the race kicked off.

The race started on a nice downhill which led to a sharp left turn onto an iconic beach neighborhood road. The road hugged the water and runners raced past both year round homes and seasonal cottages available to rent for those looking to have a week at the beach. What was quite nice about running through this neighborhood is that the locals came out in force and cheered runners along while pounding on the pavement in front of their homes.

As you passed the mile mark, you began to head down another beach road and made your way to a watch tower housed within a sand parking lot at the end of the beach. Water was available as you looped your way through the parking lot and back out the road toward the 2 mile mark. The last mile was a gradual increase in terms of elevation for the earlier part before it leveled out back through the same neighborhood the race started off on.

The last .2 of the race was trudging back up the downhill terrain that the race started off on and after a long 21 mile training run yesterday, every step on the last .2 really was earned racing up the hill.

I finished the 2nd Annual West Island 5k with a time of 23:47 which is good for 7:47/miles. Special thanks to Westport Chiropractic for a great post-race stretching of my calves and hamstrings and for not laughing too much at how tight a runner actually can be.

Katie’s 5K Road Race

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Registration is now open for Katie’s 5K Road Race which is held in memory of Katie Chalifoux. Funds from the race benefit the Katie Chalifoux Memorial Fund which was formed by Katie’s family in her honor.

The race takes place in the beautiful New England town of Boylston and is a challenging course that is a great run! The race from start to finish is organized with absolute precision and last year the race was one of my favorites.

For more information on the race and details on registration, please visit the website for Katie’s 5K Road Race by clicking here.