Sixth Annual Krit Classic 5K Run/Walk

On March 14, 2014 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Registration is now open for the Sixth Annual Krit Classic 5K Run/Walk which will be held on June 1st in Andover, Massachusetts.

This race is held in memory of Kristin Kearins who lost her life after a tragic bicycle accident. To read more about the amazing life of Krit, please click here.

This 5K road race/walk will raise money for the Krit (Kristin) Kearins Memorial Scholarship Fund. Krit had a heart of gold and an enthusiasm for life that was infectious. She touched an amazing number of lives in her 26 short years… as a loving daughter, sister, friend and dedicated Nursing Assistant at Children’s Hospital in Boston.

To register for the race, please click here. Be sure to also “Like” the race on Facebook by clicking here.

Winter is Here: Walter’s Run in West Roxbury

On December 8, 2013 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

The cold New England air set in this morning as we made our way to West Roxbury, Massachusetts for a great 5K called Walter’s Run. Walter’s Run was the final Grand Prix for the Thirsty Irish Runners and fortunately the race started at 11AM to allow a little bit of warming up to take place.

Walter’s Run starts at the YMCA in West Roxbury and is put on by the Parkway Running Club. In 2004, PRC started Walter’s Run to honor a very special friend and member, Walter Burgess. Walter passed away suddenly in November 2003 at the age of 40 shortly after having completed the Great Floridian Ironman Triathlon. Walter was an active PRC member, Club Secretary and Newsletter Editor. He was an amazing athlete, forever working out either at the Y, on his bike, or running on the roads. More importantly, Walter was an incredible friend and inspiration. He was always there to run the slower members into the finish line, to organize the marathon long runs or group ski trip, to cheer others on, or to give us a big smile after a training run or race no matter the length.

The Boston Globe Santa fund was one of Walter’s favorite charities that he donated to regularly, even as a child. To more fully demonstrate Walter’s love of community and running, they have expanded the organizations receiving proceeds from Walter’s Run to include the YMCA Reach Out Campaign and a fund to send deserving young runners to running camp using Walter Burgess Scholarships.

The course for this race is a nice 5K loop that takes runners through residential neighborhoods of West Roxbury. Along the way, even with the cold temperatures, some spectators cheered runners along including City Councilor Matt O’Malley and Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley. Between miles 2 and 3 is a monster hill that runners trudge their way up before heading back into another residential neighborhood before hitting a nice downhill finish. Though I have run this race and this hill before, the uphill today took its toll and it was tough getting up the hill with the colder air entering the lungs on each breath in.

Overall, not a bad day of running at Walter’s Run with a finishing time of 24:24 or 7:52/miles. Thanks to all the Thirsty Irish Runners for making it another great year of Grand Prix racing!

“Go The Distance” for Boston

On November 23, 2013 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Please join Bits of Health Inc. and ENERGYbits® in their “Go the Distance” promotion to raise funds for The One Fund established by Thomas Menino, Mayor of Boston and Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts. The One Fund supports those affected by the bombings at the 2013 Boston Marathon. To “Go the Distance” with ENERGYbits and The Running Griffin, just enter the promotional code BOSTONSTRONG into the coupon box when you check out at any of our websites including www.energybits.com. This will give you a 10% discount on your purchase and they will donate $26.20 from each bag sold to The One Fund (26.2 miles is the distance of a marathon). We hope you will join us by helping Boston and anyone affected by this tragedy, get back on their feet and be strong again. BOSTON STRONG.

On behalf of the Boston team at Bits of Health Inc. and ENERGYbits® thank you for allowing them to support Boston and those affected by this tragedy. Thanks to your purchase, ENERGYbits will be sharing bits of love with them and with you too. If you have any questions, you can reach out to ENERGYbits at hello@energybits.com, @energybits, http://www.facebook.com/energybits or their Boston office 617-886-5106. Be strong. BostonStrong.

Cosmic Run Boston

On September 16, 2013September 16, 2013 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

Cosmic Run is a nocturnal, 5 Kilometer journey through the world’s most extravagant expressions of light, sound, and color. Run, walk, jog, or dance as you witness an electrifying world filled with towering LED and 3D-animated lighting elements, fluorescent-glowing color transformations, and heart-pounding dance music. Talented EDM DJ’s headline the cosmic finale, creating an after-party of epic proportions!

Cosmic Run is coming to the Boston area on October 19th to Raynham Park located at 1958 Broadway in Raynham.

You will become like the brilliant elements around you when you transform into cosmic colors that become luminescent under the night sky. Vivid lasers will set the path toward your exquisite fluorescent-color transformations.

With a race time start of 8PM, Raynham Park will be the place where you can push the limits of your imagination with the most electrifying experience on mother earth.

To register for Cosmic Run Boston, please click here. If you are interested in checking out other cities where Cosmic Run will be visiting, please click here. Lastly, you can “Like” Cosmic Run on Facebook by clicking here and you can follow Cosmic Run on Twitter @CosmicRun5k.

2013 JP Morgan Corporate Challenge

On June 23, 2013July 6, 2013 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

I must say, it is pretty cool to work for an employer who supports their employees and appreciates the need for a good run!

On Thursday evening, my company sent about 25 employees to the 2013 JP Morgan Corporate Challenge in Boston to compete against 12,000 other runners from companies across the Massachusetts area. The spirit of this race is a friendly competition amongst companies who sport the tech shirts of their respective employers and share in the camaraderie that is running. The event is a casual race for the most part with a healthy mix of runners and walkers heading out on the 3.5 mile course through the streets of downtown Boston.

What is nice to see with this race is that so many participants use the event as the first race they have ever done or as a way to kick into gear their fitness plans that they might have placed on the back burner for a while. With over 12,000 people hitting the 3.5 mile course, expecting a PR is not what this race is about; rather, it is about showing what the running community is all about by bringing together elites, casual runners, good runners, first timers and walkers in an event that is fun and for a good cause. Money raised from this year’s JP Morgan Boston Corporate Challenge went to support the Emerald Conservancy and City Spotlights Summer Leadership Program.

The race started at 7:15 PM and was an out-and-back loop starting at Boston Common. Teams gathered on the Common where ideas for next year’s run could be gathered by checking out other companies’ tee-shirts, tents, etc. As runners headed out of Boston Common they made their way to Commonwealth Avenue which is a two lane road separated by a pedestrian friendly park with sidewalks and memorials between the two roads. Commonwealth is as flat as a pancake which makes for easy running along the way. Runners made their way along Commonwealth Avenue and then looped around in Kenmore Square directly under the iconic Citgo sign and made their way back down Commonwealth Avenue in the opposite direction. As we made our way back into the finish line between Boston Common and the Public Garden the announcer would call out the names of the respective companies for the runners finishing which added a sense of pride crossing over the finish line.

I finished the 2013 JP Morgan Corporate Challenge with a time of 29:26 which was good for 8:25/miles. Though a slower than normal pace for me simply due to the congestion along the way, this race was about more than getting a PR for me. It was a good opportunity to meet some new co-workers and hang out with co-workers in a different setting than we are used to. Finally, when one of my co-workers after the race told me that he cannot wait to run again and his goal is to run a half-marathon in 2014, I smiled and told him to let me know anytime he wants to go on a training run.