Join me at Liam Maguire’s Irish Pub Almost Five Miler

On February 26, 2016 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

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On May 1st, join The Running Griffin at the Liam Maguire’s Irish Pub Almost Five Miler. This 4.912 mile road race is hosted by Lawrence-Lynch Corporation and produced by PCB Race Management.

The 2nd Annual Liam Maguire’s Irish Pub Almost Five Miler is part of the New England Runner Pub Series. The race will be held in Falmouth, MA on a scenic and relatively traffic-free course. Following the race, a celebration of the sport will be held at Liam Maguire’s Irish Pub with bounteous quantities of Offshore Amber Ale, a lavish buffet, and entertainment.

The scenic single-loop course starts and ends in Town Hall Square and runs through residential neighborhoods and along the Vineyard Sound shore. It is mostly flat. While the course is open to traffic, traffic is light.

The total field is limited to 500 runners. Registration is now open and you may register on-line by clicking here.

For more information about the Liam Maguire’s Irish Pub Almost Five Miler, please visit the race website by clicking here. I look forward to seeing you in Falmouth, Massachusetts on May 1st!

Great Running at the 2015 Ireland 5K

On March 1, 2015 By The Running GriffinLeave a comment

If you have been in New England at all over the past few weeks you can surely attest to the fact that running conditions up here have nothing short of sucked. There, I said it. With snow that did not stop for most of February coupled with frigid temperatures, runners have likely spent more time with a shovel in their hand tackling the driveway than actually being able to hit the pavement and go for a run. So this morning it was a welcome treat to have a 5K to tackle in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

The 2015 Ireland 5K is put on by the dynamic duo of Charles Breagy and Boston Marathon winner Geoff Smith. The race is hosted at Slainte Irish Bar in New Bedford and the starting line was complete with Irish tunes greeting the runners prior to setting off on the course. Today was still a bone-chilling sort of morning and being right on the Atlantic Ocean added an extra little crispness to the air.

The race was described at the starting line as being pancake thin which was a rather fair assessment. The course is a sort of quintessential New Bedford run taking runners through the fish processing industrial park where the smell of the catch could be noticed through the cold air. The course was well staffed with both New Bedford Police officers and volunteers and most of the course was on roads with little to no traffic on them.

Race participants were given both a long sleeve shirt and a beautiful Guinness glass as part of the registration fee. Post-race, runners were invited back to Slainte for live Irish music and good ole’ fashioned Irish libations, as well.

Even having been knocked off running plans over the past few weeks, I still was able to turn in a rather decent performance with an overall time of 23:10, good for 7:28/miles. Let’s hope the month of March has some more good running days in the forecast; that’s something we all can toast a pint of Guinness to!

It’s a Great Weekend for the Irish

On March 23, 2014 By The Running Griffin1 Comment

If you are an Irish-American and have never run the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race then you, my friend, are not truly Irish.

Historically, the city known as the Paper City hosted so many Irish immigrants that the city was called Ireland Parish. An old mill town by nature, Holyoke is a rough and tumble city that prides itself on its Irish roots each year the weekend after St. Patrick’s Day with a Saturday 10k followed by one of the nation’s largest St. Patrick’s Day parades on Sunday morning. Mix in pubs filled with people enjoying Irish music, corned beef and cabbage and fresh Guinness and you have yourself one heck of a weekend.

The 10k road race is a hilly challenge with the first 3.5 miles featuring runners climbing their way toward Holyoke Community College. Once there, just past the four mile marker the course takes a dramatic down hill swing where you can really let the legs go. Another small incline is just past Holyoke High School around the 5.2 mile marker and the last mile is another nice downhill to allow you to kick it into the finish line.

This race prides itself on the merriment along the course with fans packing both the starting and finishing line and crowds strategically placed along the course. Parties at houses lining the course play Irish music, a marching band was at the 3.1 mile marker, a bagpiper plays away just shy of 4 miles and spectators genuinely are excited to see the runners taking to the streets of Holyoke.

This year’s race featured Dick and Rick Hoyt at the starting line as they are the JFK Award Winners and will be marching in the parade on Sunday morning.

This year, the first 3 miles or so I was cramping pretty good and had a tough time pushing through it. I felt a little better once through the hills but this was one of the first races I have done in a while as marathon training long runs have consumed a lot of my time. I finished the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race with a time of 54:57 which equates to 8:51/miles. Last year I ran about 4 minutes faster but with marathon training in full swing and stomach cramps not a terrible result.

The winners of this year ‘s Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race both hail from Ethiopia with Menitsu Nebsi winning the race overall with a time of 29:42 and female winner Askala Merachi beating the women’s course record with a time of 33:14. Continue reading “It’s a Great Weekend for the Irish” →