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BAA 5k

Yeah, I know. It’s been a few weeks. I had to post this before the JJ Ramble stuff otherwise I just would’ve found excuses to keep putting it off. Race coverage kind of took a back seat to everything else for a while, but it’s time to start getting back into the flow of what we do.

Dejen Gebremeskel (13:37) and Kim Smith (15:16) were the big winners in this first race of the 2013 BAA Distance Medley. Smith picked up where she left off last year by winning the first race of the series she dominated in 2012. The men’s field had last year’s series champ (Allan Kiprono) but he was a distant 4th. What it was missing was the 5k champion from 2012, but Ben True has other racing plans this spring. Gebremeskel put up a championship worthy performance and even came in four seconds faster than True did in 2012 (despite the ridiculous amount of turns on the new course).

In the footage above, you can clearly see Alistair Cragg looking strong out in front about halfway through. However, Cragg said afterwards: “I never felt good today. Hurt my achilles mid-week and limped into this one.” To still end up running a 14:07 and placing 8th in that stacked field is pretty incredible. It was only a couple of weeks prior to this that he ran a 13:24 in Westfield. When asked to compare the two courses, he deferred to Kim Smith, saying her times were a better representation.

Of the course, Kim Smith said, “Lots of turns on the new course for sure. I’m not very good at turns so I found it tough. Definitely not like the blazing fast Westfield course.” As a point of comparison, Kim ran a 14:48 in Westfield. That’s obviously not a big enough sample size to make any meaningful conversion, but then you can look at a couple other speedsters that ran both:

Brian Harvey – 14:11 in Westfield vs 14:25 in Boston
David Chorney – 14:31 in Westfield vs 14:29 in Boston

So taking that into consideration…it’s chaos! Chorney actually ran faster on the tougher course, and Harvey’s time didn’t slow much at all (although Harvey admittedly didn’t have his ‘A’ game in Westfield). Westfield performances really don’t have anything to do with what happened at this race, but it was interesting to make that analysis since there was a lot of discussion about the Westfield course afterwards (mainly about it being short).

One last quote about the course, this one coming from Jon Stanton, who knocked his time down to 19:42 and improved by over two minutes in the process: “I really like that it follows more of the marathon route.  It does seem odd to me, and correct me if I’m wrong, that a 3.1 mile race has more turns in it than the 26.2 mile race the following day.  It is alot of 90′s for such a short distance.  They probably offset the speed that was gained when they removed the hill for the first mile.”

The comparison of the plethora of turns in the 5k to the dearth of turns in the marathon really made it seem more ridiculous. But hey, it’s just another challenge. Where’s the fun in it if they’re all straight, flat and fast. Bring on the twisting hills!

Next up in the series: the BAA 10k, in June.

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NEW & IMPROVED Children’s Museum Race

NEW & IMPROVED Children’s Museum Father’s Day Road Race & Family Fun Walk is now . . .

The Bourne Automotive
Children’s Museum Fathers’ Day Road and Family Fun Walk

By Carl Brugnoli

children's museum father's day ad tile 280x200 4.18.13Change is good, as they say, and for the 19th annual running of this Father’s Day classic we have a few changes that I think you’ll like.  For instance:

New Sponsor   – The Race has a new lead sponsor.  Say ‘Hi’ to Bourne Auto Center.  A family-run business located at 135 Belmont St (Rt. 123) in Easton, offering a large selection of used cars, expert repairs and rentals.

New Race Distances – The race has been changed from a 5 miler to a 5k and 10k race, your choice.  This allows more runners and weekend athletes to compete.  You can choose the course that best suits your taste and ability.  The 5k Fun Walk still remains the same.

New Race Course – Checkout the map for the new certified 5k and 10k courses which rolls through historic North Easton Village, by the Rockery,  Historical Society, past a number of H.H. Richardson National Landmark buildings,  through the new Governor Ames Estate owned by the Trustees of the Reservation and through a private Ames Estate.  As a runner, I think you’ll really enjoy these scenic new courses and historic New England views. This newly designed course is really something special!

Everybody starts at the same time in front of the Children’s Museum on Sullivan Avenue.  Everybody eventually finishes in front of the Children’s Museum for the festive post-race party and awards ceremony.

Baby Jogger Category – Due to low turnout, the Baby Jogger Category has been removed.   Runners pushing a baby stroller are still welcome.  For the safety of the children and other runners, they will start at the back of the race and compete in the Age Group of the runner.

Teams –Got a group of 10 or more runners at work or a crazy group of family members or friends?  Why not run as a team?  Team results will be posted.  Can you say…”Bragging Rights?”  Team members enjoy a discounted entry fee of $15.  T-shirts are guaranteed to all members who register by June 1.  Here’s the link to the team form: www.fathersdayroadrace.com.  Completed team forms with registration fees must be turned in to the museum by June 1, 2013

With all these changes, you might ask, “What’s stayed the same?”  The answer is everything else you’ve come to expect from the race:

T-Shirts – available to ALL runners who register by Saturday June 1st.

Electronic (Chip) Timing – All runners will receive a “chip” to attach to their shoe laces.  Your time begins when you cross the start line and ends when you cross the finish line.  This is a very accurate system that eliminates guess work and allows timing results to be posted faster.

Child Care for Runners – let our experienced staff watch your children in the Museum while you run.  This service is available to pre-registered runners, Free of Charge.  Let us know if you need it.

Water Stops – an ample supply of water stops are provided.

Cash Prizes – to the first three overall male and female finishers in each race, $100, $50 & $25.

Runner’s Raffle Prizes – everything from Gift Certificates, Running Shoes, Autographed Sport Memorabilia to Romantic Over-Night Stays

“Goody bag” for each runner

Food – plenty of food and drink for the runners and guests.

The Wild Place Area –  A wide range of runner related service vendors, pre & post race massages available in the Museum’ s beautiful outdoor space.

Ice Cream & Face Painting for the young and young at heart

“Fun, Fun, Fun”… Ice creams, balloons, drinks, face painting.  A great tradition to start your Holiday.  Registration begins at 8:00am the day of the race.  Race starts at 9:00am.  Beat the crowds, register online at: www.fathersdayroadrace.com.  $20 pre-registered, $25 the day of the race $5 for walkers.  See you there.

Contact Carl at [email protected] for more info.

Ramble: Coming Soon

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Much like the patient people in the pic above, we know you’re awaiting coverage of the James Joyce Ramble. Keep checking back, we’ll have it for you soon! In the mean time be sure to download the latest issue of the magazine.

For now, check out our Instagram account and Twitter feed for some pics and short Vine videos from the start and finish of today’s race. RambleOnTheLevel.

May/June 2013 : Issue 14

Nobody could’ve predicted that the May/June issue would take on the shape and content that it did. Even with minimal advertisements (none in our Boston tribute section-to do anything else would’ve seemed inappropriate to us), this is our largest publication ever at 44 pages but, of course, that accomplishment is softened due to what contributed to its length. Inside this issue, we have attempted to provide a respectful tribute to the 117th Boston Marathon. After that tribute, the regular issue commences.

May/June 2013
Issue 14

Table of Contents

Click cover for your free download

  • The Warm-up   pg 14
    • Editor’s Note
  • Letters   pg 15
    • Electronic Epistles
  • Lane 1: Performance   pg 17
    • Marathon Recovery by Lesley Hocking
    • 10k Ladder by Mike Gauvin
  • Lane 2: Body Shop   pg 19
  • Lane 3: Nutrition   pg 21
    • Comfort Food by Kathy Ireland
  • Legion Profiles   pg 22
    • Bottomley
    • Murphy
    • Haringa
    • Gravel
  • Club Spotlight   pg 28
    • NBB by Dan Green
  • Featured Event   pg 30
    • Boston Marathon by Scott Mason & Kevin Balance
  • HSR Update   pg 34
    • GPS #8 by Tresa Casaletto
  • Lane 4: Commentary   pg 35
    • Quest for π by Dave Dunham
    • Lost & Found by Muddy
  • Level Art   pg 40
    • Spikes by RYAN
  • Lane 5: Fiction   pg 42
    • We Were Awesome by Ray Charbonneau
  • The Cool Down pg 43
    • Learn the Legion

 

Rising to the Occasion

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A couple of socially awkward, psychotic, douchegoblins did the unthinkable on Patriot’s Day. They don’t deserve to have their names repeated here. Instead we’ll call them Douchegoblins 1 & 2 should we need to specify as we go along. I don’t want to dwell on their acts either, but focus more on the response from the city in the following days.

In the wake of the tragedy, before the shootout that brought the whole city to a grinding halt, there was a few days in between in which we were all still trying to make sense of it all. It was in that time where I ventured out into the city to see for myself what Back Bay now looked like.

It wasn’t until Wednesday that I made the trek over the bridge from Charlestown, but as you already know the area was still locked down. However, amongst the ramped up p0lice presence, national guard and barricaded streets, were signs of hope.

At every blocked off street there was a memorial of some type. The biggest one seemed to be (at the time) at Boylston and Berkeley. The stretch of Berkeley was open to traffic, but the stretch of Boylston between Berkeley and Arlington was so quiet that I thought that stretch of road was closed too at first. In fact, even Newbury was quiet enough where I had to keep reminding myself to be on alert for traffic. With so many people walking around outside and so few cars around, it was easy to forget that not all the roads were closed off to vehicles.

 

It was nice to see the flags, flowers and signs there, but it was pretty crowded (big media presence) so I made my way out to Newbury Street and continued walking up towards Dartmouth Street. Each intersection had its own little memorial, a sign of hope and beauty amongst the reminders of the ongoing manhunt and investigation.

People were out trying to help lighten the mood and raise spirits, by either adding to the memorials, playing music or even bringing refreshments to the cops who were out keeping a watchful eye on the scene. Even the Scientologists were out pushing a cart full of Dunkin Donuts and stopping to offer some to the police. I wouldn’t want to drink their kool-aid, but is the coffee safe? At this point I was up to Exeter St and figured it was time to head back anyway. Better go before the Scientologists try recruiting me. I didn’t make it very far before one of them caught up to me, made eye contact, and said….hi. And that was it. Wait, that was it? I guess I’m just not Scientology material.

IMG_1441Along the way home I noticed that somebody had been busy writing uplifting messages on the sidewalk in chalk. It wasn’t until I was on my way back that I caught a glimpse of who was doing it. It turned out to be just a couple of BU students, a boy and a girl, just roaming the street and dropping down whenever they felt inspired to do so. I turned the camera on to capture them writing one of the messages, but beyond that they had no interest in any credit being given to them. They just wanted to anonymously do some good.

Shortly after I happened to be walking near a young lady (don’t know her name) wearing the 2013 marathon jacket so I asked her about her race. She was one of the many who got stopped at mile 25.5 and couldn’t finish the race. According to her, the cops just told them all to disperse. Her family was in the bleachers when the bombs went off but thankfully escaped unharmed. Every time she added another detail I couldn’t help but feel even sorrier for her. It was her first marathon. She was running with her sister, and it was on her birthday. Her 26th birthday, and she couldn’t even make it the 26 miles because of the aforementioned douchegoblins. But she was determined to run again in 2014 and it was nice to see yet another runner who undeterred by the cowardly act.

A couple days later, the suspects were “accounted for” and my focus was on to more positive things. The Western Mass Distance Project hosted a Run For Boston at Stanley Park (home of Jason Ayr) in Westfield, MA. Seat belts buckled, radio turned up, check engine light on…we were ready to hit the road (ignoring the check engine light as usual). We were leaving home just as things were quieting down and part of me wanted stay there and get out and enjoy the city. This swelling of pride for my city only got worse when I started playing Black Out by the Dropkick Murphys.

Stanley Park was alive with activity on Sunday morning. There was a crowd there ready to do some good. Since there was no registration, it was tough to put an exact number on just how big the crowd was, but it looked like it was north of a thousand. Companies like Dunkin Donuts and Stop & Shop stepped up to donate refreshments, there was a DJ, and even some port-a-johns were donated.

Jason Ayr grabbed the mic and said some inspired words to us all, followed by a moment of silence. There was a lighthearted moment just before the race got underway when everybody was in the start area but unsure of which direction the run would progress in. It was funny, and it represented the day fairly well. We were all just a bunch of runners getting together to do some good. There was no timing, there would be no winner, heck there wasn’t even a distance. Just go run some laps!

When all was said and done, the Wolf pack had raised over $7,000. It’s comforting to know that as impressive as that is, it’s just a drop in the bucket for the One Fund. Because we’ve all risen to the occasion, it now has over $26.5 million in it. It’s absolutely incredible. It’s amazing what can happen when the community comes together. We saw it on a smaller scale in Westfield on the 21st, and we’re seeing it on a larger scale every day in the wake of the tragedy. Boston Strong.

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Boston Well Represented in London

Guest blog by Stacy Brinegar

I’m not a runner. What a great way to start a post on a running site, right? But I’m not. I never have been and I never will be, it’s just not in me. But I married a runner and I live on the marathon route so running has crept into my life from an early age and it’s not going anywhere. While I won’t ever be lacing up the Mizunos for a relaxing 10-miler, I know just how much these last few days have meant to the running community.

Marathon Monday means many things to many people. For me, it means the start of spring, happier days, warmer weather, no more threats of snow, flowers blooming, people emerging from their winter caves, the Red Sox, school’s out, BBQs, parties, friends, beers, sports on all day, runners, wheelchair racers, pace cars, legendary athletes, TV coverage, and for 26.2 miles, the best the human mind and body can offer.

For others, it’s sweat, tears, blisters, Band-Aids, Gu, blankets that look like tin foil, little cups of water and crowds that won’t let you give up. It’s an addiction to some; pain means nothing as long as you finish. So when my cousin Carolynn told me she was running her sixth marathon in the historic city of London just a week after Boston (which she ran in 2012) I said I’d be there!

It was supposed to be such a fun and carefree trip (at least for me, for her there might be some chafing and cramping), but two days before we left, two evil radicals poisoned our day, killed our people, maimed our citizens and paralyzed a community. Flights were being grounded so I didn’t know if we could take off, and there was chatter about what this would mean for the London race. If we did get there, would there be a safe place for us to watch? Not to mention, did I want to go to a foreign country just days after a massive terrorist attack and leave my husband and two young boys at home? Would my husband want me to go? What if I went and never made it home? What if I made it home, but with injuries? What if I could never run after my boys, or hug them again? How do you decide when you are supposed to live your life without fear and when it’s time to be cautious and give up experiences to have a future?

In the end, I went. I was scared, but I did it. I got on that plane and sat in my cramped seat thinking that no cowardly act would keep me from experiencing life.

And I’m glad I did.

The world came together this weekend in London and it was amazing.

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L-R: Katie, Carolynn, Stacy, all leaving little doubt as to where they’re from.

Every person we met who found out we were from Boston reacted the same way, with a mix of sadness, curiosity, pity, anger and an overall happiness that we were there. We fielded so many questions about the details, some of which we hardly knew, because of the time change and roaming/data charges we were fairly unplugged while we were there.

People were so supportive though, everyone kept telling us that London stood with Boston and that they were amazed at how strong our city was. Many people at the Expo said they were doing this for us, and would be writing Boston on their shirts, shorts, or even skin somewhere. Each runner had a black ribbon they wore throughout the race in honor of those that were killed or hurt. It was quite a site to see, watching almost 40,000 runners from every corner of the world show solidarity for their athletic brothers and sisters across the pond. I did feel a bit of irony though, to see so many British people honoring Boston for a tragedy that happened on the day we celebrated the first battle in the war that separated us from England…apparently no one else thought that.

Race day was full of excitement and, according to the London news, more than 700,000 people showed up to watch this race. Normal attendance is only about 5-600,000. They attributed this bump to the tragedies in Boston. Everyone wanted to support the runners and show the world of radical terrorists that we are not afraid. Plus, the weather helped…it was a really nice day and apparently spring in London is as frustrating as spring in New England.

My friend Katie and I were still in our hotel after Carolynn went to the starting line and we were able to watch the 30 second moment of silence before the start. It was quite emotional and many in the crowd were crying. Carolynn was too, she told us she couldn’t stop even though she told herself her tears were sucking up valuable hydration.

After that moment…Off they went. Running, laughing, smiling, waving; a collective middle finger to the world of terror.

Katie and I found a great spot at Mile 23 and watched them roll in. Every person we saw with Boston ANYTHING (shirts, shorts, Rondo jerseys, markered arms and legs, hats) got the full strength of our voices. I think we offended some Brits. They are very calm spectators. It’s a lot of polite clapping and some slightly louder “well done, chaps”. Not like us, we were screaming like it was the bottom of the ninth and Big Papi was up. A few people moved away from us. But, not before asking where we were from (really, guys? Did our screaming and Red Sox shirts and hats not give it away?) Once we answered, the understanding flooded their faces and we could see we were forgiven for acting so uncouth in public. We even got a few to join in. Quietly.

We were feeling great, loving the atmosphere, cheering for everyone, scanning the crowd for Carolynn and anyone with Boston ties…and then a balloon popped. About 10 feet from us. I almost went down. I don’t know the specifics for PTSD and don’t want to minimize it in any way but my mind said “bomb” and my heart almost stopped. Any other day and I would have probably not even heard that balloon but after the Boston events, my adrenaline kicked in. It’s true that a million thoughts can go through your head in one split second and they sure did.

Katie felt it too and as we looked at each other with terror in our eyes, I said “we’re OK”. We both breathed for a second and went back to looking for Carolynn and any other Boston supporters and runners. We had to put that out of our minds and keep cheering for all the people that were running.

I’m proud to say that Carolynn finished in 3:53, her fastest marathon by over 10 minutes. She said it was the atmosphere, the support from so many runners and spectators and knowing that she was running freely on her own two feet while many of her fellow Bostonians were struggling to survive in a hospital thousands of miles away. She did it for the families that had to say goodbye and for the thousands of first responders, cops, FBI, doctors, nurses, and regular people-turned life-savers who went above and beyond for our city and its people.

This was an emotional day for all but it was healing as well. We will get past this, we will run again. Or in my case, I will cheer again for those running Boston 2014. Boston Strong. Start running.

For more from the runner’s perspective, you can find a blog by Carolynn about her experience on the City Running Tours website.

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Theraflu and Whiskey

Guest blog by Jason Ayr

So what do we talk about when referencing the 2013 Boston Marathon?  I, like many others, feel a sense of guilt in recounting my race experience from a running perspective.  It is, however, important for us to talk about our races.  Our races are what make this event so special.  How very special this event is has not gone away, nor should the stories of our races.

The marathon matures you in many ways.  The long efforts after a work day, the execution of willpower during your taper, and the mental battle over the final miles are unlike any other racing experience and they mature you.  In the running world it is a guaranteed long term goal; an “all your eggs in one basket” challenge no matter how you look at it.  A disappointing result in this race requires the patience to prepare and race another.

I felt pretty good about my training going into the 2013 Boston Marathon.  It was by no means perfect, but it was a vast improvement on anything I had done before it.  I attribute this to coming off my first competitive marathon in October 2012 and my growth as a runner resulting from this race.  All was looking good, until the Friday before the race…

I broke out with a 103 degree fever Friday night and the idea of racing drifted away.  In all honesty, I was feeling bad for myself.

Screen shot of a Google chat conversation between EJN and Jason, less than 24 hrs before the gun went off. Luckily he didn't need any cowbell.

Screen shot of a Google chat conversation between EJN and Jason, less than 24 hrs before the gun went off. Luckily he didn’t need any cowbell.

Saturday was spent drinking a Theraflu and whiskey combination recommended by a Lady Wolf and chugging water in between naps.  I tried to remain focused on the marathon, but it became a bit of a fairytale idea when my symptoms were up.  The body aches were not jiving with the “above the neck” symptoms I was reading about in my countless Google searches for “racing with fever”.  Saturday was not a good day for the body, but I forced my mind to remain on the race.  I owe that to the Wolfpack.

Sunday my symptoms had vastly improved.  I was congested, but my fever was down and my back aches were gone.  I trotted a 4 mile jog to evaluate my situation and besides some very stiff legs I was feeling optimistic.  I attributed my heavy legs to my 36 hour stint in bed to keep the thoughts positive about racing.  It was time to head to the Expo and pick up my packet before 6PM.

One complete scan of the Hynes Convention Center and I was pumping with adrenaline from head to toe.  I was still eating Zicam like skittles and drinking water until my pipes hurt, but I was feeling the race atmosphere and confidence was growing.  I made it a main objective to keep the bout with sickness out of my mind; the marathon puts enough doubt in your head, no room for extra baggage.

Monday came and excitement ruled the morning with subtle fear coming along for the ride.  I executed a nice 7:30 mile warm-up with drills and entered the corral about 8 minutes before the gun – perfect timing thus far. I was relaxed and ready.

Jason and Brandon working together. Courtesy of Scott Mason.

Jason and Brandon working together. Courtesy of Scott Mason.

Out in 5:29 – IDEAL. I settled into a nice group with Brandon Newbould and some other non-New England runners. We were a solid bunch and there was a fair amount of work shared. We came through half in 1:11:22 off of pretty even splits. I was very excited with this, but there were some lingering doubts that drifted in and out from as early as mile 4. I was able to continually convince myself that these doubts were a result of the “excuse” I had in my back pocket – that I was “sick”. I wasn’t playing that game, so I continually pushed them away. As Dave Johnson and I talked about earlier on Sunday, if I was really being affected by the sickness I would know right away, so no carrying that crutch for the inevitably hard parts of this grueling event. Moving forward with my recount we will forget about the sickness all together, it had no effect on my day.

Going into Newton I was actually gaining confidence. I began shining through as one of the stronger ones in the pack I was running with and pulled away on some of the uphill stretches. My splits slowed to 5:38-40, but since I was stretching out my pack I knew these slower splits were a result of the hill and I had no concerns. It was not until Heartbreak Hill when I knew the day would feature a real struggle to get to the line. This is a typical timeline for a Boston runner as I gather. I fought hard for my 6:05′s through the final 10 kilometers of the course. I was inspired by fans at some points and too numb to hear at others. The self-doubt was the hardest battle being fought – in my head. My body was in a state of work that it was not happy with, but able to maintain, as long as my head stayed out of its way.

Turning onto Boylston was magic. The dip of the sewer at the turn I have learned about in the Duel in the Sun to the beautiful Blue and Yellow archway awaiting my arrival – simply amazing.

I finished and hobbled my immediately sore body through the shoots and towards baggage pick-up. I hopped a T back towards my family at Washington Square via Arlington Station. My time was barely a PR and several minutes off my goal, but I was legitimately happy with myself for the effort. Even more so than Chicago I believe I left it all out there.

The marathon is interesting. It is true what they say, this race humbles you. In a shorter event the failure to obtain a goal time results in a depressing analysis of what went wrong. In a marathon the only variable that can be controlled is your effort. Because of this, if you controlled that variable appropriately, there is no analysis to be done. For this day I controlled that variable to the best of my current abilities. There is room for improvement, but as I see it this day was an improvement on all days that came before it. There really isn’t much else you can expect.

And then the tragedy.  At about three o’clock my mother called from a nearby apartment, urging us to get off the street and hurry inside.  There was still celebration at mile 23 and leaving this party was not what I wanted to do, but her voice was serious and nervous when it rang, ‘Two bombs have gone off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon”.  It took the walk back for the news to settle as my initial response was purely to calm my nervous mother.

Everything that I wrote above now looks so selfish and meaningless, but I had to write it. If we weren’t faced with this tragedy that is what I would have written on the experience, so that is my experience as of 3:00PM Monday. By 5:00PM it was as if the racing never happened.

I sat and stared at the TV watching the replay of the bombs with my family and friends who had come to cheer.  Twenty-seven thousand runners had spent months – years – trying to reach this finish line.  Now they were running away.  It was a place that I had so recently experienced emotions of pure joy.  Now it was a place of fear.

I said a couple weeks ago that if everyone was training for an endurance event there would be world peace. I believe this to be true. The cowards that committed these acts were not runners. This is an absolute fact. It has to be. How we heal is by sharing our tool for peace with the world. It may not seem important, but it is.

With all the respect in the world for those tragically affected by Monday’s events, my eyes are set on Boston 2014. Respect the Boston Marathon.

It’s easy to feel guilty when it comes to talking about your race, but as Jason said it’s important that we do discuss this. His is a great example of an inspirational story to come out of it, and I’m sure that there are many more out there. We need to share the triumphs, while helping those affected by the tragedy. Once again, thanks to Scott Mason for use of his great work. Check out Scott Mason Photography for more shots from this race and many other events.

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Red Sock Relays

Screen Shot 2013-04-24 at 10.08.08 AMAustin Track Club Announces Red Sock Relays to Support Survivors of Boston Marathon Attacks

Promotional post from the Austin Track Club

(Austin, TX) – The Austin Track Club is presenting the Red Sock Relays at Austin High School from 9am – 11am on Saturday, May 11, 2013 to raise money for The One Fund, a non-profit established to support the victims and survivors of Monday’s attacks at the Boston Marathon. The relays will feature local runners who competed in the Boston Marathon with running groups such as Gilbert’s Gazelles and Rogue Running, local elite athletes as well as athletes from Boston-area track clubs. The Red Sock Relays will be a series of 200-meter sprints, 1-mile relays and 1-mile individual races. The Austin Track Club will donate $25 for each person who runs 200 meters in under 26.2 seconds; $50 for each relay team that runs a mile in under 4:15; and $75 for each individual who runs a mile in under 4:15.

All participants in the relays will receive a pair of red socks to commemorate the city of Boston and its citizens. Austin Track Club chief marketing officer Anthony Schurz quickly turned his anger over the attacks into a desire to bring out the best in the running community. “We wanted a way to support those in need after the Boston Marathon attack while reaffirming the strength and resilience of the running community as a whole,” Schurz tells us. “This event should accomplish both of those objectives.”

Austin Track Club director George Perry noted that red socks symbolize how the entire country – “even Yankees’ fans” – rallied to Boston’s side. “The commemorative red socks will be a reminder to the community of how runners across the country each did their small part to support a great city.” Schurz agrees: “The red socks are a symbol of our empathy for the city of Boston. We think there’s a lot more meaning behind these socks than a typical race t-shirt.” Perry added, “It was also a much cheaper and cleaner way to evoke memories of Boston than handing out lobsters at the finish line.”

Registration for the Red Sock Relays will cost $10, and participants may run in as many races as they desire throughout the meet. To learn more about The One Fund, please visit www.onefundboston.org.

The Austin Track Club, L3C, is a low-profit limited liability company with the mission to train, develop and support aspiring Olympic athletes. Since its inception the club has coached numerous athletes to compete in national and international competitions, most notably 2012 Olympic silver medalist Leo Manzano.

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Boston Sisu

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Sisu Project is selling their version of “Boston Strong” with High tech performance material shirts that say “Boston Sisu” since Sisu and Strong are synonyms. The proceeds are going to The Richard Family Fund (www.therichardfamilyfund.com). There are women’s and men’s versions. They are for sale to the general public, not just club members.  Here is the link to the store: http://sisuproject.spreadshirt.com/

Boston Sisu!  Boston Strong!

 

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Got ‘Em!

Douchegoblin in custody. Thank you to all the hard working first responders & law enforcement officials for taking care of this so quickly. #BostonStrong

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