Fall race standing tall.
Byline: John ConceisonCOLUMN: RUNNING
Forgive Paul Collyer if he seems a bit anxious. He's only striving to electrify the running scene in Worcester with a marquee downtown event as the calendar moves into the fall.
In its second year, the Fallon Community Health Plan Canal Diggers 5K, which goes off at 11 a.m. a week from today, had more than 400 entries as of Friday. That's ahead of last year's numbers, which exceeded 600 on race day.
Still, Collyer, the 5K race's director, wants to see Worcester hopping.
"I understand this is still a relatively new event, but it hasn't excited the community like I'd want," he said. "Hopefully, we'll improve on that because Worcester is ripe for a downtown running event."
Collyer runs BA Events, which promotes several road races in the state, many of them in downtown areas and which attract in the neighborhood of 1,000 entries. Much of his passion for downtown races stems from the fact he grew up in Somerville's Ball Square, where he runs a successful event on St. Patrick's Day.
Collyer moved to Worcester six years ago, to Chandler Street in District 4. He's a city boy, through and through, and would love nothing more than to see the course's mix of history through the Canal District and downtown flavor thrive.
"I've hosted some major events and I'd love nothing more than to be a part of that scene in Worcester," he said. "I'd like for people that, when they think of road racing, they think of Worcester."
The race, which includes a one-mile fitness walk, begins at the Fiddler's Green Irish Pub at Temple and Green streets, and follows along the Blackstone Canal, which of course was a transport for goods between Worcester and Providence in the late 19th century. The course passes twice through Kelley Square, and we all know it's much easier on the nerves running than driving through that tangle.
Union Station, Major Taylor Boulevard, the DCU Center, City Hall and even our own Telegram & Gazette building on Franklin Street are along the USATF-certified route, which ends on Harding Street.
Mario Fraioli will not be back to defend his title because he's in training for the Oct. 19 BayState Marathon. But while the event is sure to attract quality competition, Collyer puts on an enjoyable event beyond the race itself. Finishers' medals, nifty T-shirts and refreshments are on tap, as is an impressive post-race barbecue.
The Irish craic (slang for a good time) takes place at Fiddler's Green, and will feature music from 3 Mics and a Mutt, and The Brennan Brothers.
"The party was still cooking at 8 o'clock last year," Collyer said. "People came from outside the city and really had a great time. We like to put on a very, very social gathering."
Entry fee is $20 through Wednesday, and $22 from Thursday to race day. Preregistration pickup and race-day registration takes place from 9 to 10:45 a.m. at Fiddler's Green.
Proceeds benefit the Worcester Hibernian Cultural Foundation.
Register online or by mail. For information, visit baevents.com.
5K Police Chase in Marlboro
The day before the Canal Diggers race, the Police Patrol Officers Association in Marlboro is sponsoring its eighth annual 5K Police Chase at a new location.
This year's Chase, in memory of Sgt. William Kirby and benefiting the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance, will start at the Moose Lodge, 67 Fitchburg St., Marlboro, at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Kirby died in 2002 at age 57 after an eight-month battle with pancreatic cancer, not long after retiring from the Marlboro police force.
For the previous seven runnings, the race started and ended at Marlboro Fish and Game. The new course at the Moose Lodge will run along part of the rail trail.
The race is open to everyone, and afterward police put on a fine cookout with kids activities, live bands and raffles. The one request? Please keep the pets at home.
Entry fee is $12 in advance, $15 on race day. Proceeds are directed to the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance at UMass Medical School.
For more registration information, call the Marlboro Police station at (508) 485-1212 or e-mail doak8@hotmail.com. Checks should be made payable to the MPPOA, 355 Bolton St., Marlboro.
Boston Marathon entries open
Hard to believe, but registration opened on Wednesday for next April's Boston Marathon. Again, the field will be limited to 25,000 entrants.
Qualifying standards are available at www.baa.org/BostonMarathon/Qualifying.asp. Last year, runners with qualifying times better than 3 hours, 35 minutes began in the first wave, while others started a half-hour later.
The field filled up by late February for the 2008 event, and organizers expect '09 to reach the limit even faster. Entries will be accepted until the limit is reached.
In addition to online registration (baa.org), a PDF application can be downloaded at the same Web site, or a hard-copy application can be obtained by e-mailing registration@baa.org.
Also, six new organizations will be taking part in the Boston Marathon Charity Program - CYCLE Kids, GoKids, Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, Perkins School for the Blind, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and WalkBoston.
For information, contact the Charity Program Web page at baa.org. Applications are available, and runners of all abilities are encouraged to apply early.
More than 1,200 runners represented 24 organizations in the Charity Program, raising more than $11 million.
John Conceison can be reached by e-mail at jconceison@telegram.com.
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| Publication: | Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA) |
|---|---|
| Date: | Sep 7, 2008 |
| Words: | 895 |
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