I honestly had no plans of running a spring marathon this year – didn’t take long for that resolution to go out the window. On Friday night, an evening that started at dusk with me running alone in heavy rain and ended with four of my students running under a bright blue sky, I managed to run 28.56 miles in 12 hours for the Relay for Life. I didn’t do it continuously, but rather in small chunks of laps around our 0.275 mile college quad. And I didn’t do it alone – it was the support of my students and friends (both on-line and in person), and my recognition of the meaning of the event, that got me through what might outwardly seem like it should have been a monumentally tedious task.

I’ll start out by saying that this distance was not something I had trained for, nor was it something that I had any intention of doing until 2 days beforehand. To be completely honest, my training in the past 3 months has not included a single run longer than 11 miles, and thus, I was by no means in marathon shape. That being said, I’m a believer that when you put your mind to a task, any goal can be accomplished, and in completing this run I came away prouder of myself than after any other run I have done. Simply stated, it was an unforgettable night.

As I outlined in my previous post on this blog, every year, the students, faculty, and staff at my college (Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH) participate in the Relay for Life to raise money for the American Cancer Society. If you’re not familiar with the Relay for Life, here’s a brief description from the Relay for Life website:

“The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.“

Historically, the Relay for Life has been a walking event only at my college, but a few months ago I came up with the idea to try to incorporate a running event as well. The event ran from 7:00 PM on Friday, until 7:00 AM on Saturday, and the plan was to have at least one runner continuously circling the quad for the entire duration of those 12 hours. This had never been done before at our college, and initially I had some concerns that I wouldn’t be able to find enough people to fill the time. Fortunately, during the final week leading up to the Relay, runners started signing up at a rapid clip, and I went into the night with all 24 half-hour time slots covered.

The event started in our college’s gym, with an emotional ceremony featuring several speakers who discussed their personal stories of battling cancer, whether it be their own or that of a friend or family member. It was absolutely amazing to see so many of my students (500+ people participated, and our student body numbers only about 2000) out on a Friday night, giving their time to a cause that is so important. The gym was filled with tents, couches, bed, food, music, and a buzz of excitement for what was to come, and I cut out just before the ceremony ended to make sure I was in place to kick things off outside (I did make it back to the gym a few times to refuel – the Luminaria ceremony was amazing and incredibly emotional).

The run started with me, by myself, in cold, hard rain running 10 laps around the quad. I was a bit worried that the rain might cause people to not show up, but I was quickly reassured when one of my students came by at about 7:20 and started getting ready to run. She’s a varsity basketball player at our college, and she was shortly joined by a teammate who is also one of my research students. I ran with them for quite awhile, and a third basketballer joined in, and my initial apprehension turned into pride that I have students who are willing to give their time, in the rain, for an event like this. In fact, one of the three initial runners went for over an hour, making this the longest run of her life – and she said it wasn’t nearly as hard as she had thought it would be! This was exactly how I felt the next morning as I finished up my final lap – running with others who I know well made this an incredibly fun night, and I honestly couldn’t have done it without the students who came out and ran with me.

After the first few hours, the rain began to let up, and an amazing thing started to happen – people began filtering out of the gym and joining us for a few laps. Many of these were people who hadn’t signed up to run, but did so because they heard we were out there. It was an amazing thing to see, and rare was it that anyone ran solo for more than a few laps – I’d estimate that we wound up having 40-50 people run laps at some point throughout the night! Students kept telling me what a great idea it was, and that they wanted to make it bigger next year – set up tents on the quad, get music playing, have teams compete and so forth. This was my hope – I didn’t do a lot of fundraising this year since most of my effort was directed to organizing and making sure that we actually could complete the event. My primary goal was to get this thing off the ground, build some excitement, and let our awesome students take it from here. I seem to have accomplished that, and hopefully it will continue to grow into a bigger event that will bring in larger donations to the American Cancer Society in the future.

While the night was about commemorating those who have battled cancer, and my primary desire in running 100+ laps was to honor the marathon of physical and emotional suffering that cancer patients and their families face, I also had an ulterior motive. I believe in leading by example, and one of my passions in life is promoting the positive health benefits of physical activity. I wanted those who joined in to see that running can be fun, and that running long distance doesn’t have to be painful. I was continually surprised by the number of people who commented on how fast the time passed, and how much easier their laps were than expected. I had at least one additional runner (another current student of mine) who joined unannounced and wound up running 10+ miles – also her longest run ever. I had others jump in and cover me during the 2 slots that I had originally signed up to run solo – by that point I was spent and wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it. There were cross-country runners, students training for the Boston Marathon, and students who run little if at all. What they all had in common was a desire to support the cause by running, and for that I am forever thankful.

One of the great things about running is it’s ability to put people on the same level. While out there running in circles I was able to spend time with students in a wholly different setting than I’m used to. Given my family commitments and the fact that a live 30+ minutes from our campus, I don’t get to spend a lot of time on campus during non-work hours, so most of my student interactions come in the classroom or lab. However, out there on the quad we were all equals. We talked about marathons, we talked about classes, we talked about post-graduation plans, we talked about life – talking on the run allowed me to connect with these young adults on a level that I don’t usually get to as the guy standing in front of the class – it was truly incredible. I’d be remiss if I didn’t also thank the on-line community – I received innumerable words of encouragement via both dailymile and Twitter, and even had the pleasure of running with two dailymilers during the night (Lauren R., who is also a student, and David L.).

I could go on and on about what a great experience this was, but I’ll finish with this. We runners have an amazing ability to do good with our gift. I see people all the time raising money by logging miles out on the road, whether it be in a race or simply an event that they developed on their own. Continuously throughout the night I was thanked for having put this event together, and for doing my part in running the miles. Really, though, this wasn’t about me. It was about every single person who made a loop around that quad, or who walked a lap around the gym. We all were using our legs to raise money for those who are working to cure cancer, and to commemorate those who have battled this horrible disease – that’s what this was about. So, all I can say is this – do something big with your running, and do it for a good cause – it’ll mean more than meeting any personal goal.

If you are interested in finding a Relay for Life event in your area, use the following tool: http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/findevent. It’s a great event, and one that you’ll never forget.

How I spent the day after getting home (and yes, I took but one 20 minute catnap the entire night):

My posting (and running!) frequency has dropped considerably this week for reasons that are clear if you read my previous post on this blog. Last Friday saw the arrival of a new family member in my life, and I’ve been quite busy juggling baby duty with work, as well as putting in overtime trying to help get my other kids settled into a new home addition that is still very much a work in progress. Life has been hectic to say the least! Now, as if I don’t have enough on my plate, to finish off this crazy week I have a running commitment that will carry me all the way through Friday night and into Saturday morning.

Every year, the students, faculty, and staff at my college (Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH) participate in the Relay for Life to raise money for the American Cancer Society. If you’re not familiar with the Relay for Life, here’s a brief description from the Relay for Life website:

“The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.

Each year, more than 3.5 million people in 5,000 communities in the United States, along with additional communities in 20 other countries, gather to take part in this global phenomenon and raise much-needed funds and awareness to save lives from cancer. Thanks to Relay participants, the American Cancer Society continues to save lives.“

Historically, the Relay for Life has been a walking event only at my college, but a few months ago I came up with the idea to try to incorporate a running event as well. I began recruiting students, faculty and staff, as well as a few community members, to participate by running quarter-mile laps for 30 minute time blocks around our college quad. We have a pretty active student body, many of whom will be running the Boston Marathon in a few weeks, and I now have 30 people total who have agreed to run the relay from 7:00pm tomorrow night until 7:00am on Saturday morning. My hope is that by getting this off the ground this year, the running component might become an annual part of our Relay for Life event.

Having never participated in a Relay for Life before, I’m not really sure what to expect, and having never organized a running event of this magnitude, it has been both a somewhat stressful yet exciting experience. Now that I have a full slate of runners committed to participating, I’m considering elaborating my own involvement by seeing how many laps I can complete with them during the 12hr duration of the event. When I originally decided to organize a team, I did so with the expectation that our new baby would not have arrived yet (he came a bit early than expected – due date was April 23!). As the running team captain, I would not feel right backing out of the event at this point given all of the effort I have put in, as well as the fundraising done by team members, so I figure I might as well make the most of the time that I’ll be on campus by working my butt off. Cancer has taken people that I knew and loved, and my own grandmother was just operated on this week to have a cancerous lesion removed from her hand. I don’t know how many laps I’ll be able to do, or if I’ll even be able to stay awake for most of the night, but I’m going to give it as good an effort as I can. It’s the least I can do for those suffering from cancer.

My hope is to post my progress throughout the night on Twitter (you can follow me at http://www.twittter.com/oblinkin), and I’ll post a recap with my results later this weekend.

For more information about Dick and Rick Hoyt, and to learn about their charitable activites “to help those who are physically disabled become active members of the communit,” visit the Team Hoyt webpage.

The St. Charles Children’s Home in Rochester, NH, is a group home for abused and neglected children ages 3-12. The Home is run by a group of Roman Catholic women dedicated to taking care of these children, with the hope that they can eventually be placed with a family. Given the troubled past of many of these children, adapting to group life can have its rough patches, and the Sisters of the St. Charles Home, better known in these parts as The Running Nuns, have turned to daily running as a way to provide these children with an outlet to work through some of their behavioral problems. Here’s a description of their running program from the St. Charles Home website:

“Founded during the summer of 1996, the running program at St. Charles was developed to help the children cope with the stress and anger often accompanying placement and separation issues. A natural antidepressant, running enables the enhancement of each child’s self esteem.


The levels of training and competition vary, depending on each child’s age and ability, up to 4 miles a day, 5 days a week. The children participate in 5k and 8k road races in the Seacoast area.”

In addition to the daily runs, the St. Charles Home also sponsors an annual 5K race in September, the St. Charles Children’s Home 5K. I haven’t run this race yet, but I have seen the Running Nuns at races that I have participated in here in NH.

I’m honored that one of the Running Nuns, Sister Mary Agnes, has been a regular reader and supporter of this blog. And now, she’s joined dailymile.com to start chronicling her return to running – you can find her profile here: http://www.dailymile.com/people/SisterMaryAgnes. Lets show her, and her fellow nuns, some support for the great things that they do!

Below is a video about the Running Nuns of the St. Charles Home from CBS:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

You can also read stories about the Running Nuns on the New Hampshire Public Radio Website (by Keith Shields, a member of my local running club!), as well as Runner’s World.

Below is a Race Report that Matt sent out regarding his experience running the 2010 Disney Half-Marathon:

“Thank you for supporting my Team In Training event for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Your help and encouragement is what got me across the finish line. But more importantly, you helped to accelerate finding cures for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma and bring increased hope to the patients and families who are on the front lines of the battle against these blood cancers.

Leading up to this race I was not sure exactly how I would do. After originally planning to run the full marathon, then getting injured and having to drop down to the Half Marathon I was a bit worried i would even be able to run that distance.

My race started with my alarm going off at 2:30am to get my gear on and head to the bus for the quick ride to the starting line. The temp hovered around 30 degrees and before the gun went off at 5:40am the freezing rain had already started to fall. I was used to running in the cold after training at home, but I had never expected to run in the freezing rain in Floria – it’s supposed to be warm there!

During the run itself there were many times where I could feel my legs tighten up, and rather than focus on that, I focused on the support and encouragement I received from you and everyone else who has helped my fundraising for the LLS.

I finished the event in 2 hours and 12 minutes – not my best time, but considering how little I was able to train leading up to the event I am very happy with my time. As far as races go, this was my favorite so far – running through the Magic Kingdom, up main street, around Tomorrowland and finally through the Castle gates was truly amazing. The support at every mile was something I had never seen before. From fireworks at the start, to marching bands just about every two miles, to a sea of people congratulating you at the finish this was hands down the most fun run I’ve ever done.

From this event, and the previous event I ran last June I have raised over 8 thousand dollars to help find a cure for blood cancers and support those people who are currently fighting this disease. Your contributions got me to this amazing total.

On behalf of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, thank you very much for your support. I really appreciate your generosity.

If you’d like to learn more about joining Team In Training, you can visit http://www.teamintraining.org.

You can also read through my progress updates or make additional contributions on my fundraising page here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/wdw10/mattallen

Thank you,

Matt Allen

Matt is yet another great example of someone putting his ability to run to use for a greater purpose than the achievement of mere personal goals – congratulations Matt on your accomplishments!

If you’d like to find out more about Team in Traning, please visit their website: http://www.teamintraining.org/

Back in late November I decided to start a Dashing Through December challenge on Dailymile as a way to provide a bit of winter running motivation as well as do something positive for a charity whose mission I strongly support. The description I posted for this challenge on the Dailymile site is below:

“After a week of too much turkey and too little running, we all need some motivation to keep moving through the holidays. If 10 people break 120 miles for December, I’ll donate $120 to the ING Run for Something Better Program. Heck, I’ll probably do it anyway, but this is a lot more fun, and I’ll credit all who meet the goal on my blog. Let’s do it! If you can’t make the mileage, here’s an idea – donate a dollar amount equal to your December mileage to a charity of your choice! If you plan to do it, just drop a comment here – we can all make a difference through running this year!”

Goal: Everybody tries to run 120 mi

Well, as it turns out, an amazing 150 people signed up to participate in this challenge, and 52 successfully completed my proposed goal of 120 miles for the month. That’s 42 more than the target number I chose, which I am truly floored by given that we’re talking about an average of 30 miles per week in the cold of winter during a time when most people are hunkering down for the holidays. These are people who understand the value of exercise, and demonstrate this through the miles they put in out on the road and trail despite the weather and the distractions of the holiday season.  I cannot think of a better set of role models for those very children supported by the ING Run For Something Better program, and I was happy to follow through and make my donation to this great group.  For accountability, you can confirm that I followed through by checking my donation page here. If you’d like to donate toward my modest goal of $300, I’d be honored – I’m only $35 away!

Thanks to everybody who participated in this challenge, I can’t say enough how much I appreciate your effort and the example that you set. Lets keep this ball rolling into 2010!

Below are the 52 runners who completed the Dashing Through December Challenge.  You can view the entire list of participants here on Dailymile.com.

 

 

 

Here are the details courtesy of the Fresh Air Fund:

The Fresh Air Fund is looking for runners and sponsors to join their Fresh Air Fund-Racers team for the NYC Half-Marathon this coming March 21st. This is a great way to participate in NYC’s premier summer road race while helping Fresh Air Fund children.

Over the last year, support from friends helped give nearly 10,000 inner-city children country experiences that they’re still talking about! The Fresh Air Fund relies on donations to keep their programs strong for the summer months. For more information, check out the Fresh Air Fund’s NYC Half-Marathon event page.

If you haven’t heard of the Fresh Air Fund, here’s a description of what they do from their website:

“Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund, a not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences in the country to more than 1.7 million New York City children from disadvantaged communities. Each year, thousands of children visit volunteer host families in 13 states and Canada through the Friendly Town Program or attend Fresh Air Fund camps.“

You can also view a fact sheet about the Fresh Air Fund.

Thanksgiving break could not have come at a better time for me. While things have been going relatively smoothly for me at work this semester, the end of November is right about the time when both faculty (myself included) and students begin to feel burned out – we’re all badly in need of a break. On top of work-related mental exhaustion, running two marathons this Fall has taken a toll on me physically, and I could feel my enthusiasm for my runs beginning to wane a bit. Heck, my blogging has even slacked off, as this is my first post in over a week. Given all of this, I decided to use this week as a scale-back week – the plan was to not worry too much about what I ate on Thanksgiving, not worry too much if I didn’t get runs in, and to just try to get some R&R and spend some quality time with my family. Needless to say, I was successful on all counts.

My wife, kids, and I traveled up to Maine to spend the holiday with my parents and my brother and sister. Normally I like to run while we’re in Maine as the area is fairly rustic and it provides a nice change of scenery, but a day of cold, pouring rain followed by a day of ridiculously strong wind forced me to stay inside and eat too much turkey, pie, and ice cream (really, it was the weather’s fault). Sleep was also surprisingly easy to come by – I actually got a decent nap on Thanksgiving day, and 2 consecutive nights of almost 12 hours of sleep, which is a rarity with two small kids in the family. The excess food and sleep, combined with only one easy treadmill run, left me feeling refueled and refreshed, and I’m now ready to face down the hectic last 2 weeks of the semester before a nice, long winter break.

Sometimes taking what seems like a step backward can actually be a step forward, and giving my body a chance to recuperate a bit is probably the best thing I could have done (I ran a total of only 15 miles this week). I really don’t regret that I ate like a pig and didn’t exercise enough to burn it off, and I’m ready to hit the looming NH winter with a renewed commitment to my running, and a renewed commitment to not letting the cold, dark days to come get the better of my health and fitness.

I’m going to start off my goal of running through the winter by shooting to run 120 miles in December – I’ve set up a “Dashing Through December” challenge on Dailymile to help me toward this goal, and you’re welcome to join as well. If I can get 10 people to run 120+ miles in December, my plan is to donate $120.00 to the ING Run For Something Better program to support exercise programs for kids and fight childhood obesity. If you can’t hit 120 miles, consider donating a dollar amount equal to your December mileage to the charity of your choice – let’s make our running count this holiday season!

One of my running friends on Twitter, Matt Allen (@mattallenphoto), is preparing to run the 2010 Disney Marathon with Team in Training, a fundraising group that is part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. His goal is to raise $4000 to contribute to the efforts of the LLS and their goal of eradicating blood cancers while assisting current cancer patients and their families as they work through treatment.

As part of his effort, Matt is holding a fundraising event at the Blue Mermaid in Portsmouth, NH on Nov. 21 benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in their fight against blood cancers. A friend of his, Seth Gooby, will be providing the musical entertainment for the evening.

There will be some great prizes raffled off throughout the night including a 2gb iPod Shuffle, gift certificates to local merchants, a hand loomed scarf from an Etsy artisan, and fine art photography. A suggested donation of $10 gets you 5 raffle tickets with more available to purchase at $2 per ticket. The more you donate the better your odds of walking away with a prize. All donations will be given directly to the Leukemia & Lymphoma society.

The details of Matt’s fundraising event again are:

Where: The Blue Mermaid, 409 The Hill, Portsmouth, NH
When: Saturday, November 21st at 8pm

To make a donation and join Matt in the mission to wipe out blood cancer, visit his Team in Training fundraising page at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ma/wdw10/mattallen.

For more information, you can also follow Matt’s training for the 2010 Disney Marathon on Facebook.

About the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. We have invested more than $680 million in research since 1949 – over $69 million in 2009 – specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, LLS made 4.9 million contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals.

About Team in Training
Over the past 20 years, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training® (TNT) has grown to become an unparalleled sports training program. More than 390,000 participants, from first timers to seasoned athletes, have trained with the Team and achieved their best at marathons, half marathons, triathlons, 100-mile century bike rides and hiking adventures. TNT is the world’s first, best and largest charity sports training program – and the only one to offer a full complement of exciting, sports training options.

One of the flyers in my race packet from the 2009 Hartford Marathon was for a program known as the ING Run For Something Better. ING sponsors the Hartford Marathon (among others), and the Run For Something Better Program “helps fund running and fitness education programs in schools to show kids how exercise can help achieve good health.” Inspiring my own kids to be active is one of the reasons why I love to run, and I believe that healthy exercise habits that are developed in childhood will go a long way toward stemming the obesity epidemic that currently exists in the United States. With this in mind, I’ve decided to try and raise some money for this great program by running the 2010 Disney Marathon in honor of healthy kids. My goals are very modest (this is my first time attempting something like this), and if you’d like to donate to the cause you can visit my donation page for the ING Run For Something Better program here.

Below is a short video describing this program:

ING Run For Something Better “Sizzle Reel” from Inertia Films on Vimeo.
Inertia Films produced and edited a video for ING’s fitness program called “Run For Something Better Program” that helps fight childhood obesity.

Visit http://www.orangelaces.com for more information on the Run For Something Better program.

Last night I had the opportunity to run 10+ miles with Sherpa John and Nate.  A friend and I (thanks again Jim!) met up with them at about mile 57 of their run (about 7:15 PM), and ran/walked for about the next ten miles until a rest stop near Eastern Mountain Sports in Concord (my hometown). It was cold, dark, and snow flurries were coming down on several occasions (which was really cool!), but it was a beautiful night and a truly amazing experience to run with two people who had already put in 50+ miles on the day. The experience makes me really want to run an ultra, and more improtantly, showed me that it is possible to do something as crazy sounding as running across New Hampshire in frigidly cold temperatures. Here’s hoping they both arrive safely at the beach sometime today!

For more information about Sherpa John and his run, visit http://runnh.blogspot.com/.

Update: Sherpa John successfully completed his Run Across New Hampshire in 34 hours and 20 minutes. You can read his four-part series of blog posts on the 2009 RANH starting here: http://sherpajohn.blogspot.com/2009/10/rr-2009-ranh-part-1.html

Below are a few pictures of Sherpa John (blue jacket) and Nate (yellow shirt) taken last night:

I was recently contacted by a representative from the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, New Hampshire with a request to post information about a charity run that is being done to raise money for the organization.  As a scientist myself, and having visited the SSC on several occasions with my kids, I can vouch for the good things that they do for both children and science, and am happy to spread the word about this fundraising event.  Below are the details provided to me by the SSC rep:

“Ultra marathon runner “Sherpa” John Lacroix will run around-the-clock, from October 17-18, 2009, across New Hampshire, to help raise funds for the Seacoast Science Center. A full time student majoring in Outdoor Education at the University of New Hampshire and endurance athlete, John’s career highlights include completed hiking of New Hampshire’s list of 48 four thousand foot peaks six times, and he is the youngest person to ever complete the Trailwrights 72 Peak-bagging list (and only person under 50 years of age to have done so).

Previously Lacroix has raised over $20,000 on behalf of the American Diabetes Association Research Fund through a documentary film he made on hiking New Hampshire’s 4,000 Foot Peaks. Lacroix ran across New Hampshire in 2008 in part of a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire.

According to Seacoast Science Center Marketing Director Karen Provazza, “With school budgets shrinking, and the increasingly vital role informal science education facilities play in educating today’s children, the need for funding for such facilities is growing. When John asked if we were game in accepting his run as a fundraiser for the Seacoast Science Center, we were thrilled!”

John’s offer made sense all-around. His countless hours in the wildness of our state have given him an immeasurable appreciation for its magnificence. His offer to share his intense connection fits hand-in-hand with the Science Center’s mission to create connections to nature through personal experience.

John’s run, from the hills and rivers of the westernmost part of New Hampshire, to the easternmost shore of the Gulf, can be seen as a lesson in itself; it illustrates the watershed from the rivers to the sea. According to Lacroix, “If my run can spark people’s interest in the environment and help raise awareness of the important work the Seacoast Science Center does, then it is a success. If it raises enough funds help bring school groups to experience the unique, hands-on learning experiences the Center delivers, then it is a huge success.”

Runners of all abilities are invited to run beside “Sherpa” John for a donation of $1.00 per mile or more. If you are not a runner, please consider coming to the Science Center on October 18 to cheer on John and his friends. You can track the route online at http://runnh.blogspot.com/2008/10/run-across-nh-route.html. Additionally, time and location updates will be posted on the Center’s facebook page.

You can support the Seacoast Science Center by making a donation to the Run Across New Hampshire today. Please donate online at the Events page at www.seacoastsciencecenter.org, at the Portsmouth Eastern Mountain Sports Store or at the Seacoast Science Center the next time you visit.

MORE INFO AT A GLANCE:

WHO: Ultra marathon runner “Sherpa” John Lacroix
WHAT: A 125 Mile Around the Clock Run from The Connecticut River to The Atlantic Ocean.
WHERE: Route 9 Chesterfield, NH to Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, NH.
WHEN: Saturday, October 17, 2009 – Sunday, October 18, 2009
WHY: To benefit the Seacoast Science Center

THE ROUTE:

Lacroix’s journey is 125 miles (200 Kilometers) in length and will be run Around The Clock, start to finish without stopping. He will start on the NH Route 9 Bridge connecting Brattleboro, VT with Chesterfield, NH over the Connecticut River. His Run on Route 9 will take him through the towns of Chesterfield, Keene, Sullivan, Hillsborough, Henniker, Hopkinton, and Concord. He will then take US Route 4 through the towns of Chichester, Epsom, Northwood, Barrington, Lee, Madbury, Durham, Dover and Newington. He will then run through the streets of Portsmouth and New Castle before reaching the terminus at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, NH. He also plans short stints through downtown Hillsboro, Henniker, Concord, Durham and Portsmouth.”

For more information about Sherpa John and his run, visit http://runnh.blogspot.com/.