Between us, we have completed 50 or so marathons.
We are not speed demons, but we have fun when we get together for weekend runs. Lots of fun. Lots of laughs. Lots of good-natured kidding.
We are the E Streeters, a group of friends who still run together on weekends, no matter the weather, no matter the course.
Our latest adventure is signing up for an inaugural event, the Reebok Ragnar Sprint Reach The Beach, a 12-leg, 55-mile journey. It's my first Ragnar event. The most popular Ragnar events span two or three days; this is just a one-day affair.
On Sept. 18, we will start in Raymond, N.H. Hours later - hours and hours later, that is - we will reach the finish line on the beach in Hampton, N.H.
It's not a race. Thank goodness. Five of the six members of our team are between the ages of 56-57. But no other team will have more fun. Trust me. The longest leg is 8.6 miles, the shortest 3.1 miles. We will each run two legs and no one will run longer than 12.7 miles.
I am joined on the team by fellow E Streeters Tommy Scanlon, Pat Cook, Steve Vachon, Mike Cassidy and Andrew Cook. I went to grammar school with Steve and high school with Tommy (my brother), Pat and Mike.
During a recent run in Littleton, the temperature spiked into the mid-80s (with stifling humidity) despite the fact that we began at 7:30 a.m. But five of us from the Ragnar team were there, pounding out six miles and sweating rivers. There was little funny about the running conditions, but somehow we managed. A injury has temporarily placed Mike on the shelf, but he'll be back.
Ragnar relay races are held across the country. Some of the relays feature 12-runner teams. Someday I'd like to run in one of those in order to have fellow E Streeters Scott Spence, Carlos Borges, John Piekos, Sean Kenny, Ben Nicholson, Jon Noone, Nick Laganas and Tom Beaupre join us.
The Sept. 18 event is a departure from traditional Ragnars. Though we will likely start about 5 a.m., there is no overnight part of the relay.
We have decades of stories. Looking forward to adding another chapter on Sept. 18.
From left, Pat Cook, Barry Scanlon, Steve Vachon, Tommy Scanlon and Andrew Cook
Comments