On August 26, several hundred smiling athletes ran the first ever New England Green River Marathon. I'd been on the planning committee for it, and was also the official race photographer (see the full photo gallery here, or a highlights album here). Now, a week afterwards, I'm so pleased to report that overall we can call it a terrific success.
Runners responded to a post-race survey with lots of rave reviews, heartfelt kudos, and helpful suggestions. The weather cooperated and on race day we had a rather pleasant morning with mostly overcast skies for the first part of the run. The temps never rose too high, and the humidity wasn’t crushing. The sun came out in full force for the final road miles where it did warm up, but by then runners were close enough to taste the sweet thrill of victory awaiting them at the finish line at Greenfield Community College.
the start at Marlboro College (photos by Ben Kimball unless otherwise noted)
the bridge at mile 10 (photo by Matt Cavanaugh)
L: Overall race winner Meg Brockett in full stride at mile 12.
R: Erica Belanger finishes at Greenfield Community College.
cooling off at mile 23
Race directors Tom and Laure Van den Broeck Raffensperger deserve heaps of praise, not just for making it all happen but doing it in style. The whole thing felt very professional and the overall eco-friendly vibe was unmistakable. Asked afterwards for a quick overview statement, Tom said: “Despite a few harrowing moments, the race went better than I could have hoped for, and the credit goes to the all-volunteer race committee, our community partners, and all our race-day volunteers.”
Speaking of volunteers: they came out in droves on race day, doing everything from from getting runners to the start, to staffing aid stations, to working the finish line. Several people even toiled tirelessly from well before dawn in a big rental truck dropping off (and later picking up) supplies at all the aid stations. It was so heartening to see so much vigorous support for the event. Help came from afar too; the wife of a runner from Maine even volunteered for several hours handing out cups of water and Gatorade at the mile 10 aid station. A huge thank you goes out to everyone for giving it their all and making this first year a real success.
Runners on Green River Road alongside the super-scenic Green River at mile 12
Make sure to read Patrick Pezzati’s awesome article the Sept/Oct 2018 issue of SMAC's newsletter in which he shares his unique perspectives on the marathon, both as lead bike ahead of the runners and as the announcer at the finish line. His guidance was crucial during the race for first place, and his enthusiastic fervor as MC at the finish line was greatly appreciated by everyone involved. [EDIT: Another excellent article about the event was written a few months later by Jennifer York, who ran the race; see it on p. 4 of the 2018 Annual issue of SMAC's newsletter.]
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