By Times Staff
—
The thousands of runners from throughout New England who didn't get into the highly popular TD Bank Beach to Beacon in Maine or the CIGNA Falmouth Road Race on Cape Cod have another crack at running an elite race.
The inaugural Run Gloucester! 7-Mile Road Race is set for Sunday, Aug. 22.
"With nearly five miles of ocean views and a quintessential New England setting, the Run Gloucester! 7-Mile is a perfect alternative for those who didn't get into the Beach to Beacon or Falmouth," said Dave McGillivray, whose company, DMSE Sports, Inc., created and is managing the race.
McGillivray, a North Andover resident, also serves as race director of the BAA Boston Marathon and the TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K. He has produced or consulted on more than 900 mass-participatory athletic events throughout the world, including 23 Boston Marathons; the 2004 and 2008 USA Women's Olympic Marathon Trials, the 1990 Triathlon World Championship, the 1998 Goodwill Games Triathlon, and the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
Runners are encouraged to register in advance at www.rungloucester.com. The registration fee is $35 online and $40 on race day. Proceeds from the Run Gloucester! 7-Mile, sponsored by the Gloucester Daily Times and Saucony, Inc., will benefit the Gloucester Fishermen Athletic Association (GFAA) and DMSE's Children Fitness Foundation.
New Developments
Race organizers and the lead sponsor, Saucony, Inc., a leading global supplier of performance athletic footwear and apparel with brand headquarters in Lexington, have established a prize purse of $5,000. The winning man and woman will each receive $1,500, with $750 for the second-place finishers and $250 for third. Saucony also will award shoe gift certificates to all age group winners.
The race will begin at 8 a.m. at the Gloucester Fishermen's Memorial Statue on the historic Gloucester waterfront. Online registration will be available until Friday, Aug. 20 at 5 p.m. and to register on the day of the race, runners should arrive between 6 and 7:45 a.m. at Gloucester High School.
For those who pre-register online, registration and packet pick-up will be held Saturday, Aug. 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Gloucester High School.
A Kid's Fun Run will be held at Stage Fort Park at 9:45 a.m., following the 7-mile event. Registration is free and kids who register will receive a participatory medal. An awards ceremony also will take place after the race at 10 a.m. at historic, waterfront Stage Fort Park on Hough Street in Gloucester.
The recently certified course will take runners along Eastern Point Road, Atlantic Road and Bass Rocks, before returning to the statue for the finish. The course features one of New England's most picturesque seascapes, boasting nearly five miles of ocean views. A map of the course and other race info is available at www.rungloucester.com.
Being a part of history
Gloucester is America's oldest seaport and also home to the nation's first artist colony, so it is fitting to be a part of history by participating in the very first Run Gloucester! 7-Mile Road Race.
"Gloucester has a vibrant, active running community as does the entire Cape Ann area, and we are hoping runners from the area plus all across New England will come out and join them and be a part of this historic inaugural race," said Ron Kramer, Race Director, who envisions the Run Gloucester! 7-Mile one day rivaling other top New England road races in size and stature. "I think we're going to create something really special here that runners will want to be a part of, year after year."
For additional information on the area, the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce website lists information on accommodations and dining.
The Run Gloucester! 7-Mile will mark the third time this year that McGillivray and his firm, DMSE Sports, have launched an appealing new road race in New England. In April, DMSE organized the Run to Home Base 9K at Fenway Park, which raised more than $2-million for the Massachusetts General Hospital's Home Base Program, and on July 4 managed the first-ever Harvard Pilgrim 10K where more than 3,000 runners finished at the 50-yard-line in Gillette Stadium. McGillivray and Kramer developed the Run Gloucester 7-Mile after meeting with local officials more than a year ago.
Event Helps the GFAA
The race's primary beneficiary, the GFAA, raises funds for Gloucester High School student-athletes, sports programs and facilities, and is a key supporter of the renovation of Gloucester High's Newell Stadium.
The race's referee, Steve Vaitones, who grew up in Gloucester and is a longtime contributing member of the GFAA, said the GFAA is a crucial part of the town's athletic programs.
"Without the GFAA many of the athletic programs just wouldn't exist," Vaitones said. "The facilities are in dire need of improvement — meets can't be held at the track and the stands are in bad shape. The Gloucester Fishermen AA was created to help ease the cost of user fees, and to look at improving and restoring all school athletic facilities. Hopefully this race will give them the financial boost they need and deserve."
Material from a press release was used in this report.
