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Every Wednesday June 10- August 12 - 5:30 registration The GFRC Summer Track series boasts
a quarter century history as the premier low-key, high-energy all-comers
summer track series in the western suburbs of Boston. The series, which has
always been held in Framingham and most frequently at Bowditch Field, was
initially conceived in 1980 as an event to help serious adult road runners
and track devotees hone their fast twitch muscle fibers through sprint
events and shorter distance runs, over the course of a ten-week series of
meets. Over the years, the focus of the
meets has shifted from serving as an adult athlete-dominated spectacle to
providing an outlet on a weekly basis for more than 200 kids, some as young
as two years old, to enjoy the flavor of competition without the demands or
pressure of a highly structured athletic competition. While most
participants now are of teen age or younger, this all-comers series welcomes
participants of all ages and talent. Parents of competitors under 18 years
of age must sign the waiver of liability form that accompanies every
registration. The series normally begins on the
second Wednesday of June and continues on a weekly basis, every Wednesday,
for nine to ten weeks, usually wrapping up on the second Wednesday in
August. The meets begin at 6 p.m., with registration opening around
5:30 p.m. The events included in each of the meets include: 50 meter dash,
100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, 400 meter dash, 800 meter dash and 1 mile
distance events as well as long jump, softball throw and a 400 meter relay.
All events, whenever practicable, are staged in age-graded and often
gender-segregated heats. This system facilitates organization of the
simplest and often fairest competition among the hundreds of competitors. Volunteers from the Greater
Framingham Running Club staff all events. Rich & Chris Chesmore, long time
members of the GFRC serve as the meet directors. All running events are
hand-timed, and winning times along with winner names are recorded and
sometimes published in The Boston Globe scoreboard.
Occasionally, second and third place finishing times in various heats are
recorded. The $1 registration fee (as of the end of 200) entitles
participants to compete in as many events as he or she desires. (Complete
series registration is also available.) Blue, red or yellow ribbons are
awarded to the first three finishers in every running heat as well as to the
age-graded division winners in the softball throw and long jump and blue
ribbons are awarded to all members of winning relay teams. The GFRC secures event liability insurance for these meets through the Road Runners Club of America. The Framingham Parks and Recreation Department serves as a series co-sponsor - without their support we would not be able to hold the meets. For more information, please call Rich Chesmore, series co-director, at 508-875-0201. |