Thanks again for a successful 2007 season!  See you in 2008!!

2008 Races begin Wednesday, June 11!!

GFRC Summer Track Series - A Quarter-Century Tradition  

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 2007) 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.