Boston Athletic Association Urges Runners to Factor-in Heat, Defer Until 2013 if Possible

Update to Entrants in Tomorrow's Boston Marathon®

Sunday, April 15, 2012 as of 4:30 p.m.

Running any marathon involves risks

• The weather conditions that we will be seeing on Monday, April 16 will involve even more risk. It will involve an increased element of risk to all participants due to the heat. Only the fittest runners should consider participating.

• We have put in place a broad array of services and support for our marathon participants, but the risks that will be presented on April 16 will be higher than normal.

• Therefore, in cooperation with the Boston Marathon's Medical Team, it is our recommendation that anyone entered in the marathon who has not met the qualifying standards for their age and gender strongly consider not running, and that they strongly consider deferring until next year.

• Another essential factor to take into consideration is whether you have ever run a full marathon in weather conditions involving hot temperatures-and that can mean temperatures even lower than those that may be present on Monday. Do NOT assume that any experience you have in running a cooler marathon will be a reliable guide in making the decision in whether to participate or defer. You must factor in the heat.

• Everyone who does choose to participate should strongly consider running significantly more slowly that they normally would plan to run a marathon. We have extended the opening of our finish line in support of this recommendation.

• For the overwhelming majority of those who have entered to participate in the 2012 Boston Marathon, you should adopt the attitude that THIS IS NOT A RACE. It is an experience.

• MOST IMPORTANTLY-everyone needs to take responsibility for their own safety. Ultimately this is an individual sport in which individuals must take responsibility for themselves.

FROM - Boston Athletic Association - HopNews Photo, April 15, 2012.

Marathon Parking Restrictions

The Board of Selectmen approved Police Chief Flannery’s request at it's March 20, 2012 meeting to prohibit parking motor vehicles or trailers on all public ways in the Town of Hopkinton from 5:00 AM until 1:00 PM on the day of the Boston Marathon, April 16 2012, unless the vehicles have a permit issued by the Police Department. The prohibition will be enforced only on public ways critical to supporting the start of the race.  The Hopkinton Police Department will close the roads in Hopkinton at 7:30 AM on the day of the Marathon and will re-open the roads as soon as possible, but no later than 1:00 PM.

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Take Care

April 15, 2012 — Hopkinton-grown, Take Care Band, above, was one of several musical acts that entertained the gathering at the Hopkinton Common this weekend in what some hope will be an annual festival.

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Welcome to Hopkinton

April 15, 2012 — Members of Hopkinton Marathon Committee greeted visitors over the weekend and will do so tomorrow, during the marathon-related activities, answering questions, giving directions and handing out materials.

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Help From Friends

April 15, 2012 — Westborough Firefighters received help from their friends in Hopkinton when responding to Stop and Shop in their town after a chicken rotisserie inside the store, according to witnesses, burst into flames.

Wood Duck, Not Wooden Duck

April 14, 2012 — This shiny and colorful wood duck photographed today on Little Pond at the southern end of Lake Whitehall looks like it could be a beautifully painted wooden decoy. However, during and after and the photos, the duck swam and dived repeatedly, popping up 30 feet away in one instance, proving it is very real. These type of ducks, once nearly hunted to extinction, are becoming more abundant in the area due to good wildlife management practices.

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Rural Feel

April 14, 2012 — These cows on Pond Street owned by Norfolk Agricultural School student Chris Casella enjoy grazing in between eating grain and hay twice a day. This property and others in the neighborhood add to the stock of farms that are lightly sprinkled throughout town and evoke memories of a bygone Hopkinton era.

Romance in the Spring

April 14, 2012 — Above, a youthful couple from Upton share an embrace on the gazebo at Ice House Pond while another couple nearby practiced their seasonal ritual. Below, a Canada goose couple that HopNews is featuring this season displays their daily routine. The gander swims around the pond making sure that he is noticed, rather than his mate, who is camouflaged in her nest in the top right of the photo. A couple of hours earlier, they swam together as she stretched and bathed.

Why Did the Turkey Cross the Road?

April 14, 2012 — Long, thin shadows provide a vignette for this vivid photo of a lone wild turkey crossing a road in Hopkinton State Park today; and a diagonal leading line adds strength and framing, enhancing the photo even further.

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Left, Michael Spector leads his group in song on the Hopkinton Common today during the first Annual Music Festival. Tomorrow's itinerary is below.

Sunday

10 – 10:30am Liane Blynn of ABT Training – Clinic

10:30 – 11am Dr. Jason Mavor – Clinic

11am – 12pm Emilia Antoniades, Shae Feather, and Sasha Yatchenko

12 – 12:30pm Aidan Connolly’s Band

12:30-1:30pm Global Music Circle

1:30 – 2:30pm Shayne Holland’s band SHB

2:30 – 4pm Kyle Joseph’s band Take Care

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Respite Center Party

April 14, 2012 — EMC and the Respite Center threw a bash for themselves today, an annual barbeque where Sharon Lisnow and Mary McQueeney thank the sponsors and benefactors of the Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center, which allows families who have children with special needs a place to take a break. Above are runners who are running specifically for the Respite Center, and below are Team EMC employees who are running on behalf of the Center.

     The EMC runners below are holding a facsimile check for $125,000 for expenses and scholarships for the Respite Center and their charges. The thumbnail — click to enlarge — shows representatives from the Natick Fire Department holding their contribution of $56,000. Their annual contributions, one speaker said, have now surpassed a half-million dollars.

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Patriotic Theme

April 14 ,2012 — Hopkinton Marathon Committee members Jane Goodman and Craig Gormley want to make sure everyone knows on which day it all actually does start.

We All Scream for...

April 14, 2012 — Katie Nation accepts her ice cream from Donna Todaro at the Water Fresh Farm Marketplace on Hayden Rowe Street today, where they just opened their ice cream silo.

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Todd Eric Vogel, 43

Hopkinton-Todd Eric Vogel, 43, of Hopkinton, passed away Monday, April 9, 2012. Born in Riverside, NJ, he was the son of Carol (Todd) and Charles Vogel of Medway.

From an early age Todd was skilled at mechanics and working with his hands. He started off with model cars and worked his way up to lawn mower engines and dirt bikes. He attended high school at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical School in Franklin where he trained to be an electrician. By the time he finished high school he was working on cars and trucks and had developed a love of off-roading and mud bog racing. He was a member of the Greater Franklin Off Road Club for many years.
 

He spent many of his early summers on Lake Winnipesaukee in NH where his family owned a cottage. There he spent his vacation time outdoors fishing, hiking, camping, and boating. An all around good guy, Todd worked as an electrician for many years and eventually established his own company. He moved to his lakeside home in Hopkinton where he could spend his time outdoors doing the things that he loved, like snowmobiling, jet skiing, boating, and riding his Harley motorcycle. He loved hunting and was an avid WWII collector. He was recently married to Lori Levangie of Milford.

Besides his parents, he is survived by his brothers, Timothy of Medway and Terry and his girlfriend Kerry of Hopkinton. He is also survived by his grandmothers Elizabeth Vogel of Ocala, FL and Emily Todd of Milford, MA. He also leaves behind his aunts and uncles Ken Vogel of St. Pete's Beach, FL, Pat and Al Reinertsen of Mansfield Ctr, CT, Polly Todd of Egg Harbor, NJ, Harvey and Janet Manchester of Smyrna, DEL, Larry and Barbara Todd of Framingham, and David and Linda Todd of Greenville, NY. He also leaves behind his cousins, second cousins, his great Aunt Florence, his great Uncle Tom, many wonderful friends and neighbors on the North Pond, and his cat Diesel. He will be deeply missed by his daughters Kelsey and Samantha Rutkowski, his granddaughter Jayden, and his long time friend Kim Bailey all of Hopedale.

There will be no visitation. Arrangements are under the care of the Chesmore Funeral Home of Hopkinton. www.ChesmoreFuneralHome.com

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Wounded Warrior to Start Second Wave of 2012 Boston Marathon Massachusetts Soldier Selected as Starter in Honor of Patriots’ Day

HOPKINTON, MA—April 13, 2012—In a tribute to Patriots’ Day, Sgt. Matthew Chalifoux, a wounded soldier, will fire the starters’ pistol to start the second wave of the 116^th Boston Marathon at 10:20 a.m. on Patriots’ Day, April 16, 2012.

Chalifoux, a purple heart recipient from Spencer, Mass., was assigned to the 181st Infantry, Massachusetts National Guard and deployed to Paktika Province in Afghanistan in 2010. On November 28, 2010 his vehicle was struck with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), severely injuring him with a broken back, multiple compound fractures to his right leg, and significant soft tissue damage. Chalifoux was medically evacuated from Afghanistan to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington DC. He continues to serve on active duty while recovering from his injuries.
 

“The B.A.A., like Hopkinton, takes pride in acknowledging the service and sacrifices of our veterans,” said Dorothy Ferriter-Wallace, chairperson of the Hopkinton Marathon Committee (HMC), who helps to select the starters for the second and third waves of the Boston Marathon.

In addition to selecting Chalifoux as a starter, the HMC and B.A.A. recognize Patriots’ Day at the start of the Boston Marathon in other ways. Since 2002, the HMC has honored local veterans at the start of the Boston Marathon every year. Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Dan Clark, known as the Singing Trooper, sings the National Anthem prior to the start of the marathon’s first wave. Last year, he also sang a medley of patriotic songs. In some years, marathoners have enjoyed a military fly-over at the start. The runners’ bib numbers are red, white or blue to designate which wave they start in—red (wave one), white (wave two), and blue (wave three).
 

According to the B.A.A. website, “From 1897-1968, the Boston Marathon was held on Patriots’ Day, April 19, a holiday commemorating the start of the Revolutionary War and recognized only in Massachusetts and Maine. The lone exception was when the 19th fell on Sunday. In those years, the race was held the following day (Monday the 20th). However, in 1969, the holiday was officially moved to the third Monday in April. Since 1969 the race has been held on a Monday.” Contributed content.

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Celebrating 40 Years of Women in the Boston Marathon

April 13, 2012 — Runners and their fans enjoyed a social hour at the Hopkinton High School Auditorium, an historical slide show of women runners of the Boston Marathon, and comments by Boston Athletic Association members. 26.2 Foundation Director Timothy Kilduff introduced Olympic Trials qualifier Hopkinton resident Lauren Philbrook. Ms. Philbrook thanked the women runners for paving the way for her and the thousands of female runners who will run the race to Boston on Monday. Mr. Kilduff expressed hope that Lauren will one day win the race.

      Above, WBZ TV personality Lisa Hughes heads a panel of five of the eight woman runners who took part in the 1972 Boston Marathon, the first year that women were allowed to race officially.

       Below, the Treblemakers open the festivities with The Star Spangled Banner sung a cappella in harmony.

       And below that photo, Eleonora Mendonca, who won in the first Olympics Women's division in 1984, signs an autograph for a fan.  

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Women Pioneers in Marathoning

April 13, 2012 — Marathon runners Sara Mae Berman, Eleonora Mendonca and Bobbi Gibb share some good times this evening during the 300th Anniversary Committee Spaghetti dinner at St. John's Parish Center. The dinner goes on until 8:00 pm this evening.

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Running a Principal Out of Town

April 13, 2012 — Hopkinton Middle School Principal Alan Keller holds an arguable lead as he runs with Center School students who participate in the Center School Mileage Club, and specifically Ellie Driscoll (dark blue red sox jacket), who designed and fabricated the "Flat Alan" (click on thumbnail to enlarge) that won the contest sponsored by the Hopkinton Education Foundation and the 26.2 Foundation in conjunction with the Run a Principal Out of Town fundraising endeavor.

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Kenyan Runners at Elmwood

April 13, 2012 — Have sneak peek into the extraordinary cultural event that has taken place at Elmwood School for 20 years now.

REMINDER:

Kathryn Curry Has More Cowbell(s), More Running

March 22, 2012 — This year, Kathryn Curry will again run the Boston Marathon, and will once again be offering her custom made cowbells for sale on the Hopkinton Common.

Her run is to benefit the Daniel E. Colella Scholarship Fund, as has been the case each year she has taken part in the 26.2 mile footrace. And to spread the good cheer of "More Cowbell," Ms. Curry will be donating ALL of the profits from the sale of her bells, as well as the pledges she receives for running, to the Colella Fund. Young people will be able to paint their own cowbells, or other bells on hand, under the direction of Kathryn and her family.

Kathryn will be at the Common:

April 14^th -16^th : Saturday and Sunday: 10A – 6P

April 17 : Monday: 7A-1P

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Jambo!

April 12, 2012 — Around 600 Elmwood School students cheered "Jambo!" in unison to welcome elite Kenyan marathon runners in Swahili. The event was the 20th anniversary for the adopt-a-marathoner program initiated by John Hancock, the sponsor of the race. Then, the lights went down, the beat went up, and the runners were introduced individually and walked rhythmically or danced into the room to pounding music and the deafening cheers of elementary students. To see a thumbnail larger, click on it.

Below, Elmwood School Principal Ilene Silver dances with the Master of Ceremonies.

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Hopkinton Among 17 Communities Designated for Energy Initiative

Part of "Solarize Mass" Project

April 12, 2012 — Dignitaries from Commonwealth of Massachusetts government, including Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Patrick Sullivan, Patrick Cloney of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (Mass CEC) and Mark Silvia (photo, above) visited Hopkinton to announce the town's choice in "round 2" of the Green Communities initiative. Members of Town government, including members of he Sustainable Green Committee as well as Representative Carolyn Dykema, were on hand.

        Mr. Silva called it an energy revolution.

        "It is not going to be a sprint; it is going to be a marathon," he said, alluding to Hopkinton's place in marathoning lore.

        "Solarize Mass is a program that encourages the adoption of small scale solar PV [photo-voltaic] by deploying a coordinated education, marketing and outreach effort, combined with a tiered pricing structure that provides increased savings as more people in the community go solar," a press release form the group stated.

        Energy credits, federal and state tax credits, as well as price breaks from selected vendors who are chosen for installing systems, are some of the benefits, they said, of being a town in the program. They also said that the more customers who sign on, the lower the price of the installations.

        The goal is to reduce dependency on foreign sources of energy and provide jobs at the same time. The governor would like to more than double the amount of clean energy produced in the next five years.

        More than 80% of the $22 billion Massachusetts spends annually goes out of state, because Massachusetts lacks its own supplies of coal, natural gas and oil.

        More can be learned at http://www.solarizemass.com/

REMINDER:

The beFREE! Project and the Respect Committee

present

Spring Jam 2012

Friday, April 13th

The beFREE! Project and HHS Respect Committee are co-sponsoring an alternative social event for high school teens featuring musical performances by HHS Students and refreshments. All high school students are welcome to attend! (Only parent chaperons are allowed at event.)

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Elite Kenyan Athletes Visit Elmwood School

April 12, 2012  — Above, Geoffrey Mutai, winner of the 2011 BAA Boston Marathon walks in to a rock and roll beat and the screaming adulation of hundreds of Elmwood School students following an introduction to a whole-school assembly that called him the "fastest marathoner in history." He also won the New York City marathon last year.

      Prior to the introduction of the elite athletes this morning, some Elmwood students were treated to a cultural exchange with the Kenyans in one of Elmwood's classrooms.

      Following the introductions and presentations in the assembly, the Kenyans took part in the traditional run with some students around the island in front of the school.      

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Taking a Fall

April 12, 2012 — Above, firefighters carry a patient who had fallen by the Train Depot at Ice House Pond, commonly referred to as Golden Pond, at 10:50 am this morning to the ambulance for a trip to Metrowest Medical Center Natick Campus. Described as an elderly female, the patient complained she was "getting sick" after having fallen.

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Ambassador of Republic of Kenya Visits Hopkinton

April 12, 2012 — H. E. Ambassador Elkanah Odembo, Republic of Kenya, was a special guest of Hopkinton this morning, visiting the Town Hall and receiving dignitaries in government and business on one stop of many as he participates in events surrounding the Boston Marathon. Runners from Kenya have been crowned winners in the race in 20 of 24 of the Boston Marathons since 1988. Above, he is greeting Selectman Michelle Gates and School Committee Chair Jean Bertschmann.