Annie's Army on the March!

An Army came to town yesterday, marching for a good cause, and letting everyone along the way know who we were!
Sunday was the Lowell General Hospital Cancer Walk, an annual outing for the family, including all of our E Streeter extended family.  The walk raised nearly one million dollars!
This year, though, was a special outing, as we walked and ran in honor of Jack's sister Annie, who's currently undergoing treatment down at Brighma and Women's Hospital in Boston, gearing up for a bone marrow transplant this week.  That's her in the above pic, at least year's Jimmy Fund Cancer Walk in Boston, another outing folks undertake to help wage a fight against cancer.
On Sunday, it took an Army - Annie's Army - to wage the war on cancer, and we were only too happy to do it.
Because we never miss an opportunity to take pics with furry animals

Coming across the catwalk

Since it was for such a great cause, even Carlos was able to put his Baggo scars aside in the face of running with his undefeated arch-nemesis from the Baggo courts. 

Luckily for Barry, he's always got friends there to hold him up during those long runs 

ANNIE'S ARMY COMING THROUGH - that was Barry's mantra as we wound through the hundreds of out-of-state rowers on the banks of the Merrimack River there for a crew regatta.  They made a hole for us to pass, probably just out of base fear. 

Speaking of crew, here's our Crew, boats and all.

Coming into the home stretch, Carlos definitely has the edge over his 5K rival, 21:07.

Lest ye think running was the only exercise on the menu this day, I say thee nay!

Here's my two favoritest ladies in the whole wide world, and two of Annie's biggest and loudest supporters, getting ready for their 6.2 mile walk!

Them, and about 3,000 other walkers

Hand in hand, the walking buds tick off their first mile

The walk still gets the thumbs up.  Heather, obviously, never stops smiling out there.

Proud as can be of my two girls

 

Finally, back at the Tsongas Arena, the whole group is Annie's Army Strong!  This one's for you Annie!  We're all rooting for you this week, and are looking forward to having our general back in front of us leading the pack!

Seger Sessions!

Time for an E Streeter road trip and some Old Time Rock and Roll with Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band at Mohegan Sun.

We traveled in style

Arriving at Mohegan Sun, these high rollers were ready to break the bank.  Or at least their wallets.

Martin gets caught up in the wonder of it all.  Whoops, wrong place.

Clearly, this group is ready to run the tables. Or run from them, not sure.

A man and his waterfall are soon parted

Tommy couldn't join us, which is good, because he would have spent the whole night pumping money into Michael Jackson.  And that wouldn't have bene the first time he did that, either.

Hats off to Martin for this money shot

Martin got a little cocky when he won three bills.  He thought he was the night's big winner.  He'd be proven wrong ere long.

But first, in honor of Andrew, a visit to the bottomless buffet

Time to hit the betting windows.  Barry gets some help from his advisor

Ready to watch their winnings roll in

But alas, it would be someone else who walked away the big winner this night

One Does Not Simply Walk into Mohegan Sun and Win Money

Showtime!  Seger's still got it!

Belting out the classics

A shoutout to the E Streeters, who at least temporarily for THIS night, became Silver Bulleters.

Finally, after a long night of gambling, rock and roll, and debauchery, it was naptime.  At least for some of us.  The rest of us just made room for Martin to stretch out.  Jack's back and ribcage should be back to normal any week now.

An April March

Brilliant blue skies provided the best of canopies for the March of Dimes walk from LeLacheur Park.  This year, we turned out in big numbers to support our little buddy Ryan Fennell, Jessica and Craig's son who, while arriving a bit early, has been a soldier inspiring all of us in his first seven months.

Here's the star of the day, complete, I might point out, with his stuffed Spider-Man.

Here's the extended Cook and Fennell clan, ready to march for Ryan along the Merrimack River riverwalk, and beyond.

You want to talk Marathon Strong?  Look no further than this guy.

Mom and dad with their little miracle baby

This picture was taken BEFORE the walk.  Luckily, Chris was there to support his dad.

Yeah, because nothing gets a one-year-old baby more excited than a six-foot Alligator.

While the hundreds in attendance were off and walking, two of us, myself, and my nephew Chris, decided to not only run the course, but to extend it.  It was no run-of-the-mill course, either, for this guy, training for the 2014 Boston Marathon

Coming 'round past the Wannalancit Mills, Brady was holding his own quite nicely.

But it was Heather and Candy who took the lead in the home stretch.

Here's the REAL Mystery Machine - this guy!

Memere and Hales enjoy a laugh

And finally, the star of the day, Ryan!  He made the three-mile walk look effortless!

 
If you're interested in supporting this rock star's March of Dimes efforts, you can visit his fund-raising page here:

 http://www.marchforbabies.org/s_team_page.asp?seid=2047343

Here's an overview of the walk from Jess amd Craig's page and the March of Dimes organization, explaining why it is they do what they do:

Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. Our team is walking in March for Babies because we want to do something about this.  The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

More than happy to support that cause for our favorite Spider-Buddy!  Rock on, Ryan!

Celebrate the Runners

Okay, I've held off on writing this type of post for more than a week out of deference and respect for the people whose lives were irrevocably changed by the events at the Boston Marathon finish line.  Time needed to pass to allow for healing, and to allow for law enforcement to do their jobs and capture the men responsible for the unimaginable attack, but I needed to write this blog post to celebrate the work of friends and family members who spent months training for the grandest race of them all, and did us proud on so many fronts - not just for their finishes, but for how they comported themselves in the face of chaos.

Some of my other blog posts have been dedicated to the events of that day that dominated the news, but indulge me in this post as I celebrate the achievements of my friends and family in the Boston Marathon.  By no means can we forget the experiences and losses of that day.  Indeed, they should stay with us always.

You've seen/read a lot of the reports that implore us to remember the victims, not the perpetrators.  I ask also that you congratulate my fellow E Streeter runners, who will forever be part of the tapestry and lore of the 117th Boston Marathon.

The signs were there early.

Captain America and Iron Man, Avengers Assemble!

If he had more time to get ready, Ryan would have joined everyone at the start in Hopkinton.  Maybe next year.

At the start, Tommy needed all the support he could get.

Who knew the Pesky Pole could run the marathon?

Andrew makes a point of thanking his Pace Car for 13 miles, Sean

At the halfway point, Andrew is joined by Nicole, one of the screaming millions of Wellsley College.

Where you ALWAYS stop to kiss the girls

Time for some father-son bonding

Mile 16 means time for a quick kiss from mom, knuckles from Heather, a hand-off to Scott and Carlos for the back 10, and a quick change of tops.  Time to Bleed Purple!

Suddenly E Streeters were everywhere as the Scanlon brothers came to the rendezvous point, not a drop of sweat to be found between the two of them.

And close on their heels, Lowell Police Officer Nick Laganas, thumbs up for the final 10!

Barry is either screaming in pain, or he's ready for Heartbreak Hill

Either way, Tommy gives it his thumbs up

Barry, emerging from Kenmore Square, hunkering down for his final mile

And finally, Andrew, crossing the finish line, completing his first-ever Boston Marathon!

Again, kudos all around to my son and fellow E Streeters, including Joe Patuto, who managed to avoid being captured on camera by me, otherwise he'd be featured prominently in this blog entry as well.

Take a moment to congratulate these warriors.  Never let it be forgotten that on a day that changed our city, our race, our nation forever, these guys still managed to log a 26.2 jaunt, one that will never be forgotten.

Boston Strong, E Streeter Strong!