As I wrote about last year, Rachel Anne Morrison, formerly of Chelmsford, was an avid runner who was planning to run the 2014 Boston Marathon with her father John when she hit and killed by a drunken driver in California just months before the Boston Marathon.
Rachel used to organize a post-Thanksgiving run on the cross-country trails behind NDA in Tyngsboro, so now her family continues the tradition, renaming the race for Rachel.
The E Streeters are more than happy to turn out to support the cause. And who knows, maybe take home some hardware for their efforts?
Read on......
Read on......
We had snowfall to contend with last year, this year it was rainy conditions that added a bite to the air.
Pre-race smiles - and no, your eyes aren't deceiving you - Erin, herself an NDA alum, was out there notching the miles to help support the great cause.
Barry has many pre-race rituals, not all of which are suitable for discussion on a family blog. In one of them, he congratulates all of the runners he knows are going to beat him handily in the race. As you can see, some, like Kara Haas, don't quite know what to make of it.
One of these two runners is going home with top honors. I'll leave it to your imagination to figure out which one.
We found Scott out at the start, finishing up a 10 mile warm-up.
And making his annual return to the racing ranks, John Piekos!
Elsewhere, Barry is still at it. Sorry, Lisa.
Barry talks a mean game in the nanoseconds before that starting gun goes off. Scott is not intimidated. Clearly. Neither are total strangers.
And they're off on a group run. That is, if you're running at Carlos' pace.
Not many shots out on the course to share this year, but we've got some award-winning finish line pics to keep you enthralled. Steve Vachon doesn't seem impressed by his cheering section.
The cacophony begins to rise among the E Streeters. Clearly, someone is approaching who needs that finish line adrenaline assist.
Indeed. It's John-Always-Know-Where-The-Camera-Is-Piekos
Inside the warm gymnasium it's soup for the E Streeters. It couldn't hold a candle to Karen's New Year's Day offerings, but at that particular moment, it fit the bill.
Barry with more of the extended family clan, also regulars at Rachel's Run
The race standings show some impressive finishes by the E Streeters. They also show that at least one member of the group has an identity crisis when it comes to his hometown. Carlos' omission would place him out of the running for any of the medals, sadly.
Andrew was not the only member of the Cook family who would be claiming a medal at this awards ceremony.
The other one would cockily strut to the table to claim his prize.
Damn, victory tastes sweet.
At least for one of us. Andrew hadn't eaten breakfast that morning and was hoping for some sustenance to hold him over. The first place age group medal wasn't nutritious enough for him.
That's it for this year's outing! I suspect we'll see everyone back behind NDA next year! We've conquered the course in snow and rain, so next year should bring some hail!
In the meantime, if you want to donate to the cause, you can still make a donation to the Rachel Morrison Scholarship Fund at the Academy of Notre Dame, Tyngsboro, MA, 01879.
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