Muddy and Muggy

This weekend was the second annual MCC Fitness Trail 5K Challenge, and the E Streeter trail marking team was back on the job. A great time had by everyone, even with the muddy conditions along some stretches of the trail not to mention the humid weather conditions! The race was for a great cause, though, benefitting MCC's Foundation, which supports student scholarships. (Finish line photos courtesy of Alyce O'Connell.)
Here's the intrepid trailmarkers, ready to embark on their first 5K warm-up. Ever wonder what the Kenyans wear for footwear in inclement weather? Hint: it's not Market Basket bags.Who's number 1? Why that would be last year's winner. Who finished second last year? Who knows.

And they're off!From the John Piekos school of running: Always know where the camera is.Making his way into the Bedford quad, finishing a healthy 3rd in this year's race, is Scott:

Carlos, holding his own. Where did he finish last year?Racemaster JonathanSean gets a high-five from his cheering sectionTommy's not going to let this guy pass him at the finish line.....is he? Barry holds off the young challengerWearing the Holy Cross purple: Making a return to the running circuit, the most beautiful girl in the race:The husband-and-wife tandem of Kris and Jen Pisarik. She's pulling him across the finish. Scott poses for his mugshot.And Heather takes top prize. At least in my eyes. Great job all, see you next October!

Walking the Walk!

Sunday was the annual Jimmy Fund Walk to fight cancer, this year, with a name change in honor of "Bumpa," who passed away last month. The walkers were familiar faces and the spirit was the same, but there was an extra bounce in everyone's step in honor of Donald Nicholson. Maybe that explains why the pace was faster than normal!

Jackie and Annie (a celebratory survivor) did the half-marathon trek along the Boston Marathon course, from Wellesley into Boston. They were joined at Boston College, as always, by Heather and John. Here, the Fantastic Four give their thumbs up after making it through to the other side of Kenmore Square. (Notice Jackieand Heather bleeding the purple for Holy Cross.)Heather - as always - rocked the best socks of the day, something that didn't go without notice from fellow walkers.And then, just two miles before the finish, the foursome was joined by a surprise guest, on loan from the College of the Holy Cross. Andrew leaped up from the steps of a Kenmore Square brownstone, shocking the heck out of the rockin' walkers!Andrew was determined to make the trek into Boston to support the fam, something he's done every year since the team started the walks five years ago! Here's a hug for his aunt, even as his mother still tries to figure out what her son was doing lurking on the steps of a Kenmore brownstone.Either Annie is getting a congratulatory hug from her husband John as she approaches the finish line, or he's tackling her to keep her from getting into the Gucci store on Boylston Street.Jack's got her two buds helping her finish things upAt the finish outside the Boston Public Library, the Team Bumpa foursome is all smilesProudly wearing her finisher medal, Heather adds some color to the balloonsMy three favorite people in the world, all fashionably Holy Cross.I didn't get the Holy Cross gear memo, but joined the photo line-up anywaysAnd finally, for those of you who were worried, yes, Andrew did manage to eat a smackeral or two at the finish.

Congrats once again to all of the finishers of this year's Jimmy Fund Walk, who helped raise more than $7 million to help fight cancer. But a special shoutout to team Bumpa for faithfully and proudly paving the pavement once more after a tough summer that didn't leave a lot of time for training. You done Bumpa proud!

Bombards in the Air

You'd have to be there to understand the title of the post, but trust me, anyone who was at this morning's Thomas Chamberas 6K race through Great Brook Forest in Carlisle knows what I'm talking about. The race is a terrific annual event to help fight Cystic Fibrosis.

We were missing a couple of E Streeter stalwarts this morning, with Andrew off hitting the books and Scott battening down the hatches for Hurricane Irene. (Scott still managed to make his presence known, though.) Jonathan was off doing the birthday party scene. Barry gives his thumbs up for the opening number. Remain standing, please.Look at Carlos and Barry jockeying for post position! Either that, or they're just snuggling.And they're off! Sean would dust us all off pretty quickly, don't worry.A view on the trails, with a burly shoulder providing the obstructed view.And finally, post-race, everyone with a send-off for our missing E Streeters. Full race results can be found here: http://www.coolrunning.com/results/11/ma/Aug27_Thomas_set1.shtml
By the way, check out these results!

Rest in Peace, Mom

My mom, Marie Cook, passed away this morning, August 11, around 9 a.m., peacefully in her sleep. She was a fighter to the end, but we got some quality time with her in her final weeks.

As most of you know, I lug my camera around with me everywhere, taking pictures and documenting everything left and right. Below you'll see some shots of mom with her kids, sister and grandkids, proudly beaming in recent years as she attended each of their graduations, weddings, road races, and various other ceremonies.

Thanks to everyone for the support.

Hope we all made you proud, mom.