By Alex Cornacchia, Contributing Writer
Marlborough – It was a humid 83 degrees at 11 a.m. Sept. 28, but that didn’t stop upwards of 170 walkers and runners from gathering at the Wayside Racquet & Swim Club for the 30th annual Jim Forrest Memorial Road Race.
The race was started by Pat Forrest in memory of his father, Jim, who had been a member of Marlborough’s City Council and an active figure in the Marlborough community.
For the first 11 years, the race was five miles long and, as Wayside General Manager Darren McLaughlin described it, “all uphill.” In those years, McLaughlin said, there were never more than 100 runners.
“The first year, there were 69 people,” Pat Forrest recalled. “Thirty-nine of them were family.”
In 1996, the race was shortened to five kilometers and moved to a flatter course near Wayside to make it more accessible. Evidently it worked: participation has increased since then.
The scene before the start of this year’s race was joyful: runners chatted as they stretched; old friends embraced; kids ran around, weaving in and out of the legs of adults. The crowd quieted and gathered to hear the national anthem, then readied itself at the starting line. A buzzer sounded, bagpipes began to play, and the walkers and runners were off.
Among those participating were clients from Greater Marlboro Programs, Inc. (GMPI), an organization that provides services to adults with developmental disabilities in the Metrowest area. The proceeds from the race have been going toward programming at GMPI for the past 14 years; they are used to subsidize the cost of activities for GMPI clients, such as the Special Olympics.
Participants crossed the finish line in all manner of ways: on bikes, in wheelchairs, running with arms spread wide, and even ? in the case of a few canine competitors ? on four legs.
Ages of participants varied quite a bit, too. Five-year-old Amalia Hartling, the youngest runner, bounded gleefully across the finish line after completing the abbreviated 1.5-mile version of the race.
“I ran it!” she exclaimed.
Medals were awarded in 14 age categories, and to all of the GMPI clients. The crowd erupted in cheers every time a member of the Forrest family received a medal, something that occurred with relative frequency – according to Forrest, there were around 40 family members at the event that day.
The celebration didn’t end when the last of the medals had been handed out. Jim Karami, the race’s director and director of Transportation, Social & Recreation at GMPI, had a special announcement. GMPI would be moving its offices soon, and given the Forrest family’s ongoing support ? with a total of around $200,000 raised for GMPI in previous races, and an additional $20,000 raised this year ? it was decided that GMPI’s new conference room would be named after the Forrest family.
“We’re proud to be your friends,” said Karami.
Near the end of the event, two cakes were brought out to celebrate Pat Forrest’s upcoming 79th birthday.
Photos/Alex Cornacchia