By Bonnie Adams, Managing Adams
Shrewsbury – After a season that has seen record amounts of snow covering the region, Patty McCaffrey knows that in all likelihood, there will still be snow on the ground Saturday, March 7. But she is hoping that fact will not deter but rather inspire local runners to come out that morning and participate in the annual road race that she and her children have hosted for the last four years in memory of her late husband, Mike.
This year’s race, the Fifth Annual Michael McCaffrey Hope Challenge 5K Road Race, will have a special poignancy, as it will be the last. McCaffrey’s son, Ryan, will soon be moving to California, she said, to start the next stage of his life.
Mike, who lived in Sutton with Patty, Ryan and daughter Meghan, was a former officer in the U.S. Navy and an engineering professional. He was only 52 when he died in 2008 of bladder cancer. Prior to his illness, he and Ryan were training to run in the Boston Marathon. Sadly Mike died one week prior to the race. In spite of his grief, Ryan decided to still run, helping to raise funds for the Dana- Farber Cancer Institute, where Mike had been treated.
After his father’s passing, Ryan told Patty it was still his wish to run a marathon with one of his parents.
“He kind of pointed at me, and said, ‘You’re it, Mom!” she recalled.
Patty, a self-avowed non-athlete, did honor her son’s request. Since then she, along with Ryan and her daughter Meghan, has run in several Boston Marathons. This, in spite of the fact that she “hates” running.
“I hate, hate, hate it,” she laughed. “Everyone keeps saying you will start to love it, but that hasn’t happened yet! The training is just brutal.”
Over the past four years the McCaffreys have raised $85,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Claudia Adams Barr Program for Innovative Basic Cancer Research.
“One hundred percent of the profits raised go to this fund which supports researchers who have no other of source of funds,” she said. “It’s been a lot of work but we are really proud of what we have done.”
Although there may very well still be snow on the ground March 7, Patty said she is hopeful the race will once again have a full field.
“We know that it’s been a long, hard winter so we hope everyone will want to get out of the house and come enjoy themselves that day for a great cause,” she said. “It will be a lot of fun.”
All participants will receive a ticket for an “opportunity drawing” for a chance to win one of the donated gift baskets.
“We have about 20 gift baskets and some other special items, including a t-shirt donated by [Boston Red Sox star] Dustin Pedroia,” she said. “Everyone will get a ticket and have the chance to buy more.”
She also noted the family is grateful for the generosity of the event sponsors: McGrath Sales Corp, Atty. James P. Horan, Optimal Performance Center, Sam’s Club and Shrewsbury Federal Credit Union.
This year’s race starts at 9 a.m. at the Sherwood Middle School, where Patty worked as a nurse for 13 years. Age groups include 18 and under, 19 to 29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, and 60+. The fee is $20 prior to March 1 and $25 after that date.
To register for the race, visit www.teammccaffrey5k.org. More information can be found there and on the event’s Facebook page
www.facebook.com/events/402163319949724.