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Since mid-December, 22 town employees, residents and others who have been selected to receive “invitational” bib numbers have been pushing their bodies to the limit training for the 120th running of the Boston Marathon on Patriots’ Day, April 18.
Monies from the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) support clean-up efforts in the eight communities that host the Marathon, and since 2012, towns have received a select amount of invitational entry numbers, Steve Mitchell, vice chair of Ashland’s Board of Selectmen (BOS), explained. From that money, the BOS developed the town’s BAA grant program, which allows a number of individuals to raise funds to benefit community groups and organizations in return for a bib number won through a blind lottery.
“We’re proud that Ashland serves as a role model for other host communities by using these bib numbers to help support our grant program, which has helped the Selectmen support projects in town,” Mitchell said.
Here’s how the numbers work. Residents and others apply for a bib number through a lottery system at town hall. Lottery winners do not have to “qualify” for the Boston Marathon, as such, because they are running on an invitational entry. Each eligible runner raises a minimum of $3,000 to support community funding given through the BOS’s gift program, while his or her $300 marathon registration fee is paid directly to the BAA.
Ten of this year’s 22 runners make up the Running4Rare team, an affiliation of the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) and a community partner with Ashland for the past five years. These runners have raised additional funds in support of increasing awareness for rare diseases and helping patients and families apply to the NORD/NIH (National Institute of Health) Undiagnosed Diseases Network for assistance.
Susan Robie, executive assistant to the town manager and the Board of Selectmen, has facilitated the BAA grant program since its inception and manages the distribution of grant awards twice a year, in spring and fall, following selection decisions made by the BOS.
“I admire each and every person that takes on the challenge of running a marathon,” Robie said. “The dedication and commitment required is amazing, and I find each person an inspiration.”
Donations Benefit
Local Programming
According to Robie, in the spring of 2015, nearly $50,000 was disbursed to 18 groups and organizations, including Ashland Youth Lacrosse and Youth Soccer, the town’s community theater, Council on Aging, the Ashland Garden Club, the Friends of the Ashland Library, and Troop 23 of the Boy Scouts. More than $43,000 was raised by runners last fall, and those donations supported the Arts Ashland Alliance, the Fire Department Association, Ashland’s Historical Commission, Ashland Sporting Association, a newly-created Ashland Teen Advisory Council, the Decisions at Every Turn Coalition, and the Safe Routes to School Task Force, among others.
Let’s go in for a closer look and find out more about some of those folks who are running.
A Positive Role Model
Thirty-eight-year-old Heather Vitti, a marketing manager for a start-up company in Westborough and mother of two, recalls her love of running dating back to first grade in Spokane, Washington. During recess at Progress Elementary, first graders would race around the exterior of the playground as part of their “Bloomsday” training (named after a popular racing event), and she and other participants received small prizes for finishing their laps. This experience launched her love of running.
For the past 12 years, Vitti and husband, Dave, have enjoyed making Ashland their home where their two girls, eight-year-old Lilianna and six-year-old Ava, enjoy the academics and athletics at the Warren Elementary School.
“The Marathon is a great way to raise money to help our community,” Vitti said. “The taxes we pay don’t cover all the needs of the town. Programs like the Food Pantry, Girl Scouts, and additional needs of our schools are just a few of the services that have benefitted from the BAA grant program. Donations help the continued improvement of our town and help continue Ashland’s link as the legendary host of the historic Boston Marathon.”
Vitti’s training program involves a combination of high-intensity cross-fit workouts two days a week in a group setting, one mid-week run of 5-7 miles, a 6 a.m. speed workout sprinting three miles with Hopkinton Run Club members around that high school’s indoor track, and increasingly challenging long runs on weekends of 10-20 miles alongside her training partner, fellow Ashland resident, Sara Cole. Neighbors may mistake Vitti and Cole for “minions” as the runners wear head lamps and LED-lit-up gear to ensure safety during pre-dawn runs.
“I want to be able to do it,” Vitti remarked of her first Boston Marathon. “I want to train well enough so my body will be ready and to get an okay finish time. It’s also good for my kids to see me setting this kind of example, creating goals and working to achieve them. It will be great to have them cheer me on during the race.”
Running to Honor Her Dad
Jess Rydingsward was a sprinter in high school who ran recreationally during her college years. She and her husband, Bryan, came to Ashland in 2013, and welcomed their son, Will, into the family last March.
An acute care physical therapist, Rydingsward works at the main campus of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She ran Ashland’s Half Marathon (13.2 miles) this past October. Realizing it was within her grasp to run Boston, she filed an application at town hall in hopes of winning an invitational entry. Just before Thanksgiving, Robie notified Rydingsward and 21 others about winning a bib number in the town lottery.
At the time of this publication, Rydingsward is well into week 11 of training. She runs after work four days a week, incorporating two or three short runs of 3 to 4 miles each with mid-length runs of 6 to 8 miles. On weekends, while little Will is napping, she challenges herself with a long program that continues to increase in intensity and distance every two weeks. As she described it, Rydingsward pushes herself to run 13 miles one weekend, lets her body rest a little easier by running just 10 miles the next weekend, and works up to running 15 miles the following weekend. By the end of the 18-week training period, Rydingsward will have achieved something close to her maximum marathon-distance running.
“My father, Tom, was always my biggest fan and cheering squad when I ran marathons, and he knew it was long my dream to run Boston. I am honored to be able to run this year in support of my new hometown and in memory of my Dad. I can’t think of a better way to honor him,” Rydingsward said. “Time spent in training for this event has brought me much healing.”
Brothers Bond
Over Marathon
Ten years ago, Rob Lopez, and his bride, Katy, moved to Ashland. Today at age 34, Rob is a father to six-year-old Sienna and her younger sister, Avery, who turns four this month, and there is a new baby on the way soon.
Lopez works full time in Boston for an online home shopping destination. Since competing in Ashland’s Half Marathon last fall, he has dedicated himself to achieving the goal of running his first marathon.
“It’s a long-term commitment to train and a battle to stay motivated when the runs get long or the mornings are cold, but I’ve got a lot pushing me through. My older brother, Marvin, and friend Vince Domestico are training to run the race as well, the donations raised will help benefit special programs in Ashland, and my family will be on the sidelines to cheer me on. And if that’s not enough, my wife and I are expecting baby number three within days of the race! I expect this will be a very emotional experience for me because of all that goes into it and all the support I have,” Lopez said.
Like his fellow racers, Lopez is on an 18-week program that gets progressively longer. He manages three runs during the week that range from 3 to 10 miles, and one long run on the weekend that started at six miles back in December and will peak at 20 in a few short weeks. The weekday runs require early morning wake-up calls, head lamps, reflector vests, and good routes that have plenty of room for him and for commuters. The long runs are squeezed into all of life’s demands on the weekends and can be upwards of two- to three-hour commitments.
The Running4Rare Team
“Since 2012, the partnership between Running4Rare and the town of Ashland has been fantastic,” Phillip Maderia, founder of Running4Rare, said. “It’s wonderful for us as a team to support the Ashland community while at the same time making a difference on behalf of the greater rare disease community. We look forward to this continued partnership for many years to come.”
What makes this charity team unique is the Rare Community Partner program. Each runner is paired with a partner (patient, family, advocate or other) and builds a relationship with them throughout their training and marathon racing. This is the foundation for inspiration as each runner trains through the harsh cold months to run Boston’s 26.2 miles. According to Maderia, “The partnerships are more than symbolic; they are the beating heart of the team, and the Rare Community Partners are as much members of the team as are the runners.”
The team is composed of dedicated runners from around the world who not only spend their personal time training for marathons but also host numerous events to raise funds for and engage people in the cause.
To learn more about Ashland’s BAA grant program or to make a donation in support of any of the runners in this year’s Marathon, visit www.ashlandmass.com/bostonmarathon. To learn more about Running4Rare, visit www.running4rare.org.