ATHOL — There’s still time, although not a lot of it, to get in shape to experience the thrill of victory — and Gouda.
The seventh annual Big Cheese 5k road race kicks off at 9:30 a.m. April 9 on School Street with a gun start and chip timing on a USA Track and Field certified 3.1 mile course. It’s a dry alternative to the annual River Rat Race canoe competition, which begins later that day on the river, and the truly hardy can dual-register.
Heather Brisette, an Athol native and Town Hall employee, launched the race with friend Susan Black Allen as something of an annual reunion for the Athol High School Class of 1988, a chance to visit that felt more pressing in the wake of a classmate’s fatal heart attack shortly after the 20th reunion. They also wanted to boost health and fitness locally, and thought that piggy-backing a 5k onto the River Rat Race might open the exercise side of the annual race and party weekend to a broader crowd.
By the first race, in 2010, Brisette and Black Allen were second-guessing their inspiration, and set their sights low, ordering 50 race T-shirts.
“We thought that if we could get 50 people to come out at 9 a.m. on River Rat morning we’d have accomplished our goal. Then we panicked and thought we’d have 48 shirts left over, if she and I each wore one,” Brisette said. That first year, 167 people came out and they’ve been growing since. Last year they had more than 500 entries, and with Black Allen moving, Brisette partnered with the YMCA to produce the growing race.
A runner herself, Brisette describes the course as hilly but fast. Arthur Besse was the top male finisher last year, with a time of 17 minutes and 45 seconds, and Jessica Anderson was the top female finisher, crossing the line in 20 minutes and 12 seconds. The top ten spread overall ranges from 17:45 to 20:14.
Thanks to the hour and the route, the sport gets more than the usual number of spectators, with runners forming the vanguard of the River Rat Race Parade. A downhill start and cheering spectators give runners a boost that can make for very fast mile times, Brisette said, but things get hilly from there. Exchange Street has become known as Athol’s “Heartbreak Hill,” she said, and some runners identify the race as their fastest but most difficult. That first big hill is also followed by a flat recovery lap around Silver Lake Park, and volunteers with water.
Ashley Binkauski used to be one of the water volunteers, with her sister Summer. Tuesday afternoon Ashley Binkauski, 15, ran the course with Tony Binkauski, 41, as the two trained for what will be her first 5k. It’ll be Tony’s fourth Big Cheese. “That one’s a killer,” he said at the top of the Exchange Street hill, but adds it’s actually a fast course overall. Tony Binkauski said he runs the race for fun and hasn’t got a goal. Ashley plans to finish.
Brisette hasn’t run since the first year and will be waiting at the finish line, watching faces, and maybe crying. She said she can’t help it when she sees the look of accomplishment and pride on people’s faces.
The numbers are another source of pride, and the distance from which some runners come. “It’s doing exactly what we hoped it was going to do, which is draw people to the community in a positive way … and give them an alternative to what is known as a party weekend,” she said.
The race has partnered with the Lions Club in the past, with all profits going to the North Quabbin Food-A-Thon and Meals on Wheels. This year, they are partnering with the Athol Area YMCA. YMCA Executive Director Jeanette Robichaud said it’s a great community event and fits the organization’s healthy living and youth development mission, and all funds will go to area nonprofits and Y camp scholarships.
Registration is open online at www.bigcheese5k.com, also home to a race map, results and parking information, and a printable registration form for those who prefer to register by mail to the YMCA. Registration is $17 until March 25 and $20 thereafter, with same-day registration beginning at 8 a.m. in Town Hall, the Athol Memorial Building at 584 Main St.
The Athol High School class of 2016 has established a parallel registration option in honor of classmate Mark Brighenti Jr., who died last year. The $25 fee buys a replica of his home-made race shirt, with proceeds and any additional donations going to the family scholarship fund. Registration forms for this option can be had from the Athol YMCA or via email to bigcheese5k@yahoo.com.
The top three finishers overall, male and female, and the top male and female finisher in each age division win wedges of cheese from Smith’s Country Cheese of Winchendon, as do the best-costumed adult and youth.
You can reach Chris Curtis at: ccurtis@recorder.com