ATHOL — It was in 1974 that a 16-year-old Tom Lozier paddled in the River Rat Race for the first time, and though his racing days are behind him, he remained involved for many years after as the event’s safety director and a member of the race committee.
Lozier’s first race was with Terry Marion, and he continued paddling for the next 10 years. His last race was in 1984 with Dave Dugas. Lozier said he developed problems with his left shoulder, leaving him unable to paddle competitively.
“I was going to hang up paddling, but Ted Crumb, who was the race chairman at the time, heard I was going to hang it up and he said, ‘No you’re not. We need another racer to join our committee,’” he said. “He asked me and my brother Jerry to jump on board and I joined the committee in 1984. I was on the race committee for 38 years, and I was race safety director for 35.”
Lozier had assisted with patrolling races between the Athol and Ralph C. Mahar high schools for two years “and then Ted Crumb, he knew I was involved with that, told me he could use some help with the race patrol; later on I named it the Rat Patrol. At that time, Jerry Brown was what they called ‘The Commodore’ — he was the director of race safety. So, I worked for three years under Jerry Brown and when Jerry hung it up — I think it was 1988 — Ted asked me take over as race safety director.”
Lozier said he jumped at the opportunity, as he had loved competing in the event and wanted to stay involved. He said the safety team at the time was the Athol Frogmen, which was started in 1958, with many members being part of local fire departments. Lozier’s brother Jerry was a member of The Frogmen, which disbanded in the 1980s.
“I was approached by Phil Gilmore from the Northfield Dive Rescue Team in 1989,” he said. “They were looking for different types of training to prepare for water rescues. So, he asked if there was any way they could get involved and I’ll tell you that was the best decision I ever made, allowing them to come on board with us. They’re still there. They’re a great group. You really couldn’t do that race without them. They’re like family.”
Lozier said he put together a comprehensive plan for emergency response along the entire length of the 5.2-mile stretch of the Millers River where the race takes place.
“I knew the course because I had paddled it, so I knew the tough areas where there were corners and where there were a lot of tip-overs, so we made sure we had people at those locations,” Lozier said.
He explained that rescue teams are located at various “hot spots” along the river, and as the race progresses, the teams essentially leapfrog one another along the race route to ensure one is present at every location along the way.
“There’s a chase vehicle that picks up the dive teams from along the shore,” he said. “They leapfrog the next team downriver and keep going until they get to the finish line. Then they’ll help the teams get out of the water.”
A number of years ago, Lozier said, rescuers assisted a competitor who suffered a heart attack shortly after the start of the race.
“He went down right before the railroad trestle,” he said. “But everything fell into place. A couple of local nurses helped after he got to shore, Athol Fire and paramedics arrived on scene, and he was transported to the hospital. … Our safety plan put everybody in place so that we could respond anywhere along the length of the race.”
Lozier added, “I have to give a shoutout to Mel Talbot. He used to be on the Fire Department and he’s helped for many, many years pulling paddlers out of the water at the finish line. He gets in that cold water and as the canoes come up to the boat ramp, he helps hurry them out of the water, because there’s a big backup at the finish line of people getting off the river.”
Although he loved serving as safety director, Lozier’s last race in that role was in 2022.
“I turned it over to Jason Rushford, a lieutenant on the Orange Fire Department,” he said. “He had been working with me as part of the planning team. He was the perfect choice to replace me.”
Last year, he said, “I just watched it at a friend’s house and had one of the greatest times just watching it. It was nice to just be able to relax.”
Still, Lozier hasn’t cut all ties with the River Rat Race. This year, he said, he’ll be joining Athol-Orange Community Television, providing commentary for those who are watching the race live from home or later on video.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said.