Running (and walking) with a purpose
Sunday, June 12th 2011 was our annual Susan McDaniel Run for Lovelane in Weston, MA. 300 runners participated in the 5K, over thirty kids ran the ½ mile and the diaper dash also drew quite a crowd.
After a wet night, the rain stopped in time for everyone to have a great time. The big winners of the ½ mile Fun Run were Iman McPherson of Lincoln and Noah Cate of Weston. Andrew Gardiner of Dover won the 5K for a second year in a row with a time of 15:44. Lindsay Murphy of Weston was the women’s overall winner with a time of 21:04.
Before the race, Lovelane Founder and Executive Director, Debby Sabin welcomed the crowd and thanked them for their support. She reminded participants that the race was dedicated in memory of Susan McDaniel who lost her two year battle with cancer at age ten. Proceeds from this event support the Susan McDaniel Tuition Assistance Fund which helps defray the cost of therapeutic riding for families who cannot afford the full cost.
Jim McDaniel, Susan’ father, also spoke briefly and thanked everyone for coming out to the Run. Susan’s name will live on in this race which supports a program she truly loved and derived much pleasure from during her final years.
This year runners and families were treated to some terrific performances from three young students of the Real School of Music in Burlington. Mackenzie, Andy and Alex all did a spectacular job entertaining the crowd as our runners made their way across the finish line. Blue Ribbon Barbeque was on hand again handing out free food to the masses, Silly Willy entertained the little ones as adults browsed the vendor tents from Saucony, lululemon and Usana.
New this year, as the runners turned up Town House Road to make their final ascent to the finish line, they were treated to the sound of champion bagpiper, Ned Rhinelander who piped them home. One runner commented that “It was wonderful; it gave me just the incentive to charge up that last bit to the finish line”.
On the course, runners were once again offered water from the festive water stop manned by the Reeves family. At the 2.5 mile mark, the Reeves family goes ‘over the top’ to keep the runners motivated. With music blaring, the family dresses up, posts signs and offers beads to runners as they pass. The Reeves water stop has always been one of the highlights of the course.
This year many of our runners took the extra step to create online fundraising pages to solicit pledges for their run. Many of them partnered with children in the program and together they raised over $40,000 in grass roots fundraising for the Susan McDaniel tuition assistance fund. Lovelane is so fortunate to have such committed and loyal fans! We hope you all come back next year on June 10th for the 2012 Susan McDaniel Run for Lovelane.
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