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BRENDAN'S HOME RUNTM
AN IMPRESSIVE CLOUT
Over $7500 Raised for Brendan Grant Scholarship Fund
By Kathy Synnott
BELMONT - The Brendan Grant FoundationTM, a rookie in the road race  game, proved able to hit for distance in its first annual 5K race -
Brendan's Home RunTM. The event, held on Father's Day, raised over $7500 to benefit The
Brendan Grant Scholarship Fund, established in memory of Brendan Grant, the accomplished
19-year old Belmont baseball player who was fatally injured in an outfield collision
during a Senior Babe Ruth game in June 200l.
The scholarship provides assistance to a senior member of the
Belmont High School varsity baseball team who will be attending an institution of higher
learning after graduation. The scholarship is intended to reward a player who possesses
the same positive spirit and leadership skills for which Brendan was known. The first
Brendan Grant Scholarship was awarded to Scott Masse, a member of the Class of 2002.
Prior to race day, 104 runners and 122 walkers from eight different states had registered
to participate in the 5K race/walk. They were joined by 77 more runners and 62 more
walkers who signed up  before the 9:30 AM walk start, and
10:00 AM race starting gun. The participants covered every age category from 19-and- under
to 60-and-over. Over 300 entrants traversed the course which began on Concord Avenue at
Belmont High School, proceeded to Cross Street past Winn Brook School, followed Channing
Road back to Concord Avenue and finished up on the BHS athletic fields. The morning was
cool and cloudy, perfect for competitive times and maximum enjoyment.
 After the walkers and runners got underway, kids aged 12 and under got a
chance to flex their competitive muscles. Two groups of children, 10 to 12 and
9-and-under, raced on an oval turf course supervised by Bill O'Connor and Mary Johansson.
Every child wore a #1 (Brendan's baseball uniform number while at BHS) and received a
ribbon for participating.  The top finishers in the 10-12 year old
boys' grouping were: Matt Starr, Matt Johnston, Kevin Connors, and Brian Viglirolo, all
from Belmont. Sara Sterling of Mansfield won the girls' division. The large field of
6-to-9 year olds was led by Cannon Connors, Daniel Miller-Medzon, and Kevin Connors for
the boys, while Amy Sterling of Mansfield, Emily Butte and Lela Gannon were the best of
the girls.
With the childrens' race concluded, attention turned to the first walkers approaching the
finish line. Dee Welles completed the course in 41 minutes flat, with Jim Synnott just shy
of a minute behind at 41:56. Shortly thereafter, the lead male runner, Jon Rosen, clocked
a winning time of 16:21.5. The top female runner, Lauren Caputo of Belmont, crossed the
finish line with a time of 20:35.
 Once the racers finished the course, they were able to regroup with water
from Belmont Springs, oranges from Shaw's Supermarkets, watermelon from A. Russo &
Sons of Watertown, and drinkable yogurt from Stonyfield Farms. WheelWorks provided canopy
tents to protect the refreshment and registration tables. Belmont Springs and WheelWorks,
along with Champions Sporting Goods and the Woburn High School Cross-Country Team, were
official sponsors of Brendan's Home Run.
While the participants waited to hear the final results from all of the age  brackets, raffle prizes were awarded by emcee Rick Freeman. 2002 Brendan
Grant Scholarship winner Scott Masse chose the winning tickets. Prizes were donated by New
Balance, Marathon Sports, Thunder Sports, the New England Revolution, the Boston Breakers,
the Boston Red Sox and Doug Flutie. A number of pairs of Red Sox tickets and a gift
certificate to Legal Seafoods were donated by W.T. Phelan Insurance, and Jim Harvey and
Bob Elias also chipped in a pair of Sox tickets. Gift certificates to Legal Seafoods,
Skipjack's, and CafeŽ Louis were given away as well.
 The event ended with the announcement of male and female winners by age
group. Top male finishers by age group were: 19/under- Dan Vasallo; 29/under - Jon Rosen;
39/under - Mike Di Mauro; 49/under - Fred Criniti; 59/under - Mark Haley; and, over 60 -
Ram Satyaprasad. Female winners by age group were: 19/under - Lauren Caputo; 29/under -
Caitlin O'Connor; 39/under - Carolyn Butte; 49/under - Annette Downing; and 59/under -
Isabel Mroczkowski.
The inaugural Brendan's Home Run was designed to be a family affair and  the numbers of walkers and runners with the same surnames gave ample
evidence that that was the case. Bill Dillon, coach of the Rangers Little League team went
one better. He had his entire team cover the course - in their baseball shirts. Everyone
involved - from under 12 to over 60 - had a great time while contributing to a very worthy
cause.
 Brian Rogers, coordinator of the event, was extremely pleased with both the
financial and athletic results. "We knew we had a significant number of
pre-registered runners and walkers. But the number of walk-ons significantly exceeded our
expectations. To raise over $7,500 in the first year of such an event ranks as an
unqualified success!"
Casey Grant, who wielded the starter's gun at the beginning of the road race, was equally
happy about every aspect of Brendan's Home Run. "In addition to the various committee
chairs, we had some  three dozen volunteers manning the
registration tables, marshaling the course, and providing the participants with
refreshments. Their efforts made a huge contribution to the success of the event. The
Brendan Grant Foundation is proud to be supported by such a dedicated, hardworking group
of people." Mainstays of the race organization included: Jim O'Shaughnessy, Gerry
Keegan, Mary Johansson, Diane Newbrough, Steve Kerins, Phil Firenze, Bob Masse, Chris
Starr, Pete Noone, Robert and Laurie Solomon, BHS boys track coach Les Eggleston, Bill Uva
of the Belmont Recreation Department, and the Belmont Police Department. The expertise of
Bill O'Connor, Woburn High School Cross-Country coach, was invaluable.
"Now that local runners have experienced what a well run and enjoyable event
Brendan's Home Run is," said Brian Rogers, "we hope they will spread the word
and swell the ranks of participants for the second and succeeding races." That will
be good news for the future recipients of The Brendan Grant Scholarship.
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