HOT TIMES AT THE 9th ANNUAL “BRENDAN’S HOME RUN”™ 5K ROAD RACE/WALK

Held Sunday, 20 June 2010 in Belmont, MA

Belmont, MA – A hot and steamy day didn't slow down any of Metro-Boston's the fastest runners at the Ninth Annual “Brendan’s Home Run”™. This year's champions were Nate Krah of Boston in the Men's category at 15:50.8, and Belmont resident Karin Lehr for the Women at 20:44.2.  The course records for both male and female remained intact, set by Dan Vassallo of Wilmington MA in 2009 at 15:07.9 for the men, and by Lara Johnson of Boston for the women in 2008 at 18:16.0.

Belmont's Ryan McCalmon captured overall second place at 15:59.2, and came in on the heels of first place finisher Nate Krah.  Course record holder Dan Vassallo came in 3rd this year and still did well despite being compromised by an injury.  Brendan's Home Run continues to attract top runners in the metro Boston area, and the organizers and participants salute all of these great athletes, and the legendary stature they enjoy among the Belmont faithful.  Several will be competing in the on-going time trials for the upcoming 2012 Olympic games in London and we wish them well!

The times for all the 5K runners are available from www.CoolRunning.com. Another course record set in the male category was by race veteran Michael Collins at 79 years old, once again letting us all know how to think young and stay young. Overall, the fastest male finishers in the 2009 5K race were:

1. Nate Krah, Boston 15:50
2. Ryan McCalmon, Belmont 15:59
3. Dan Vassallo, Reading 16:35
4. Robert Cipriano, Belmont 17:42
5. Kevin Connors, Belmont 18:08

The hot, humid weather was not much of a problem for the fastest female runners. Winner Karin Lehr of Belmont clocked in at 20:54; Amie Deutch of Natick finished second at 21:25; and Abbie Murphy of Belmont came in third with a time of 21:44. The course record for female finishers set last in 2008 by Lara Johnson of Boston at 18:16 remains intact. The fastest 2010 female finishers were:

1. Karin Lehr, Belmont 20:54
2. Amie Deutch, Natick 21:25
3. Abbey Murphy, Belmont 21:44
4. Emily McDivitt, Malden 22:20
5. Katie Cosman, Melrose 22:34

Enhancing youth development and fostering positive parent-child relationships is a guiding principle of The Brendan Grant Foundation.  On this basis, Brendan's Home Run always acknowledges the fastest parent-child tandems for the day. For some Father’s, there is no better way to spend Fathers Day. Awards are provided in this category, and the top finishers for the parent-child teams:

1. Robert and Andrew Carey, Belmont 39:03
2. Michael T. and Michael C. Griffin, Belmont 43:11
3. Bob and Katie Cosman, Belmont 45:13

Another group of participants that are recognized each year are the Belmont Little Leaguers.  This year their spring season finished early and as a result their attendance was much lower than previous years.  Several of them notched some very impressive finishing times this year, finishing before most of the adults and showing their great potential as future top running athletes. This year’s fastest participating Little Leaguers were:
1. Jackson Pullman 27:28
2. Jack Haverty 30:59

While these top-notch runners were busy burning up the 3.1 miles, the spotlight fell on the kids’ races on the oval at the Belmont High School track. Races for 6-8 year olds (one lap of the track) and 9-12 year olds (two laps) attracted all the best young racers in the area, with this year’s winners all from Belmont. For many this event is the highlight of the day, with speedy youngsters racing around the track to the classic music of "Charge of the Light Brigade" and finishing before the fastest 5K adult runners return.

In the 6-8 year old category (400 M), the first place finisher for the boys was Ronan O'Connor (Cambridge), followed by closely by future track stars Anthony(Belmont) and Tyler (Cambridge).  The girls 400 M (6-8 year old) winner was Madeline Kitch (Cambridge), with Rachael November (Belmont) in second and Maya Whitcomb (Lexington) placing third. 

In the 9-12 year old group (800 M), Calvin Perkins (Belmont) led the race from wire-to-wire, out-running Aiden Carney (Belmont) and Julius Kitch  (Belmont). Top finishers for the 9-12 girls were Grace Eysenbach (Belmont) in first place, closely followed by Kayla Kaloostian (Belmont) and Louloo November (Belmont). While these were the fastest runners, all of the children who participate are awarded a ribbon and each wears a race bib with the number “1”, Brendan Grant’s uniform number on the Belmont High School varsity baseball team.

As a recap of the 5K race, the following are the top three winners in each gender and age bracket:
Women 19 & Under
1. Murphy, Abbey 16 Belmont, MA 21:44.4
2. Cosman, Katie 16 Melrose, MA 22:34.4
3. Preston, Kalina 19 Belmont, MA 23:50.8

Men 19 & Under
1. Connors, Kevin Mateo 15 Belmont, MA 18:08.5
2. Stadler, Chris 17 Belmont, MA 18:14.5
3. Carey, Andrew 17 Belmont, MA 18:18.7

Women 20-29
1. Harrington, Samantha 24 Somerville, MA 22:42.5
2. Hannon, Lauren 26 Belmont, MA 25:50.5
3. Sussman, Leah 21 Belmont, MA 27:25.0

Men 20-29
1. Krah, Nate 24 Boston, MA 15:50.8*
2. Vassallo, Dan 25 Reading, MA 16:35.7
3. Escobar, Carlos 25 Watertown, MA 18:43.0

Women 30-39
1. Deutch, Amie 39 Natick, MA 21:25.7
2. McDivitt, Emily 34 Malden, MA 22:20.3
3. Darlington, Deborah 35 Lowell, MA 25:30.5

Men 30-39
1. McCalmon, Ryan 34 Belmont, MA 15:59.2
2. Youmell, Matt 37 Arlington, MA 19:50.4
3. Dolan, Bob 39 Belmont, MA 20:30.4

Women 40-49
1. Lehr, Karin 41 Belmont, MA 20:54.4
2. O'Donovan, Kerry 48 Belmont, MA 25:27.0
3. Brown., Elizabeth 47 Belmont, MA 26:09.6

Men 40-49
1. Conroy, Charlie 40 Belmont, MA 19:30.7
2. Darien, Andrew 40 Cambridge, MA 19:54.8
3. Roberts, Paul 40 Belmont, MA 19:57.5

Women 50-59
1. Gardner, Annie 50 Belmont, MA 24:55.7
2. Finnevan, Kathy 58 Braintree, MA 26:05.6
3. Ferrante, Gina 50 North Andover, MA 28:21.5

Men 50-59
1. Cipriano, Robert 50 Belmont, MA 17:42.9
2. Wyner, Jonathan 50 Arlington, MA 18:35.6
3. Richard, Kevin 50 Cambridge, MA 19:43.2

Women 60-98
1. Carr, Carol 63 Maynard, MA 34:27.4

Men 60-98
1. Musil, Robert 62 Bedford, NH 21:56.5
2. Klinefelter, Peter 60 Cambridge, MA 22:57.5
3. Noonan, Joe 66 Lexington, MA 23:01.7

Brendan’s Home Run would not be the well-oiled event it has evolved into over the past nine years without the dedicated corps of volunteers who do everything from setting up tents, to registering entrants, to slicing watermelons. This small army of volunteers takes care of hundreds of details that result in the efficient execution of top notch road race in a very short time frame. Rain or shine, they are undeterred from the mission of making the event the best it can be.

Of course, Brendan’s Home Run also owes much of its success to the support of its sponsors, led by Presenting Sponsors Belmont Savings Bank and Belmont Dental Group, and also including Contributing Sponsors Belmont Wheelworks, Champions Sporting Goods, and Greater Boston Running Company. Their contributions help the event maximize the funds it raises for the various initiatives of The Brendan Grant Foundation and its associated scholarship program.

A sweeping range of individuals and organizations helped make this year’s race/walk the great success that it was. In addition to the afore-mentioned sponsors, significant in-kind donations were also provided by: General Mills (Yoplait), Conley's Pub and Grille, and others. Numerous outstanding raffle prizes were awarded including lots of tickets to the Boston Red Sox, and a special tip-of-the-hat goes to all who donated these prizes and helped make it a special Father’s Day for all the raffle prize winners.

Another reason the event went smoothly was because of the dependable support provided by the staff of the Belmont Department of Public Works, as well as important traffic control from the Belmont Police Department and the standby assistance of the Belmont Fire Department. The individuals that directly helped make the day a success number close to 100 people, and they are too many to mention by name here. We are deeply appreciative for their important volunteer efforts. A special salute is extended to the young people of the community who directly assisted, such as members of the following BHS sports teams: Baseball, Football, Softball and Wrestling teams.

Brendan's Home Run traverses an officially measured and certified course in accordance with the requirements of the USA Track & Field Road Running Technical Council (Certification Code: MA03028RN©). The accredited 5K course is primarily flat, features plenty of shade, and allows the best runners to capture excellent times. The race starts and ends at the Belmont High School Track, and the course loops out through the Winn Brook neighborhood and back upon itself. This means that halfway into the walk, the fastest runners begin passing the walkers, while the slower runners ultimately finish at about the same time as the walkers.

As has been the case in past years, hundreds of walkers departed on the 5K course at 9:30 am with a half hour head-start before the runners. As many of them will tell you, they are out on the course when the runners pass them and really have the best seat in the house to watch the 5K race. This year the weather was hot and steamy, and fortunately didn't have any of the rain seen in the previous two years. Information about last year's successful 2009 race/walk is available by clicking here.

Brendan's Home Run is a cornerstone of development efforts on behalf of The Brendan Grant Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to enhancing youth development, and carries out its mission through clinics, mentoring programs, field/facility enhancements, and scholarships given annually to three graduating high school seniors. The foundation, and its various events such as the 5K race/walk, honors the memory of Brendan Grant, the 19-year-old Belmont baseball player who was fatally injured in an outfield collision during a Senior Babe Ruth game in June 2001. Brendan was a three-season athlete in the BHS Class of 2000, where he was the captain of the wrestling and baseball teams. In 2001, he was the starting third baseman during his freshman year for American International College.

Perhaps the most visible foundation project is the rebuilding of the Belmont High School varsity baseball field where Brendan played his last game. Also of note are the annual scholarships that provide financial assistance to qualified seniors from Belmont High School who will be attending an institution of higher learning after graduation. The scholarship is awarded to a senior member of the varsity baseball, softball and wrestling teams’ that demonstrates the same positive spirit and leadership skills - both on the field and in the community - for which Brendan was known. Those who cannot participate in Brendan's Home Run but wish to contribute to The Brendan Grant Foundation may send donations to P.O. Box 184, Belmont, MA 02478.

Whether you were a runner, walker, volunteer, contributor, or a supporter in spirit but unable to attend, it was another great event with lots of fun for a worthy cause. We're already excited for next year and hope to see you on Father’s Day 2011!