Thanks to those sponsors who reached out to us this year to help sponsor our race even though we are not printing sponsors on the backs of our shirts this year. Times are tough and we did not want to bother our sponsors this year but these great businesses reached out to us.
Aspire Dental
Westport Dental
Lockheed Martin
The Mattapoisett Road Race is changing gears.
In December of 2019, the Mattapoisett Road Race ordered over 1,200 amazing tie-dyed shirts for the celebration of the 50th running of our beloved race. Who would have guessed just months later the world would be shutting down and we would have to postpone this fantastic celebration of our 2020 race.
Our goal was to be back in action for this Fourth of July. But restrictions were lifted too slowly and guidance has been iffy at best. We spend 6 months getting ready to put on the best race possible with our 100% volunteer staff each year. We had too many issues such as asking our sponsors to cover our shirt costs when many were just regaining their footing. Our road race crew is still working out safety protocols, for our runners, the 1,000s of fans and volunteers on the course, our staff and the amazing town of Mattapoisett. The towns Board of Health must approve the safety protocols and the state hasn't given much guidance. Needless to say but we were not going to put on a full fledged race this year and the year that should be the biggest would have left us with tons of shirts, not enough time and not even close to enough ibuprofen.
So here is what we came up with. We are asking all of our faithful to run for 5 miles the week of the fourth this year. Get a virtual run in to start the summer fun and then come back to us when summer is winding down while we put on a 5K on August 21 to celebrate the 49 1/2 running of our race. We are working out the course details but the lighthouse will be part of the run and we will finish at the park like we always do. We will have a starting area that is still close by but most likely wont be in the same spot, probably closer to the beach. We are still working out many of the details with only half the time we usually have but we promise a great race.
Why a 5K you ask? Good question. And a couple of reasons behind it. We have had more than a few ambulance rides leave our course the last few years on July 4th. The air is often even more hot and humid in August. The fear of even more dehydration and heat stroke was part of our decision. And honestly, if we ran the 5 mile course in August, it would be the 50th running and it would be way to small a field to honor the race. Plus we may not have as many volunteers in August and we need to make sure we have everything covered.
Help us honor this years graduating seniors and run virtually this Fourth and then join us August 21 for a 5K. We will continue to update the website as we know more. For those that want a shirt for this Fourth of July, sign up soon and we will get it to you locally or mail it out as soon as we get them. Otherwise, we will be giving out shirts again at the race.
Thank you for taking the time to read all of this and best of luck in your running,
The Mattapoisett Road Race Crew
Get 2019 results HERE
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