War, Empire and the Economy Got You Down?
We have the Solution!
Don’t Just Stand There…. Run!
The War Resisters League Track Club is committed to building community and building muscles, and we want to run with you.
After a decade long (or so) hiatus, we reformed in 2009, and ran the Hartford Marathon and Half Marathon and two winter 15Ks in New York City.
Now we’re gearing up for another year of running and resisting war.
Our first event of the season will be the Worcester (Massachusetts) Half Marathon on Sunday, June 13! It is an inaugural run for Worcester and we want to help infuse a culture of peace and social justice. Help us be a presence! More information on registration below…
A week later (Sunday, June 20th), the Ithaca Catholic Worker Community is organizing the Peter DeMott Peace Trot, a 5K run to remember a beloved peace activist, father and runner who died in February 2009. For more detailed information on this run, please contact Tom Joyce at tomjoyce51[at]aim.com or (607) 277-7426.
Not a runner (yet)? No problem!
We began using a 12-week training program for half marathons last year and had a 100% success rate for people finishing the races. Monday, March 22 is twelve weeks from the Worcester Half Marathon, so it is almost time to get started! Check out the training program some of us are using here.
We’re also going to try and do a few shorter races before the Half Marathon to help us prepare. Let us know if you are interested and want to be notified.
More on the Worcester Race
So far, we have a solid showing at the Half Marathon, but there is always room for more…
We have at least five people who will be doing the race as the WRL Track Club. Plus the race is open to people of many abilities! You can walk the half marathon (they want you to finish it in under four hours), and there is a 5k walk/run and a 1 mile walk/run. So, let’s get going!!
You can find more info and register at www.worcesterhalfmarathon.com. Part of the race is a “corporate and military team challenge.” Well, they should have added an “anti-militarist” option, because we have registered the WRL Track Club as one of the teams!
When you go to register, click the “Team Challenge” option and then scroll down to the bottom of the registration page and make sure to check off as a WAR RESISTERS LEAGUE TRACK CLUB member.
We have plenty of time to figure out the logistics of the weekend later, but we’ll be hosted in Worcester by the Saints Francis & Thérèse Catholic Worker there-- Scott Schaeffer-Duffy from that community is also running the race (watch out, he is fast!).
Final Notes
To run, you have to look the part. To that end, we have official “WRL Track Club” gear to share—we have a few sweatshirts and a good number of tank tops left, so let us know what size you want and we’ll ship them out.
They cost us $6 to make, so a contribution towards that and postage is much appreciated. Non-runners have to pay $10, so get the discount- be a runner!
Last year, the team raised a few thousand dollars for the War Resisters League. Yeah! And thanks to all who contributed! This year, we’re still running for peace but we want to focus our energies on building the team. So, we’ll forgo the fundraising component this year and try our hand at fun-raising instead!
We meet and march and organize together, now let’s run and romp together too.
Runnin' for Peace,
Frida Berrigan, frida.berrigan[at]gmail.com
Patrick Sheehan-Gaumer, sheehpa[at]googlemail.com
Self-Appointed Team Captains
