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Old Sandwich Road Race

Volunteers needed for Old Sandwich Road Race on June 6.

PLYMOUTH, MA…

On June 6, the first ever Old Sandwich Road Race will take place on, you guessed it, Old Sandwich Road in Plymouth, Mass—the oldest road in America. Volunteers are needed in all areas of this race, which includes a half marathon starting on Old Sandwich Road near Ellisville Harbor State Park, and a 10k starting at Plimouth Plantation. Both races will finish at Plymouth South High School.

“As a first year race with two starting locations, we need all the help we can get. That includes behind the scenes prior to the race and volunteers to help before, during and after the race,” said Craig Valentine Brenner, race director for the Old Sandwich Road Race. “So while it’s going to be a lot of work, it’s also going to be a lot of fun and the profits from the race are going to a very good cause, The Home for Little Wanderer’s Baird Center in Plymouth.”

The Baird Center School is a year-round residential and day school treatment program for youth aged 10-18 with a wide range of emotional, behavioral, educational and psychiatric issues. Adding yet another historical element to the Old Sandwich Road Race, The Home for Little Wanderers is the nation’s oldest non-profit child and family service agency, with roots dating back to 1799.

In addition the 10k and half marathon, the Old Sandwich Road Race will also include a Kids Classic. The Kids Classic features four one-mile kids’ races with age groups from 7 to 14 years of age and a children’s fun sprint of 100 meters. The Kids Classic will take place on the track at Plymouth South High School.

“We have a strong board of volunteers who have taken the Race this far but with essentially three starting locations and a large finish line area, not to mention pre-race registration, water stops along the way and all the other jobs that go into a race, we need some help,” said Brenner. “Anybody who wants to be a part of a fun, one-of-a-kind, historic road race that will benefit the people and businesses of America’s hometown of Plymouth are welcome.”

Those interested in volunteering can do so online by going to http://www.oldsandwichroadrace.com/volunteer.php. For companies interested in sponsoring the Old Sandwich Road Race, the minimum sponsorship is $250. Current sponsors include: Entergy, Retrofit Technologies, Bayside Runner, King Collision Centers and the Village Racquet & Fitness Club at the Pinehills.

Originally a trail used by the Wampanoag Native American tribe, Old Sandwich Road later became the nation’s first true public road and a stagecoach route to ferry passengers and mail back and forth between the Massachusetts towns of Plymouth and Sandwich. Today, the road remains pretty much as the Pilgrims left it–a wide, scenic, dirt road bordered by beautiful tall pine trees and towering oaks.

For information about the race and registration, please visit http://www.oldsandwichroadrace.com.

Volunteers needed for Old Sandwich Road Race on June 6.Read More

Oldest road in America gets new purpose. Debut of half marathon and 10k Races another reason to visit Plymouth, Mass.

PLYMOUTH, MA…

When discussing historic road races in New England, none tops the Boston Marathon. Yet if you want to talk about road race courses with history, none can best the first Old Sandwich Road Race on June 6—a half marathon taking place on Old Sandwich Road, the oldest road in America.

Originally a trail used by the Wampanoag Native American tribe, Old Sandwich Road later became the nation’s first true public road and a stagecoach route to ferry passengers and mail back and forth between the Massachusetts towns of Plymouth and Sandwich. Today, the road remains pretty much as the Pilgrims left it–a wide, scenic, dirt road bordered by beautiful tall pine trees and towering oaks.

“In creating this race, we wanted to accomplish many things,” said Craig Valentine Brenner, Old Sandwich Road Race organizer and Plymouth resident. “The first was to create an attractive destination race in Plymouth that would draw local runners and folks from outside the region. There’s really no better road to accomplish that than Old Sandwich Road, the same trail America’s original settlers traveled. But we also wanted this race to benefit local causes and businesses.”

To that end, the profits from the first Old Sandwich Road Race will go to the Home for Little Wanderers’ Baird Center, located at 900 Ship Pond Road in Plymouth. The Baird Center works with boys grades 4 through 11 with social and emotional issues. Much like Old Sandwich Road’s claim to being a first, The Home for Little Wanderers, founded in 1799, is the oldest child welfare services agency in the United States.

The appeal of the course and the cause have already drawn interest from local sponsors with their own rich history, like Plimouth Plantation, The Governor Bradford Inn and Martha Stone Soup, a restaurant in an historic carriage house located along Old Sandwich Road. Other sponsors include: Entergy, Retrofit Technologies, Bayside Runner, King Collision Centers and the Village Racquet & Fitness Club at the Pinehills.

In addition to the half marathon, the Old Sandwich Road Race features a 10k, sponsored by Plimouth Plantation and Entergy and starting at Plimouth Plantation, and a Kids Classic. The Kids Classic features four one-mile kids’ races with age groups from 7 to 14 years of age and a children’s fun sprint of 100 meters. The Kids Classic will take place on the track at Plymouth South High School, which is also the end point for both the half marathon and 10k.

“The Old Sandwich Road Race truly does offer something for everybody. And with a June 6 race date, it’s kind of nice kickoff to the summer,” said Brenner. “We’re thrilled with the number of runners, sponsors and volunteers who have signed on to date and there’s still plenty of time for even more people to get involved with what we anticipate being the first of many annual races.”

For information about the race and registration, please visit http://www.oldsandwichroadrace.com. If you would like to be a sponsor, the minimum sponsorship is $250. You can contact Craig Brenner, craigvbrenner@yahoo.com, 781-419-4207 to inquire about sponsorship and volunteer opportunities.

Oldest road in America gets new purpose. Debut of half marathon and 10k Races another reason to visit Plymouth, Mass.Read More