The amazing race

Friday, October 14, 2011

Those who are runners or, because of pounding on pavement for 30 years to the detriment of one’s knees, are former runners, can only admire the ultra runners who are taking part in the annual Ghost Train Rail Trail Race that will benefit the Brookline and Milford conservation commissions.

These folks will run between 31 and 100 miles, starting on Oct. 22, running through the night and continuing the next day. That’s the day that the runners doing a paltry 15 miles will take off. And when we say “paltry” we are, of course, being facetious; 15 miles is a most respectable distance as any runner can tell you.

According to our Hattie Bernstein, the course follows the railroad tracks used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to ship granite from Milford and ice from Lake Potanipo to Massachusetts. Now it plays host to people who dare to run in the dark.

And they dare to run in the dark only nine days before Halloween, which adds an extra bit of spice to the race, we think. Isn’t Ichabod Crane lurking out there somewhere? No, more likely he’d be running as fast as he could to get away from ... something.

What you might really want to know is that you can still get into the race because registration is open on race day with $20 for the 15-mile run and $30 for the ultra race, which includes high-energy snacks through the night.

You can find out more by going to ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=14172, our story says.

If you don’t care to run, either during the day or through the night, you could always donate some money to your conservation commission. They often have a hard time getting enough votes for funding and they do good work, work that some of us won’t appreciate unless and until the things that they try to save no longer exist.

Hey, where’d the forest go? Oops. Too late. Think about it.