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Health & Fitness

The Canton Fall Classic: 25th Year and Running Strong

The Canton Fall Classic is celebrating its 25th year this fall. This year’s race is October 27th starting at 10:00AM. The race has been hailed as one of the South Shore's finest races. 

There is the challenging 10K that engages the competitive as well as the recreational runner who is looking to be pushed.  Not quite up for a full 10K, the Canton Fall Classic, also offers a 5K, a competitive alternative for those interested in a shorter and faster race. Both courses are accurate, wheel measured with split time and water stations. Plus, there is a place for the littlest of runners in our Kids Fun Run.

Twenty-five years ago this October, The Canton Fall Classic started as a fundraiser for Temple Beth Abraham in Canton. In the beginning, the race was a 10K attracting 125 runners in its first year.  Since then, we have seen the race continually grow and become more popular to where last year we had a record 885 runners register.  We are proud to say that we able to make a donation of a portion of our profits to the Canton Food Panty.

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After ten years into the race, we saw a change in demographics and how people work out.  All of a sudden cross training had become popular and the need for a shorter distance, a 5K helped to propel the race numbers to 500 plus runners.  The fitness movement changed from solely thinking running to incorporating running into an entire fitness routine.  We appreciate how the Town of Canton has always supported the race well and people through word of mouth have brought along friends and family to run with them.  It has become very common to see a household of people including children in the fun run sign up for the race.  It is also has been fun to see past fun run participants grown to come back to run in the 5K or 10K where their first exposure to racing began.  Temple Beth Abraham takes great pride in hosting a fun event that people in the community look forward to annually. The race has gone from a small fundraiser and blossomed into a large community event for runners and spectators both. Our race provides a challenging terrain that runners encounter as they wind through the streets of Canton at a beautiful time of year with the changing fall colors, surely earning its name, The Canton Fall Classic.

Rich Zides, Harvey Blonder and Melissa Mayer the team that puts on the event bring to the race are a lifetime of road racing and understanding what runners look for in a race.  Rich has completed fourteen marathons and many novelty races like the Mt. Washington and Plymouth to Provincetown relay.  Harvey has finished twelve Boston Marathons with a best of 2:36.  While competing in the National Masters Track Championships, Harvey has earned two bronze medals.  He is currently the Stoughton High School Cross Country and Track coach.  Melissa has had her share of experience as well and represents the modern fitness person, combining running, Pilates, yoga, and cross-fit training.  Collectively, they have run hundreds of races including marathons, half marathons, 10Ks and 5Ks.  They have taken back the best of what they have seen to make the organization of this race the best it can be.  

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The races start of together and split at the one-mile mark at Wentworth St, near St. Gerard’s.  The runners experience the same fast start down Washington St. until they start to climb goes though Tilden to Randolph Street and past the Mass Hospital School.  In its own rights the 5K is a pretty challenging course.  

Over the past few years, the number of sponsors has grown to the point that the finish has started to resemble a fair where aside from refreshments, local and national businesses have set up booths, greeted runners and supplied various treats and trinkets.

The Canton Fall Classic continues to be proud of sponsoring an event that has been well supported by the community. Our aim for this 25th year is to have the most runners ever.  The first 600 runners that register are guaranteed a long sleeve T-Shirt.  Plus, we have exciting prizes to the winners that come in the form of cash and merchandise from local vendors. We randomly draw raffles prizes too.  

Registration is open on our website, www.cantonfallclassic.com, and we look forward to exceeding last year’s registrations with the runners who return year after year, and for those joining us for the first time.  In closing, we would like to offer the following tips in preparing for the race and hope you can join us this year.

 

Rich Zides

Harvey Blonder

Melissa Mayer

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