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Home News Tribune - March 27, 2008
by Vera Stek
New Event in Memory of Runner
Original article: www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080327/REC03/803270702/1053
Most runners don't think about the driving force behind the races they run every year, what goes into organizing a race, how a new one gets started, or what the “cause” is.
But each race has a story behind it, just as each runner does. A new event on the calendar this year, the Hearts and Soles 5K at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater on April 6, offers a peek into the anatomy of a race.
Subtitled “the Peter Boyden Memorial Run and Fundraiser,” the event was conceived of and is being directed by Scott Brenner, 44, of Somerset, an avid runner and frequent racer who has worked on committees for other races in the past but has never been a race director.
Brenner was particularly upset at the premature death of Boyden last year, after the seemingly fit and healthy 50-year-old Hackettstown athlete died of a heart condition during a lunchtime run. Boyden was set to be a member of Brenner's River to Sea relay team.
“Peter served as captain of the AT&T running team, and always offered encouragement to other runners regardless of their speed or ability. He would often remind people of his favorite saying from Confucius, ‘It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop,’ ” Brenner said.
“Within a week of Peter's death last year, the idea hit me that we should do a race. I mentioned it to a few running friends who were also friends of Peter's and got a positive response.
“In the early fall of 2007, I sent an e-mail to about 30 people who knew Peter, some from the running community and some from AT&T, where he worked. I said I was forming an exploratory committee to look into the feasibility of starting a race,” Brenner said.
“If we were going to do it, I wanted it done right and not just slap together some one-time event. I wanted it to become an annual event that not only honored Peter's memory but also supported a good cause. The former Run with Aimee (in Montgomery) was what I wanted to emulate.
“By October, I had 15 to 20 people who expressed enough commitment to join the race committee. I also talked to other race directors I knew who provided useful tips and suggestions. We had several goals: Put on a quality event; attract beginning runners, first-time racers, and people needing a reason to put down the bag of chips and get off the couch; support a good cause; lay the groundwork for an annual event and keep Peter's family in the loop.”
Brenner said getting all the details attended to “was more difficult than running a 10K with no water stations on a hot August day.”
His race is unusual in that the entry fee is only $5, rather than the $15-$25 that's typically being charged these days.
“My committee debated the entry fee. On one hand, we wanted to raise as much money as possible for our charity (American Heart Association). And since we knew we'd have no significant corporate donations or other sponsors, entry fees were the only way to get some money.
“But on the other hand, our target market is mostly people who have never run a race before or do so very infrequently. Since we're trying to establish an annual event, we wanted a good turnout the first year. Keeping the entry fee very low seemed to be a way to attract people. We also decided not to have a higher race day fee; it's still just $5, even if you don't pre-register.
“From a financial standpoint, we're likely to lose money this year. One of my committee members made a generous donation, and I've personally ‘loaned’ the race almost $1,000. If Hillary Clinton can do that kind of thing, why not me? We're going to ask for donations in addition to the $5 entry fee, and hope people will be generous, especially if we can convey the message about Peter and his positive influence on people.
“And the day after the race, I hope to start planning the 2009 event. We all felt strongly about Peter and were shocked at what happened last year. We hope that putting all this effort into the race, and hosting a great event will keep his legacy alive,” Brenner said.
For information or a race application, or to learn more about the life of Peter Boyden, see www.HeartsAndSoles5K.org. You can make a donation to the race even if you can't run it.
Daily Record - March 30, 2008
by Kathy Shwiff based on reporting by Madeline Bost
Original article: www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080330/COLUMNISTS17/
803300391/1082/ENT
5K to honor fallen runner's memory
He had celebrated his 50th birthday last March. He was a veteran of several marathons and countless shorter races. He trained nearly every day and was the picture of health and fitness. Yet last July, Peter Boyden of Hackettstown suffered a fatal heart attack on an ordinary training run.
Next Sunday, Boyden's friends are holding a race in his memory at Duke Island Park to raise money for the American Heart Association. But the Hearts and Sole's 5K is far more than a fundraiser. It is intended to continue Boyden's spirit of helping and encouraging beginner runners, said race director Scott Brenner of Somerset.
In the eulogy that Sneaker Factory member Dave Faherty gave at Boyden's service, Faherty captured the essence of the man whose favorite Confucian saying was, “It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.”
Faherty painted a picture of a man who was warm and caring and “who was able to give support, kudos, and comfort as the situation warranted.”
Boyden was active on the AT&T running team and was also a member of the Sneaker Factory team. After Brenner left AT&T's employ, Boyden took over as the company's racing team captain.
Brenner said that within a week of Boyden's death, he began to think about organizing a race in his friend's memory.
“I talked to a couple of people just to see how insane the idea was,” said Brenner. “They told me, ‘Yes, it was,’ but they would help me do it.”
By October a committee of 20 people had committed to putting on a race.
Without enough time for a 2007 event, they set the date for April 6 at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater at 10:00 a.m.
Brenner is quick to point out that the theme of the race is not really about racing but about bringing non-racers into the sport that Boyden loved.
“Peter was always encouraging people to run,” said Brenner. “He really didn't emphasize speed. If you hang out with the Sneaker Factory people or some of the Raritan Valley runners [Brenner's club], they can be quite intimidating.”
“We were going to try to attract the beginning runners, people who may have been running for years but who have never raced because they are intimidated,” he said. “That's one of the reasons that we decided to keep the price ridiculously low and try to refer to it more like a run than a race.”
To that end there will be awards to only the top three men and women, with none going to age group racers. The entry fee is an unheard of $5 and it will remain $5 for race day entries. Donations will be gladly accepted as the committee members are underwriting the race. It was too late to find corporate sponsors this year.
“We are trying to kind of deemphasize the competitive nature of it,” said Brenner. “We're trying to make it more of a fun run. We will have a clock and we will time people and post the results. But we are deemphasizing racing.”
More information can be found at www.heartsandsoles5k.org.
