Miles of Margaritas FPC Fundraiser was a Great Success

On Monday, January 23, the North Shore contingent of the Franklin Park Coalition's Boston Marathon Charity Team held a give back night at the Chili's Grill and Bar in Danvers, Mass. Charity Team Leader Julie Arrison normally bartends on Monday nights here and all were grateful that the management team and staff were willing to give back 10% of sales from the night to help support the FPC's youth and athletic programming.

Friends, family, and members of the Wicked Running Club indulged in nachos, fajitas, Sam Adams Winter Lagers, and a special variety of margaritas for the event. Coach Mike Toomey was the "celebrity bartender" for a portion of the night and provided a decent drink and entertainment for all. In total, $450.00 was raised for the Franklin Park Coalition and fun was had by all.

The Franklin Park Coalition Information Table is ready to go.

Coach Toomey is ready to make some money for the FPC.

Charity Team Leader Julie Arrison coached the coach in making the perfect margarita.

Some of our lovely friends from Salem joined us at the bar to support Franklin Park.

Wicked Running Club president Tim Short and his daughter Lily and learning about the good work of the FPC.

Team member Shari Hewson is having a blast with FPC team supporters.

Team member Paula Renzi Gibbs is making the rounds.

A wicked blonde contingent to support the Franklin Park Coalition.

Pats or Giants? The Franklin Park Zoo Has the Answers...

Listen to Matty in the Morning next Friday. Little Joe at the Franklin Park Zoo will be predicting the Super Bowl Champion. Being a "Boston Boy," the team hopes that his Patriots prediction will be correct.

Little Joe is contemplating a Patriots Super Bowl victory.

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

This week’s long run was supposed to be a custom designed ramble by Owen through the Emerald Necklace for the Franklin Park Coalition Team. Even though we had about four feet of snow on the ground last winter at this time, we panicked about the 5” expected and called off the group run. Luckily, we found some great ways to enjoy the snow—or in Kristen’s case—get the miles in on Friday and avoid the slippery roads all together!

Jason G. described the snow running best when he said that he did fifteen miles through snowy streets with the “consistency of mashed potatoes.” Laura did her Brookline-Newton route with the Dreamfar team and ran into some urban turkeys on her jaunt home—always a shocking sight to see turkeys wandering around the city—and even more shocking when they are hopping around in the snow!

Carleen took advantage of a run to her son’s basketball game—which she had missed out on the past couple of weeks while doing long runs and got the other 10 in on Sunday through Dedham, Hyde Park, and Milton. Paula and Julie stayed north, making snow angels along the way. The streets were a mess on Saturday and some time in Lynn Woods, on snowshoes, was the perfect solution. It was no Franklin Park—but what is?

Finally, Nichole took a field trip to New Hampshire for the annual Derry Boston Prep. It’s notorious for sixteen miles of hills, hills, when you think you are done, more hills.

So, while it wasn’t all “gravy” out there training this week, it certainly was fun!

Laura's Beacon Street running buddy.

Julie taking a rest during a Lynn Woods Reservation snowshoe hike.

Paula taking a rest on the streets of the North Shore...exact location unknown.

Saturday Group Long Run Cancelled

The National Weather Service is calling for 4-6" of snow tomorrow...right around the time the team plans on taking their Boston Group Run. So that everyone stays safe, we're going to cancel our Group Run this week.

Stay tuned for pictures from everyone's snowy weekend adventures!

Freezing for Franklin Park

From our "On the Run" page...here is this week's installment from some chilly group runs: 

The FPC Boston Marathon Team was scattered far and wide this week for their long runs. Jared was across the Pond enjoying a vacation of “running around scenic London in the morning, sightseeing in the afternoon, and gigging at night [with Sidewalk Driver]. He had the warm end of the deal and Jason C. and Owen battled to the death for the icier face-off…literally. Owen described his icy moustache, “old man” eyebrows, and inability to blink as he ran to Cambridge and back, but Jason C. provided picturesque proof of his frozen face for his run in Nahant.

Carleen made it up to the North Shore for a 10 miler out of Salem, over the Beverly Bridge, and along Route 127 with Shari and Julie. The rolling hills and ocean views almost made us forget about the nasty headwind that found us on every ocean-y vantage point. Nichole took on 14 miles of fun, including a spin up the infamous Heartbreak Hill while Dale enjoyed the scenery of the park and what one could only think of as a very empty golf course. Her face mask suggestion should be shared with Jason C.

Before departing for Vegas, Laura got in 8 miles from Brighton to Cambridge and back again. She’ll get the warm weather award for this week…or win big and donate it all to the FPC.

The running song of the week is Rosanna…whatever works to get someone through the miles is fine with us. The team, especially Owen, is looking for a transportable heater. To keep up with Owen, you’ll need to lug this heater at a 6:00/mile pace, but that’s doable, right?

Next week, we take on the Emerald Necklace and the FPC Winter Volunteer Day.

Birds-eye view from a run in London with Jared.

Carleen, Shari, and Julie take on the rollling hills and ocean "breezes" in Beverly.

Fueled by the song Rosanna, Owen killed it for his long run this week.

Community Service

Today is a day not only to remember one of the most important civil rights leaders in the history of our country, but a day to think about the ways that you can serve your community. Sixteen dedicated runners have signed up to raise money and awareness for the great work that the Franklin Park Coalition does. Everyone on the team has different, smaller reasons for training to run the 26.2 miles that is the Boston Marathon, but dedication to community service is certainly a binding factor.

We hope that you will consider giving to the Franklin Park Community as well. Whether you can donate money, time, or talent--it will be "something" well spent. Next week is Franklin Park's Winter Volunteer Day from 10:00-noon. You can join members of the Boston Marathon team as well as other neighbors and park supporters to help clean up catbrier from the historic Woodlands. The group will meet at the Valley Gates. If you can't meet up next Saturday, check out the calendar of events or visit the Franklin Park Coalition Team Fundraising Page and sponsor a runner today.

$3700 Raised for the Franklin Park Coalition at the Boston Marathon Team Kickoff Party

What a night a Doyle's Cafe! We danced, we sang, we toasted, we ate, we had fun with our friends, families, and supporters. Most importantly, we raised almost $3700.00 for the Franklin Park Coalition. This money will benefit hundreds of local kids who use the park for recreation and athletics through programming provided by the hard work of the FPC. 


We could not have asked for a better trio of performers for the night. First up was Gregg Harper, who played his guitar and harmonica with passion and gave us all some songs to sing along to. Next, we had the chance to hear original music by Eric Stepanian. Our night was capped off with an acoustic set by members of the local band Sidewalk Driver. Sidewalk Driver holds an extra special place in the night since the guitarist, Jared Egan, is one of the runners on our Boston Marathon team. If you liked what you heard, please be sure to check out their websites or albums in the iTunes store. Supporting local music is appreciated!

Doyle's Cafe put out a great spread of appetizers, pizzas, and salads (for the runners!). Our server, Shannon, was great in the room, too! Never once did she seem flustered with 130 people looking for pints of Guiness.

The team and Franklin Park Coalition look forward to your continued support over the next few months as we train to run 26.2 miles and fundraise for an amazing cause. Thank you to all of our guests...we hope you had as much fun as we did!

Each of our runners brought a prize along for our guests to win. It was a great selection.

Boston Marathon Team member Jason C. is ready to greet guests...and, no, he won't share his Guiness with you.

Gregg Harper was awesome!

What an amazing crowd of supporters!

Eric Stepanian was awesome!

Sidewalk Driver was awesome!

Paula (far left) is catching some relaxation with her friends. She will not be relaxing like this on Marathon Monday!

Two of our team members, Carleen and Kristen, catch a quick photo with Christine, the executive director of the FPC.

Thank You from the Boston Marathon Team!

We'll have some details and pictures posted soon, but we wanted to just a quick thank you out for the amazing night that we had at Doyle's Cafe. We were surrounded by park supporters, friends, family, music, and a fun atmosphere. Your donations and support mean so much to the runners and to the work of the Franklin Park Coalition!

Tonight's the Night...

You've heard about this day for months, weeks, and days...and it's finally arrived! Please join us tonight at Doyle's Cafe on 3484 Washington Street in JP for our Team Kickoff Night. This is your chance to wish your favorite team member well, enjoy some snacks, listen to some great live music, and possibly win a prize from a great selection, donated by our team members!

Tickets are $25.00 at the door.

We'll see you there!

From our "On the Run" Page...

Weekend of January 6-8:

This week’s run took the Franklin Park Coalition’s Boston Marathon Team as far as Walt Disney World and as close as…Franklin Park! The nice weather on Saturday made for some glorious January running on the local front. I don’t think anyone thought they would be running under blue, sunny skies in 55 degree weather on January 7!

As for workouts, Coach Toomey suggested generally a 10-12 mile run for some of us, a little bit more or less for others. Nichole took advantage of some yoga time and ran from Casey’s Tavern with the Somerville Road Runners on Sunday. Jason C., Paula, and Julie all ran the Olde Salem Greens Snowshoe Classic. Without the “snow,” this turned into a super challenging 3.4 mile trail run on one of the hilliest golf course and wooded single track trails you’ll ever see. Kristen and Dale stayed around the neighborhood. Kristen enjoyed 14 miles around the Pond, the Faulkner, and Larz Anderson Park, while Dale did 5 in Franklin Park with her dogs and 5 on her own. Elizabeth took a jaunt from Lexington to Brookline and got a lesson in pacing along the way!

Shari gets credit for having the run farthest from home. She competed in the Walt Disney World Marathon Relay this morning. With a friend from the Wicked Running Club to push her to her 13.1 limit, rumor on the street is that she broke her PR!

Owen is currently out for 12 miles with a bit of a head cold. Send him some well wishes or hand him a tissue if you see him.

Coach Toomey is rumored to be at the Reggie Lewis Center this morning.

Our newest runner on the team, Laura, tried to get the scoop on the new Sox season by running from Brookline High to Fenway Park. Besides a great run, she had nothing good to report on the 2012 lineup.

And, that’s our reported lineup for this week. We hope to see many of you at Doyle’s for our Team Kickoff Fundraiser this Wednesday night! Buy your tickets at: www.razoo.com/story/Fpcmarathoncharityteamkickofftickets

Join us for the Boston Marathon Team Kickoff Party at Doyle's Cafe

Join the members of the Franklin Park Coalition Marathon Charity Team for the Kickoff Party at Doyle's Cafe.


Advance tickets will cost $20.00 ($25.00 at the door). Tickets will include an appetizer buffet, live entertainment, and 10 complimentary raffle tickets for an amazing array of prizes from local businesses. Additional tickets for the raffle will be available on the night of the event. A cash bar and full menu will be available.

Advance tickets are available at http://www.razoo.com/story/Fpcmarathoncharityteamkickofftickets. When you purchase your ticket(s), be sure to share on the post which runner you are buying your tickets to support (i.e. "I can't wait to come to Doyle's to support John Doe!).

This event takes place at Doyle's, located at 3484 Washington Street in Jamaica Plain from 6:30-9:30 p.m. It will be an open house atmosphere, so join us at anytime for the fun! A very special thank you to Doyle's Cafe and the Burke family for sponsoring this event for the Franklin Park Coalition. (www.doylescafeboston.com)