Joel Richardson has a new book out about the Boston Marathon.
The former Beverly High track athlete’s newest tome is called “The View FromThe Pack” and is available on Amazon.com in both hard copy and Kindle.
Richardson previously wrote about the history of the Beverly High School track program and composed another book about his college alma mater’s track program, Williams College.
Although Richardson has never run Boston, the marathon went right by his front door when he was a youngster growing up in Wellesley. He said the title of the book just came to him, and he thinks it fits the topic perfectly.
“The other books I wrote had by nature a limited audience, but this subject has a global appeal,” said Richardson, who now lives in Salem. “I know many former teammates and others who run marathons, so that made it a natural topic. It’s something popular that I was familiar with and felt comfortable writing about.”
One of the most interesting things Richardson learned in researching the Boston Marathon and talking to many runners was the importance of supplements.
“One runner didn’t take hers on a training run and had major digestive problems,” Richardson related. “Another runner had sodium issues in the middle of a race and had to decide whether to increase or decrease his sodium intake. He decided correctly.”
The Boston Marathon is famous around the world and is a fascinating subject for runners, who have either experienced the thrill (and agony) of running it or have checked off the Patriot’s Day event on their list of future goals.
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Becca Graves, a former Bishop Fenwick lacrosse (and soccer) star, is hoping her sophomore year at the University of New Hampshire goes smoother than this past season.
There are a lot of talented women’s lacrosse players coming back to the Wildcats next spring, so Graves believes the team is headed in the right direction despite this spring’s disappointing 5-11 record.
“We didn’t do as well as we hoped to,” said Graves, a prolific scorer who was the leading scorer in Massachusetts high school lacrosse her junior and senior years. “Having a new coach come in will give us a fresh start (Michael Daly decided not to come back in 2013). One of our seniors is helping out with the process of selecting a coach, and when the list gets down to the final couple of candidates, any player who is in the area will have a chance to meet with them and ask questions about their philosophy.
“We have a really talented team coming back. We only lost 4-5 (to graduation) and are returning a decent amount of seniors. We all believe we have great potential.”
Graves admitted she wasn’t used to sitting on the bench and waiting for her opportunity to get into the game. But she used that time to get her game up to the level needed to play Division 1 college lacrosse.
“I only started playing lacrosse as a freshman in high school, while a lot of the girls had been playing since fifth grade,” said Graves. “It was exciting getting my game up to that level. I was used to being out there every minute of every game at Fenwick. The role of spectator isn’t something I enjoy, but I learned a lot.”
Graves had Achilles tendonitis last fall which was “very painful” and needed a lot of treatment. It’s better now, but set her back a bit. The UNH squad plays on Astroturf, which is very different from Fenwick’s field turf.
“It’s very springy, and to be honest I’m not a fan,” said Graves. “The ball bounces higher and when you go to pick up ground balls, it rolls. We had quite a few turf- burn injuries that you don’t see with field turf. But it works well for us because not many opponents have it.”
A zoology major, Graves is taking a couple of extra science classes at North Shore Community College this summer. Shortly after, she’ll return to UNH and fall ball will start.
“Science classes with labs don’t mix well with our lacrosse schedule,” she said. “I wanted to get a couple out of the way now, even though UNH is always very helpful with any conflicts.
“I have a bounceback and net in my back yard and spend an hour-and-a-half out there every day (shooting). I put in an awful lot of work and hope it pays off this coming year.”
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Middleton Little League Williamsport all-star manager
Mike Hurton is delighted with the way his baseball team is playing in the District 15 tournament.
“I’m thrilled with the start these kids have had,” said Hurton. “Our pitching and defense have been strong, and our hitters have really worked the counts. They’ve stayed disciplined and had very tough at-bats.”
Middleton batters walked 17 times over 10 innings in wins over Manchester-Essex (5-0) and Gloucester National (17-7), the latter in a five-inning mercy rule game.
Pitchers Andrew Manni (one of the best in District 15) struck out nine in a complete game shutout victory and Jack Hurton has been outstanding along with catcher Dylan Duval. Manni, Danny Monagle, Patrick Costigan and Harrison Brickett have all delivered big hits. Having eight members of the squad play AAU ball (seven are on the Legends teams) has also been a big factor.
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What better way to spend Friday the 13th than by heading to Salem for the second annual Miles Over the Moon Race?
The July 13 race will start and end at Salem Common, beginning at 8 p.m. The Wicked Running Club of Salem is hosting the event to raise money for the Beverly High cross country programs.
The fast (and flat) 4-mile course should attract even more people than last year because it’s now part of the Salem Park and Recreation Race Series. Wicked Running Club raises money for local charities throughout the year. Four $1,500 scholarships will be given to scholar-athletes who are also runners, at the conclusion of the race.
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Jean DePlacido is a part-time writer and columnist for The Salem News. Contact her at jmdeplacido@aol.com.
