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Sapienza Memorial Road Race: Running in memory of a beloved teacher and runner by Melissa Donais
Though I was only three when my grandfather died, I still have vivid memories of him. He was my hero; the only person in the world who could make me, a temperamental toddler, smile. It was through my grandfather that I began to love running. I still remember his old running shoes, Nikes, worn with mud and the love of many, many miles. Though running was my grandfather's passion, he was also a devoted track and cross country coach as well as the head of the math department at the local high school, Haverhill High. To this day I hear stories of my grandfather's antics in the classroom and on the track. He brought the same passion with which he ran to everything he did in life — his family, his work, his friends. Yet my grandfather's life was cut short just minutes after he broke an American record for his age group at the Eastern Masters Championships at Brown University on March 15, 1987. My grampy won his last race, and he died on the track of a massive heart attack. Since that fateful day, my family has established a road race in his memory. All proceeds from the race go to a mathematics scholarship fund at Haverhill High School. For the past 19 years that the race has been run, my family has raised over $25,000 for the scholarship fund. This year's race will be run Friday, July 15 at 6:45 p.m. at Haverhill High School in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The race is four miles and finishes on the Sapienza Memorial Track at Haverhill High. Cash prizes will be awarded to the first place male and female finishers. Gift certificates and merchandise will be given to winners in seven age groups. There will also be plenty of refreshments for runners and their families following the race. For more information, call (978) 372-9522, (978) 475-3188, e-mail: SapienzaRace@comcast.net, or visit www.coolrunning.com. (Posted on July 11, 2005)
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