Foxborough High Hustles for Joe Heinricher

FOXBOROUGH, MA - What better way to honor a beloved Foxborough High School coach and administrator than with an afternoon of fitness?

Friday afternoon, students and staff hustled their way through the first annual Heinricher Hustle, a two-mile fun run in honor of the late Joe Heinricher, who was a Foxborough native and high school vice principal.

Wellness teacher CJ Neely said the department was trying to find a way to honor Heinricher, who also coached football and track and field during his time in Foxborough,

"We've wanted to do something like this for a while," Neely said. "(Heinricher's) a great guy and we miss him. We wanted to do something to remember him and this was a rallying point."

Overall, 250 donors raised about $3,000 for a scholarship in Heinricher's memory. 217 of the donors ran the course that spanned the high school and Booth Playground/Igo School area. There was no minimum donation to run but those who gave at least $20 received a shirt for the event.

The reaction from the school was nothing short of extraordinary. Teachers collected donations in class, according to Neely and others like Tom Murray matched his students' donations.

Neely is hoping the event can become a yearly occurrence. While open to only Foxborough High School this year, a weekend race that is open to other schools or even the community isn't out of the question.

In the race, Will Reagan's 11:04 was just enough to beat Jason Reed, who crossed the finish line two seconds later. Lindsey Nelson was the fastest girl, completing the course in 12:23.