1st Malden Rotary Half Mile + Five Miler Runs To Great Success

The Rotary Club of Malden recently held their first annual Half Marathon and Five Mile Road Race. The race attracted over 2100 runners; 860 runners finish the Malden Half Marathon and 1,301 runners finish the 5 Miler. Runners came from all over the United States with 22 different states represented; one runner came from Slovakia and another came from British Columbia. "We're so very pleased and proud of what we were able to accomplish yesterday with our race partner C5K and Cataldo Ambulance. The race itself was a great success and an indicator that we are taking the road race in the right direction, said Rotarian Mark Lawhorne.

Malden Rotary has hosted a road race in Malden for the past 15 years. Previous races were 5K and 10K formats that attracted 300-400 runners annually. This years change in format to the larger race demonstrated a commitment by the City of Malden and Rotary to grow this event into a marketing attraction to showcase the many positive attributes of our community.

The race course wound through the downtown streets of Malden, showcasing the city's many restaurants and businesses. The race directors held bib pick up events in advance of race day. Exchange Street Bistro and 3 Amigo's restaurants both experienced big crowds lingering for cocktails and lunch as runners came to pick up their swag. In the early morning hours before the start of the race Cornucopia Foods saw runners stopping in for coffee and pre race snacks. After the race Hugh O'Neills hosted the Malden Running Club and many runners stayed for brunch, lunch and cocktails. The atmosphere in the area was electric.

Despite the snow and cold it appeared runners and volunteers enjoyed themselves on the course and at the post race celebration with beer and cider provided by Malden's own Idle Hands Brewery.