First off:

The All-Important Rules of Engagement: Anyone and
everyone is encouraged to participate in the Pub Series. For those
wishing to be scored, to be eligible for $ and other swag at the
Series’ end party at Doyle’s (must have done at least five of the
Series’ races), as well as the jacket for doing all six Series’ races
(or commemorative pint glass for five), you need to be a paid subscriber to NER (if you’re married or living in sin, one per household will do) no later than the third race of the Series (June 9 – Corrib Pub 5K),
and you need to participate in five of the six races; hence, “Five to
Stay Alive.” “Miss one, have your fun; Miss two, you’re through.”

Also, if your name is misspelled or just missing from the list we post on the web of participant’s attendance at races, Michelle has that thankless task so let her know asap at nerunner@comcast.net Yours truly has the thankless task of scoring the races, so if there’s a point discrepancy, likewise, let me know asap at nerfitz@hotmail.com    

With that out of the way, presenting sponsor adidas is back on board for NER Pub Series XIII.

Pub Series jacket will be awarded to everyone who runs six of six races. For those who complete five of six races there’s a Pub Series commemorative pint in the offing.

As always, folks who do five or six races are invited to the “Awards Night” gala in the Fitzgerald Room at venerable Doyle’s Cafe in December.

Along with a new pair of adidas running shoes to the top 5 Open men & women, as well as age-group overall winners, the end of series cash payouts for the top five men & women this year are: 1st, $200 – 2nd, $150 – 3rd, $125 – 4th, $100 – 5th, $75. Divisional
winners from Masters through 70+ also win a new pair of adidas running
shoes and $50, with merchandise going to places 2-3.

adidas and NER will have tents set up at race venues although NER, unlike adidas, won’t be offering racing shoes
to try out. We do, however, serve as a makeshift child care center.
 

April 11 – 14th Annual Doyle’s Emerald Necklace 5M, Jamaica Plain, MA – Sunday 11 am
Run out of world famous Doyle’s Cafe, the creme-dela-creme of Publican purvey and the Cornerstone of the New England Runner Pub Series.
The certified course is run almost entirely in Franklin Park. Rolling
and tres scenic with bagpipers at the mile. A seismic party follows,
inside and out, with a DJ outside, the Finnian Sons sons inside, Interactive Simon Says outside, food and
free pouring copious libation inside and out.

Overall men’s and women’s and age-group winners thru 80+ receive running shoe certificates  with merchandise to places 2-3. The overall male also receives the Dave Smith medal and the overall female receives the Janie Kennedy medal.

The vast majority of the course lies withing traffic-free Franklin Park. Bagpipers greet runners at the stone bridge by mile one. There were 1,817 finishers in 2009.

There’s online registration at http://www.signmeup.com/ and a downloadable application under Promotions at the top of the homepage of this site.

May 23 – *NEW* – 10th Annual Evan’s Run 5K – Sunday, 10:30 – Kids races starting at 8:30.
A success story here as this race blends a fundraiser (Foundation for Autism) with a great race for runners. There’s also a 10K but the certified 5K is challenging enough for Publicans. There $100-50-25 for the top three overall male and female runners with age-division awards through 70+.

Online and downloadable applications (and a lot more info) are available at http://www.evansrun.org/  There’s also a downloadable application under Promotions at the top of this site’s homepage.

Having run the course, the first mile is fairly flat. The second mile features a nice downhill, followed by a left and an uphill around a cone, followed by a downhill and an uphill as you retrace your journey to the finish.

There’s a tent for food, and another for a band and the awards ceremony, which goes off fairly quickly after the race. Why? Because it’s time for the post-race party at McGreal’s Tavern a mile down the road off Norwell Center.

June 6 – 17th Annual Corrib Pub 5K

Featuring one of the more pastoral staging areas and post-race meeting spots, Billings Field in W. Roxbury, hard by the Corrib Pub, is the setting for copious post-race hops and malt with a full-scale barbeque to boot. If Ol’ Sol helps out, it can’t be beat!

The Corrib has been the site of several past Pub Series races and features a fairly unique urban course. The first mile is pretty flat, then you’ve got up & down in the second mile and then a “Big Up” in the third as you climb past one end of Billings Field only to descend the other side to the finish line. There were 1,708 finishers in 2009.

http://www.corribpub.com/

September 12 – Almost *NEW* – 3rd Mighty Meehan 5K, West Dennis, MA, Sunday, 10:00 am

Voted back into the Series by our 2009 Publicans during Awards Night at Doyle’s, this race starts at West Dennis beach and ends with a blow-out post-race feed at Clancy’s. It’s hard to believe there’s a better buffet anywhere. There’s an inside and outside food line. Outside was smaller but featured a Raw Bar with littlenecks and oysters.

The course is flat and fast and while uncertified, Western Mass barrister Barry Auskern clocked it at 3.09 on his GPS (spot-on). The beach is the setting for the infamous “Half Monty” brotherhood of beefcake photo that ran in the Nov/Dec ’09 issue of NER.

The event drew a record 950 finishers last year (up from 600 runners in 2008).  http://www.mightymeehan.com/

Sept 19 – 11th Annual Portland Trails “Trail to Ale” 10K

Site of two previous Pub Series events and voted back this year, the ‘Trail to Ale’ is a crowd favorite taking place in Portland’s Back Cove right off Commercial Street in the Old Port section of town.

The race is put on by Portland Trails,  a non-profit urban land trust dedicated to building a network of multi-use trails in the Greater Portland area. Over the years, the course has been reconfigured due to storms and other alterations but runs along bikepaths for a flat and fast route by the water and the Eastern Promenade.

The post-race party is huge, put on by the Shipyard Brewery (need we say anymore). This race had a few hundred runners when we first visited. last year there were 939 finishers.

http://www.trails.org/

Oct. 17 – 8th Annual Paddy’s Shillelagh Shuffle 3M, Newton, MA – 11:30 am
The Grand Finale of the Pub Series. Shillelagh’s to the winners, music, food and drink for all (And What Food!) A record field of 1,236 finishers in 2008 on a fast USATF certified course. (The 2009 race was run in a Nor’easter and saw 1,015 finishers.

There’s a DJ outside, a band upstairs at Paddy’s, vendors and a festive, Irish flair to the proceedings.

A bagpiper serenades runners awaiting the start while Division leaders wear the maillot jeune while striding along Newton’s Champs D’Elysee. The race shirts are cult classics and prizes go 3-deep starting at 14-under and extending through 70+. www.paddysroadrace.com.