Mother’s Day will look a little different in Whately this year.
The 10th annual Western Mass. Mother’s Day Half Marathon was scheduled for Sunday, but like most of the event calendar, the race was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Just because the race isn’t happening in its normal iteration doesn’t mean there won’t be runners throughout Franklin County holding up their end of the bargain this weekend.
The race is still happening, at least virtually, and runners can still sign up online to take part in the virtual event. In lieu of an entry fee, the race is asking participants to open their pledge page and donate any amount to themselves. No amount is too small, as all proceeds will go toward Cancer Connection in Northampton, as has been the case for all 10 years of this important and well-regarded half marathon.
“I’ve been floored by the generosity of people through all this,” race director Sue Monahan said. “We aren’t going to reach our goal, but in the last week, we’ve almost doubled the money we had raised up until that point.”
When the race was canceled in late March, Monahan said she wanted to keep the passion for the event alive and allow participants to support Cancer Connection. According to its website, “Cancer Connection provides a haven where people living with cancer, their loved ones and caregivers can learn to cope with the physical and emotional turmoil that come with a cancer diagnosis and to explore ways to enhance their strength, their hope and their care through support groups, integrative therapies, creative activities and education. As a community non-profit agency, Cancer Connection is able to offer all its programs free of charge thanks to the generosity of our individual, community and corporate sponsors.”
Monahan said this year’s race, despite not happening in a traditional sense, had already raised over $17,000. To date, the event is up over $270,000 in just a decade of existence. Any runner who signed up this year was automatically deferred to the 2021 event.
“It’s all about continuing to raise money for Cancer Connection,” Monahan said. “They depend on these funds and it’s such a great organization doing such important work.
“This race is unlike the majority of races in that all of the money goes to Cancer Connection,” she continued. “All of the funds are donated.”
Monahan said she expects some runners will still navigate the actual course in Whately on Sunday, including Turn It Up! founder Patrick Pezzati, who normally MC’s the race but will instead run it and record it live on the race’s Facebook page.
“I know people will be out there cheering,” said Monahan. “The way we set up the virtual race, people can just run their own race. Whenever you want to do it. Just anything to move for the cause is pretty much what we’re looking for.
“We kind of look at it as, you can’t do much with mom this year so hopefully it’s a way people can honor their mom or somebody else’s mom,” she continued. “Kind of show some solidarity. We’re here and we know the cause still exists and needs our support.”
Monahan said that while this year’s 10th anniversary race was expected to be particularly special, the environment surrounding the event throughout the past decade is what has made it stand out from the pack.
“I’ve said this from the very first year when I had 100 participants, that the vibe of this race is like no other,” she said. “I’ve never seen the kind of vibe this race offers. Everybody is happy, cheering for everyone. It’s almost like a Cheers bar. You might not know anybody going in but by the end of the race, you’ll feel like you know everyone.”
Monahan, who teaches fitness at Northampton Athletic Club, said she started the race initially when a woman in her office had raved about the services at Cancer Connection. Having lost her father to cancer, she went and checked out their water aerobics classes, and was impressed by the organization that provides services to cancer patients and their families throughout western Mass.
Eventually, while training for a triathlon, she noted the hole in the local racing calendar for a half marathon in the spring. The race director in her decided to mold the two pieces of the puzzle together, and the Western Mass. Mother’s Day Half Marathon was born in 2011.
“People took a chance on me and it worked out really well because every year it’s just gotten bigger and bigger,” she said, noting the race was particularly meaningful that inaugural year, as she was diagnosed herself with breast cancer just a month before the event.
“It’s certainly taken on a whole new meaning for me and so many other people,” she admitted.
While it may not be what runners throughout Franklin County and the rest of western Mass. had hoped for this weekend, participants will hopefully make the best of a tough situation.
“This year is really just a pay-it-forward gesture, and that’s what I’m asking people to do,” Monahan said.
For more information or to register for the virtual race, visit racewmass.com