ANDOVER'S FEASTER FIVE RUN A FAMILY CELEBRATION
THE BOSTON GLOBE
Bill Rodgers will be there. So, too, will Joan Benoit Samuelson.
And they’ll be joined by 9,998 other not-so-famous runners in Andover on Thanksgiving Day morning for the Feaster Five, which, from its humble beginning in 1988, when approximately 300 toed the starting line, has grown to be the biggest 5K and 5-mile road race in New England.
Already, applications have been received from one end of the US to the other, including Hawaii. Some have come from as far away as Switzerland, Australia, Chile, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.
The Feaster Five has become so popular that race director Dave McGillivray has been forced to cap the entries at 10,000 to “ensure its integrity.’’
McGillivray, of North Andover, who also oversees the Boston Marathon, said, “10,000 people is a lot of people, but just the right amount for us to ensure the safety and fun for all our runners and walkers, which is ultimately what the race is all about.’’
At the middle of last week, McGillivray estimated he had already reached more than half of the allotment. He is bracing for a flood of entries over the next three days as students and families flock back to the Merrimack Valley to celebrate Thanksgiving. So, McGillivray was asked, what has made the Feaster Five such an attraction?
“It’s all about family, family, and family,’’ he said. “Most races I direct, when an application comes in, it’s a single. With this one, when I open the envelope, there are 10, 20, 30, or 40 applications enclosed. It’s whole families registering, not individuals. This has become a happening, a real celebration, a social activity. Family members who have run it before are now challenging other family members to join them. And it’s become one of my favorites to direct.
“What’s interesting is that I have directed other races with 10,000 or more runners, and the pressure of putting on an elite event is significant. That pressure is not part of the Feaster Five. Everyone’s happy and the expectations are very different. The runners know this is a fun event more than a competitive one. People are surrounded by their families and friends and their attitude sends out positive emotional feelings. And don’t forget, every participant gets an apple pie.’’
The Feaster Five has drawn its share of VIPs - Boston Marathon legend Johnny Kelley in 1992, US Olympic bronze medalist Lynn Jennings in 1996, and actor Matt Damon in 2004 - but for the most part, participants are ordinary people.
And some of them keep coming back . . . and back . . . and back. Two of these are Lyn Licciardello of North Andover and Lou Peters of Methuen. They’ve run each and every Feaster Five.
Licciardello, Feaster Five VIP coordinator, admits that when the race was first proposed to the Merrimack Valley Striders in 1988, she was adamantly opposed.
“I didn’t want the Striders putting on this race. I was having company for Thanksgiving dinner and didn’t see how I could fit the race in and then get back home to prepare dinner,’’ she said. “The first several years I ran the race and then rushed home. Now I’m very much involved. It’s become a family event. My husband, Tom, is a coordinator and announces the race, and my daughter, Crissy, coordinates the volunteers. Now, looking back I’m glad the Striders approved the race.’’
Peters, 87, says he runs a lot of races, but the Feaster Five ranks among his favorites. “To see the kids running alongside their mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters, and having such a great time, brings a smile to my face,’’ he said.
The race has special memories for McGillivray. He proposed marriage to Katie Breen of Salem, N.H. during the 2002 race.
“Back then, Andover used to light what was hailed as the country’s tallest Christmas tree in Brickstone Square,’’ he said. “I took her up on a cherry picker to the highest point of the tree, where I had planted an engagement ring. She reached in and grabbed it and said yes. We did that in front of more than 10,000 people.’’
Proceeds from the race benefit the Merrimack Valley YMCA, Ironstone Farm, and the host running club MV Striders. To register, visit FeasterFive.com.