CITY OF MEDFORD TO NAME TRACK IN HONOR OF DAVE MCGILLIVRAY
Mayor surprises the legendary race director as part of inaugural Run Medford event
As participants prepared to cross the starting line at the Run Medford 5K and 8K on Sept. 18, Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn made a surprise announcement to the crowd. To thank Race Director and native son Dave McGillivray for his impact on the local community, she revealed that the track at Medford’s Hormel Stadium would be dedicated to McGillivray and named in his honor. Lungo-Koehn presented Dave with the plaque that will soon be installed at the track.
“I am speechless about this kind gesture on behalf of the City of Medford,” said McGillivray. “As a young teenage boy running the mile and 2-mile on that track for Medford High School, I would never have imagined that someday the City would name the track after me. I am so grateful and I can’t begin to tell you how special this is to me.”
“Dave has a deep and personal connection to the community and our School District,” Lungo-Koehn said. “For everything he’s done for our City through the work of his company and his passion for running, naming the track at Hormel Stadium is a fitting tribute to a person who has left such an indelible mark on Medford.”
The dedication ceremony for the track is expected to take place in Spring 2023.
The announcement was one of many celebratory moments during the Run Medford festivities. The event featured six races: a Kids Fun Run, Para/Adaptive Mile, High School Mile, Mayor’s Celebrity Mile, 5K, and 8K. Medford locals Matthew Coble and Mary Cate Gustafson-Quiett won the 8K event in 22:47 and 26:07, respectively. In the 5k event, Sydney Smith took first for the women with a time of 18:55, and Colin Cernik won in the men’s field with a time of 15:59.
Local students TJ Higgins and Anna Casey were triumphant in the High School Mile with times of 05:21 and 05:57. In the star-studded Mayor’s Celebrity Mile, two-time World Marathon Challenge champion Becca Pizzi and WCVB Channel 5 Sports Reporter Josh Brogadir topped the podium with just seconds between them. They finished in 06:18 and 06:12, respectively. Para/adaptive mile competitors Dante Mason, Jonathan Malerba, and John Young shared a unique moment during the race, waiting for one another at the finish line so they could cross together in unison. Overall and age group winners received stuffed Mustang horses, pairs of Newton Running Shoes, and gift cards to Salvatore’s Restaurant and Real Gusto Restorante.
Nearly 750 people turned out for the first edition of the race. All participants were treated to a post-race finish festival complete with Sam Adams beer, water, pizza, granola bars, bananas, and Moozy’s ice cream sandwiches. Finishers received medals, t-shirts, and copies of McGillivray’s book “Running Across America, A True Story of Dreams, Determination and Heading for Home” – which tells the tale of his Medford, Ore. to Medford, Mass. run across the nation.
The event acted as a fundraiser for the Dave McGillivray Finish Strong Foundation, which chose local organizations as beneficiaries. They included the Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library, Power Kids Summer Enrichment Program, Medford Parks and Recreation Program, Medford Senior Center, and The Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility at Medford High School.
Run Medford was supported by sponsors including Members Plus, DMSE Sports, iHeart Media, Life Time Fitness, Newton Running Shoes, Salvatore’s Restaurant, Real Gusto Ristorante, Medford Chamber of Commerce, Withum Advisory, Construction & General Laborers Union Local 22, Risman Insurance Agency, Inc., Kevin McAnneny, Beacon Consulting Group, Tufts University, Rotary Club of Medford, Domenic Camarra Family, Medford Kiwanis Club, East Cambridge Savings Bank, Remax Andrew Realty Services, Medford Visiting Nursing Association, Brookline Bank, Moozy’s Ice Cream, lululemon, Wegman’s, Boston Bruins, AMI Graphics, Armstrong Ambulance, Hank Morse, Sam Adams and Interstate Rental Services.
Run Medford is expected to return in 2023. For more information on Run Medford and to be the first to know when registration opens for next year’s running, visit www.RunMedford.com and follow the race on Instagram and Facebook. For more information on DMSE Sports, visit www.DMSEsports.com and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
ABOUT DMSE SPORTS
DMSE Sports is a full-service event-management organization, providing a full range of event and race production, management, and consulting services to support events of all sizes. Dave McGillivray and his team at DMSE Sports are responsible for the technical and logistical aspects of more than 30 races and walks per year. From overseeing organizing committees to working with local officials and handling registration, credentialing, lead vehicles, and course setup, DMSE Sports does it all. The firm has produced more than 1,600 events since opening its doors in 1981 and serves clients throughout the United States. For more information on DMSE Sports, visit www.DMSEsports.com and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.