My Jingle Bell Runs

The Jingle Bell Runs are not just mine anymore, even though the official name is Bill Rodgers Jingle Bell Run. They’re not races in the traditional sense, which is why they’re on my list.
Just the Facts
My brother, Charlie, and I hold a few of these in the Boston area every year on different dates in December. These races are low-key fun runs of a few miles that raise money for charities. The largest one, in downtown Boston, attracts more than 3,000 runners. For more information, call my store, Bill Rodgers Running Center, at (617) 723-5612.
Jinglin’ All the Way for Charity
I started holding these runs from my running store more than 20 years ago. At first, they weren’t fundraisers for charity, just low-key runs with a few friends around the Boston Common and other parts of the city. We’d even stop at the tree outside of the Prudential Center and sing Christmas carols. It was a nice way to end the year after being so serious about training and racing so much of the time.
Now, the runs are a lot more organized, but they’ve kept that low-key feel to them. And we’ve made them fundraisers for different disabled children’s groups. I’m a former special ed teacher, so this aspect means the world to me. I like it when runners can make the connection between doing this great thing for themselves, running, and helping others. Now, most big cities have similar affairs, and I think it’s great that more runners have the chance to participate in these noncompetitive events and simultaneously do something for others.

Any Thanksgiving Race

Racing on Thanksgiving Day? Aren’t you supposed to spend the day watching TV and overeating? What’s next, racing on New Year’s Eve? Well, I’ve done that, too, which may have been taking things a bit far, but there’s nothing strange about going to a race on the most American of holidays. After all, what better way to work up an appetite for dinner?
Just the Facts
I’m guessing that you can figure out when these are held. Where are they? Believe it or not, in most towns that have a strong running community. Races on Thanksgiving Day morning have become as much of a celebratory running tradition as Fourth of July races. Check the sources I told you about in Chapter 18 to find a Thanksgiving Day race in your area.
Why Give Thanks on the Run?
The first road race of my life was the Manchester Road Race, a 4.75-miler held every
Thanksgiving Day morning on the streets of Manchester, Connecticut. Even when I first
did it, in 1966, it was a tradition-laden New England
event. I won the high school division in a time of
25:18. At the time, it was the longest race of my life. I don’t remember much about the race except that it seemed like an awfully long way. But I liked the feeling of being competent over this distance, which was more than what I was used to racing in high school races.
More than 20 years later, I was able to set a master’s course record in that race. I haven’t run the Manchester race in a while, but I always try to run in some event on Thanksgiving Day. You should, too. Why? To me, running a race is the ideal way to give thanks for having a healthy body that’s under your control.
Thanksgiving Day races, like most holiday events, are celebratory affairs. You’re out there with your family and friends, you have a lot of fun with bunches of other runners, and then you head home for a great dinner. Most Thanksgiving Day races give portions of their entry fees to food banks, or they encourage runners to bring cans of food to help the less fortunate.

The Walt Disney World Marathon

Maybe you’re starting to think that all of my favorite races are older ones that I’ve won. Not so. The Walt Disney World Marathon has been around only since the beginning of this decade, and I’ve never even competed seriously in it, much less won it, but it’s still worth recommending.
Just the Facts
The Walt Disney World Marathon is held in early January in, appropriately enough, Walt Disney World or more specifically, Lake Buena Vista, Florida. More than 5,000 marathoners finish it each year. In addition to the marathon, the event also has a children’s run the day before, a corporate relay, and a half marathon. To register, write Walt Disney World Marathon, P.O. Box 10,000, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830; or call (407) 939-7810.
Disney Magic
The Walt Disney World Marathon is on my list because it’s emblematic of an important trend in races, namely, making them family-friendly. We running geeks used to go pound the pavement while our families were left to kill the time until we crossed the finish line. But race organizers have discovered that it’s better to involve as many members of the family as possible, rather than catering only to the hard-core marathoners. This family-friendly trend has grown as the average runner has become older and, therefore, more likely to have kids. Many races do a good job of making their weekend full of events for fit people of all ages and levels of seriousness. As the father of two young daughters, I like this emphasis and have enjoyed participating in Disney’s family 5K the day before the marathon. Of course, families have plenty of other things they can do during race weekend deep in the heart of Walt Disney World!
For kids of all ages, Walt Disney’s course has a certain charm. I grew up watching The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights, so I’m a sucker for this stuff. Apparently, a lot of other “mature” runners are, too, if the number of people who rave every year about running through Cinderella’s Castle is any proof.