On Saturday, October 1, for the third straight year, Proctor Academy’s Carr Field and the Northern Rail Trail will serve as the host site for the Rail Trail Rally.
The Rail Trail Rally is a fundraiser for Special Olympics and affords the opportunity for our community to support and interact with an amazing organization dedicated to providing year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship. The event evolves each year, and the 2016 edition promises to be the best yet!
Special Olympics of New Hampshire has launched a Get Fit for Sport initiative, an eight-week fitness program with the Rail Trail Rally serving as the culminating event of the initiative. Jamie Stayton, sportscaster for WMUR-TV, has been involved in the Get Fit For Sport program and will participate in the Rail Trail Rally, which will bring WMUR cameras to Andover for the event.
As a result of Get Fit for Sport, we anticipate between 75 and 100 Special Olympic Athletes to participate in the Rail Trail Rally this year. The majority will register for the 1.5 mile unified run, a new event for 2016. Proctor’s goal is to provide a student or faculty/staff partner for each Special Olympics athlete.
Event Overview
Registration online, and at Proctor on the evening of Friday, September 30 (for students, staff and faculty)
Registration on the morning of Saturday, October 1, 8:30 AM
20 mile bike ride ($45., $50. day of event) 9:15 AM
5K Run/Walk ($25., $30. day of event) 10 AM
1.5-Mile Unified Run/Walk ($20., $25. day of event)
4.5-Mile Family Bike Ride ($25/family) 10 AM departure from Highland Lake Inn
Field events including food, music, and fire/law enforcement equipment displays throughout the day
Over the past two years, members of the Andover and Proctor communities have teamed up to host a festive event that celebrates local Special Olympians and raises awareness for the work Special Olympics does for families across the state. Each year, Proctor provides nearly 300 volunteers (students, faculty, and staff), with volunteers gathering on Carr Field early in the morning to set up for the event, helping with race management, monitoring water stations and food tents, providing entertainment, and helping clean up following the day’s activities.
Proctor’s Dining Services team opens its kitchen to help prepare and store food, and Proctor’s maintenance staff helps prepare the event site, while student involvement is critical to bringing energy and enthusiasm to the event.
Thank you to everyone in the community and to the Friends of the Northern Rail Trail for supporting this year’s event!
The host site on Proctor’s campus along the Northern Rail Trail affords runners and riders the opportunity to run or ride along one of the most scenic portions of the Northern Rail Trail, between the village of Andover and the Potter Place train station. Visit ProctorAcademy.org for a recap of this year’s event.