Home Town 4th of July

I live in a small New England town. Our current police station consists of a couple of rooms in the basement of what used to be a school house. Luckily, we have a great group of officers, little serious crime and the State Police barracks only a few miles up the road. Still, the town needed a new facility and one was appropriated. Unfortunately, there was little money left over to furnish and supply the space.
The problem was solved in true small town fashion... have a bake sale... well, actually the bake sale was a small part of the event that took place in Whately, MA on the Sunday after the 4th of July. A small group of town folk conceived an idea for a fund raiser. A triathlon. The First Annual Whately Police Triathlon. My company Laurel Mountain Gift Basket Company was proud to be a sponsor and my husband and I volunteered to help work the event. It was a blast!
I try to stay in shape. I work out three of four times a week, but I could never do what these 120 plus individuals did. Start out by swimming 1/2 mile, then run or walk the bike to the starting point to ride for 14 miles, up and down several hills, then run or walk the bike from the end of the bike course to the starting point to change shoes and run for three miles! I got tired just watching!
The participants were amazing but what was really amazing was that a group of people came together to accomplish so much. Two women, got an idea and rallied hundreds to their cause. The participants who registered and paid an entry fee. The volunteers who woke at dawn in order to be at the town beach at 5:45 a.m. to help get the courses and participants ready. I overheard more than one volunteer laugh about how little they slept the night before, afraid they would sleep thru the alarm. Most of the volunteers had never even seen a triathlon before that Sunday, never mind participate in one, yet the event went without a hitch.
As in any USAT sanctioned event, safety is the number one priority. Which made another group of individuals that needed to be recruited. The town ambulance with emergency personnel was standing by, the regional dive team was on site, and those police officers not competing were stationed along the route to insure the safety of the bikers and runners. Again, it was the efforts of the organizers and volunteers that brought this all together.
I am so proud of the people in my small town. I can't think of a better way to celebrate the 4th of July than working with my neighbors to make my little corner of the world a better place to live. See you all again next 4th of July for the Second Annual Whately Police Triathlon.
Marie