12 March, 2014
As we approach the Boston Marathon, runners are training on streets and running surfaces throughout the world. The Hopkinton Chamber of Commerce and the 26.2 Foundation, with help from the Hopkinton Parks & Recreation Commission, have made an extra effort to promote runners’ safety. To accomplish this, they will fund signs to be placed throughout the community to remind drivers that with the marathon close by there will be extra runners on the roadways.
Statistics in Massachusetts may be low for runner fatalities and collisions, but throughout the world drivers and bikers have had collisions with runners, causing fatalities and severe injuries. Causes of these accidents range from drunk driving, the rise of ear buds, cell phone use, I-Pod’s and other potential distractions.
On January 13th of this year Virginia native and Boston Marathoner Meg Cross Menzies was tragically killed by a drunk driver while training. Meg was a member of the Richmond Road Runners Club. Fellow runners all over were affected by the tragic death of Menzies, and it brought a need for many communities to remind all drivers to be aware of their surroundings.
In Hopkinton, and all over the world, community groups want everyone to remember as we approach marathon season; driving responsibly could be the difference between life and death.
For information on Meg’s Miles, an event to honor Meg Cross Menzies, Click here: www.facebook.com/events/489458451159627
