Dateline: Sept. 3, 2023

Stone Pavilion

Preparations at Catamount Pond

Prior to Friday September 15th, you may notice an uptick inactivity in Bear Brook State Park, especially at Catamount Pond on Deerfield Rd. You may notice high powered light towers being dropped off in the parking lot and picnic area near the stone pavilion. It might be hard to miss the plethora of portable toilets being set in a row along the inner edge of the parking lot. You should certainly slow down as you pass by when you see the Allenstown Fire Department equipment rolling in.

Support from the Allenstown Firefighters Association

The Allenstown FireFighters Association (AFFA) has been setting up a food stand at Catamount Pond for these races since 1997. AFFA members volunteer their time to be on duty all Friday night and into Saturday morning providing breakfast for the runners. This is one of the bigger fundraisers for the AFFA each year.

The AFFA starts moving equipment into place during the day on Friday and getting it ready. The runners do not start trickling in until 11 p.m. They are offered their choice of breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, bacon, sausage, fruit, water, coffee, soup, muffins, and juice. This is one of the only food stops on the 200 mile race course. Most runners were very happy last year when they saw us. Due to the pandemic, September 2022 was the first year back in operation.

 Allenstown Engine 1

A 200 Mile Relay Race

All those preparations by the AFFA support one of the oldest annual relay races in the nation, Reach the Beach. Hundreds of runners will join in the 200 mile event which starts at the Attitash Mountain Resort in Bartlett, NH, heads north through Crawford Notch in the White Mountains, then south through Franconia Notch, and southward through small New Hampshire towns and villages.

They run not only to "reach the beach" but in support of charitable causes like the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Ainsely's Angels for assisted athletes, and the Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Research Foundation.

The race is divided into several legs, one of which passes through Pembroke, Allenstown, and Deerfield. Between late on Friday, all through the night into late Saturday morning hours, runners and their support vehicles will make their way from Route 28 and head east along Deerfield Rd. Runners waiting at Catamount Pond will take up the batons of their incoming teammates, who will then rest and partake of the refreshments.

The race eventually ends at Hampton Beach State Park where runners can enjoy medals, music, food trucks, and a Big Pig BBQ. Or they can jump in the ocean to cool off.

What You Can Do

If you need to drive along Deerfield Rd. during this event, please drive slowly and carefully and be on the lookout for runners and their support vehicles, especially at the staging area at Catamount Pond. Together we can help these dedicated race teams safely pass through our town.