Hikers walk on a trail at the Bear Hole Reservoir.
Republican file photo
WEST SPRINGFIELD — West Springfield’s annual seven-mile race is returning to Bear Hole Reservoir on Nov. 7 to help fund the trail system’s upkeep and field trip opportunities for students.
The 10th Bear Hole “Run for the Trails” begins at 10 a.m. at the reservoir, which can be found at the end of Bear Hole Road. Registration is $20 until Oct. 20 and $25 from there on until race day. The winner will receive a $50 prize.
The Bear Hole course features a mix of single track and winding dirt roads throughout the 1,400-acre watershed, with elevations up to 630 feet.
The West Springfield Environmental Committee established the race in 2016 with Alan Cabot taking the lead as organizer. He said the race usually sees about 50-60 runners a year.
He said it all started during the committee’s decade-long push for a conservation restriction on the entire property.
“One of the things the Environmental Committee was doing back then was holding, and we still do, hikes and activities in Bear Hole to get the public out and get support for the conservation restriction,” Cabot said. “We started up the race back then and it raises money to donate towards the fifth grade students that take field trips to Bear Hole and learn about nature and environmental issues.”
The committee sponsors and coordinates the field trips through its Student Environmental Education Classroom program, which provides West Springfield students with classrooms and an environmental curriculum.
“It’s been a good program,” Cabot said. “At this point, thousands of fifth graders have gone through the program. They get a classroom, a presentation beforehand and then they get the field trip afterwards. The Environmental Committee has raised money to fund their bussing and their teachers and we continue to do so.”
Cabot said making each year’s race stand out can be difficult and he’s hoping there’s nice weather and it all runs smoothly.
“The West Springfield Police Department brings a couple of officers on mountain bikes that help out at the race,” Cabot said. “The Environmental Committee helps with other things that are going on, parking, organization of runners. My family helps with the registrations and the timing and putting it all together.”
He said the event is important because it introduces runners and people to the “wonders of Bear Hole.”
“We have 2 square miles of forest in that area that is going to remain, now that we have the conservation restriction, in the condition it’s in which is wonderful,” Cabot said. “The Audubon comes out and tests the conservation restriction each year, does a tour of the area, makes sure it’s being maintained. It’s an ongoing maintenance thing and it’s a quality of life issue for the whole area from Westfield, Holyoke and West Springfield. It serves a large number of surrounding communities and a large number of people that get to utilize it.”
He said he most looks forward to introducing people to Bear Hole and also seeing different people he’s known over the years come and run or help out.
“The activity itself is great,” Cabot said. “I’m a trail runner myself. I run my share of trail races at other locations and starting this up 10 years ago seemed to make sense as one way that I could introduce the area to a lot of new people and utilize and protect it. The more positive uses you have, the less likely there are to be un-positive uses, whether it’s dumping, motorbikes or something that’s not particularly helpful. This activity is important.”
Registration information and forms can be found on the race’s Facebook page, @BearHole7-MileRunForTheTrails.
