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Lace up your sneakers and get ready to pound some pavement for a good cause at the inaugural Bobcat Bolt 5K/10K and Oyster River Festival on May 9.
The race and festival, which will feature live music, art exhibits and food, are both part of the larger goal of bringing the Oyster River community together. All money raised will be donated to the Oyster River Youth Initiative in honor of Durham brothers Joshua and Nathan Hardy.
Joshua Hardy died in 1993 after an 18-month battle with brain cancer. He was an athlete at Oyster River High School, and especially loved skateboarding and surfing. Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer Nathan Hardy was killed while conducting combat operations in Iraq on Feb. 4, 2008, leaving behind a wife, child and loving family.
"My brothers would both be excited for this event," said Ben Hardy. "The community and the bonds of friendship they both forged growing up here meant the world to them. Josh in particular would be thrilled about the festival - music was his passion. Nate would probably enter the 10K with the notion that he was going to win it."
Race Director Christopher Jerard said that the idea for this event first came about after Nathan Hardy's funeral service at Arlington National Cemetery.
"It was a very sad night," Jerard said. "But we couldn't help but remark at how in spite of all the sadness, the people who had gathered to honor Nate were part of our community, and it is a great community."
This thought inspired Jerard and the other organizers to create an event that would celebrate both the Oyster River community and the Hardy brothers. And it was through discussions with Ben Hardy and Stephen Hardy, the father of Ben, Joshua and Nathan, that the idea of donating any money raised to the Oyster River Youth Initiative came about, said Jerard.
"The youth initiative was really Stephen Hardy's idea for something that would further the cause beyond a memorial event," said Jerard. "Something that would bring a greater good to the event and give it a future purpose and cause that everyone can relate to: the future youth of the community."
Pastor Mary Westfall, chair of the Oyster River Youth Initiative, said that the money raised at the Bobcat Bolt and Oyster River Festival will be used to build a youth center for the town of Durham, a center she believes is needed in the seacoast community.
"Durham and the surrounding towns make a great place to live, but frankly, we don't really provide the kind of resources and support that could benefit youth and strengthen the entire community," said Westfall. "Our community is pretty affluent and some would argue that our kids don't need more to do… but the truth is, there are lots of kids that don't have much going on."
Westfall also said although many people in the community would like to deny it, surveys of Oyster River students show many teens are using drugs and alcohol, which Westfall believes a youth center could help stop.
"Having a healthy but also cool alternative could reduce certain high risk behaviors, and reduce the boredom that sometimes leads to that behavior," said Westfall.
Westfall also believes the Bobcat Bolt and festival won't only be a great launch event for the youth center, but also a good way of remembering the Hardy brothers, whose parents she knows well.
"It breaks my heart to think about what Donna and Steve [Hardy] face every day," said Westfall. "I hope that a youth center that springs from the memory of their sons, and the love people still feel for them, will be something that will allow their sons to live on in this community in a very real and tangible way, as other young people are nurtured and supported."
According to Jerard and Oyster River Festival Director Anita Matur, while raising money for the youth center in honor of the Hardy brothers is one of the most important goals of the event, another central goal of the race and festival is to bring the Oyster River community, including the UNH campus, closer together.
"I think that bringing people together - past graduates of Oyster River, UNH students, Oyster River High School students, and surrounding runners and music fans - with all of their combined talents focused on doing good and giving back to the place we live, will only lead to great things," said Jerard.
In an effort to encourage UNH students to participate in the Bobcat Bolt, a discount is being offered for any student who registers at the Bobcat Bolt table in the MUB by paying with cash or check. The discounted registration fee is $25 for the 5K race and $30 for the 10K. Any runners who aren't UNH students or who register and pay online will be required to pay a $35 registration fee.
Mathur also extended an invitation to another important member of the UNH community - Wild E. Cat.
"The Oyster River mascot, Bobby the Bobcat, will be on hand to help award the race prizes, take part in the children's games and pose for photos with festival goers," Mathur said. "We hear Bobby is the nephew of the UNH wildcat, so the wildcat is more than welcome to come."
The Bobcat Bolt and Oyster River Festival will begin at 9 a.m. on May 9 at Oyster River High School in Durham. More information and registration for the event is online at www.bobcatbolt.com.
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