Athletics have
always been part of Larry Hirsch's life. He was a Golden
Gloves Boxer as well as cross country runner in high
school and in college, where he attended Syracuse on a
scholarship.
He returned to
running at age 30 and as it turned out, was faster than
when he was younger. He ran the Boston Marathon 8 times
with his best time being 2:42. One year he beat the 1st
overall woman. He has run 24 marathons in total
including Frankfort, Germany; Maui; and Greece. Some
notable finishes are:
-
Ocean State
Marathon, 1st Master/3rd overall
-
Cape Cod
Marathon, 1st Masters 3 years in a row
-
East Lyme
Marathon, 3rd Masters/10th overall
-
Israel Half
Marathon, 3rd age group
-
Israel 10K, 2nd age group
-
Key West Half Marathon, 1st Senior 2 years
(sneaks by Amby Burfoot)
-
Blessing of Fleet 10 mile, 1st Masters 3 years
in a row
The original name of the Elks race was the Larry
Hirsch Race.
In recent years Larry spends much time helping the
Westerly-Chariho Animal Rescue League and supports their
annual biathlon, the Shoreline Biathlon. He has a
passion for the well-being of animals, especially cats.
It seems appropriate that the road in which the Westerly
Animal Shelter resides is called "Larry Hirsch Lane
".
He was on the
original Westerly Track Club's Board of Directors. It is
safe to say, that Larry's runner career puts him at the
top of the runners in the area.
(written by Buddy Grills (August 2006))