Sports Classic – Weekend of Running Enables Lawyer Landau to Combine Passion of Helping Injured Victims with Racing all over the Country
While most of the lawyers from around the country attending the national convention in Boston were still in their beds, Herndon Virginia’s Doug Landau was at the starting line of the 2017 DMSE SPORTS CLASSIC this weekend. Lawyer Landau has a streak spanning over three decades of successfully racing while attending this annual national legal education program. Starting at the Merrimack College campus, the race took runners through the streets of Andover and North Andover, Mass. Landau had studied chemistry at the Phillips Academy at Andover in 1976, and was keen to show his bride the campus of this world class school.
The DMSE Sports Classic (formerly known as the Runner’s World Classic) was founded and managed by Dave McGillivray Sports Enterprises. There were races for runners of all levels and for the entire family, as there were events ranging from a mile, 5km, 10km, to a half marathon. DMSE supports some wonderful Massachusetts-based charities. The friendly, knowledgeable folks at DMSE Sports are pioneers in what is now one of the most important aspects of the athletic industry – combining athletics with philanthropy. Nearly every DMSE endeavor has that unbeatable combination of fitness and fundraising, giving back to the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Lazarus House and many others. The DMSE team do a terrific job organizing, planning and putting on races in New England. The Andover races featured friendly staff and volunteers and plenty of goodies for runners, walkers and their families. Landau recommends participating in DMSE events, as they do an outstanding job in interesting venues!
The Landaus were challenged over the undulating courses. Lawyer Landau, nursing injured soleus muscles in his lower leg, got taped up by the medical personnel pre-race in order to avoid further injury four weeks before the U.S. National Triathlon Championships. The course wound through historic downtown Andover, past the famous grounds of Andover Phillips Academy, and through a tree-lined, shaded residential community, which sits on the banks of the Merrimack River, near Lake Cochichewick and the Shawsheen River, approximately 24 miles from Boston.
Melissa Landau had a good time and enjoyed the post-race food and festivities. Doug Landau had family in Andover, and was familiar with much of the course. His grandfather William Abrams was from Lowell, Mass., and he still has cousins in Cambridge, Boston & Newton. He finished in the top 10% and was off the podium with a pace of under 8 minutes per mile in this very competitive race. He will likely forgo running on dry land and concentrate on his swimming, cycling and aquatic exercise in order to heal for the upcoming National Triathlon Championships August 12th and Duathlon World Championships the next week. Stay tuned!