Another cool race coming up soon is the Busa Bushwack Nov. 4 at Callahan State Forest in Framingham, Mass. What's so cool about it?

Well, for one thing, it's free (though donations are accepted). For another, it's less than an hour's drive from the Nashua area. But most of all, it honors a truly amazing guy, ultra trail runner Rich Busa (pronounced like "you, sir," not "booze, sir"). I've never run it, and can't make this one, but I've seen parts of the course and it looks fun.

I interviewed Busa on Wednesday, and I'm working on a profile of him. I'd seen Busa around on the Western Massachusetts Athletic Club’s Grand Tree trail racing circuit, and was eager to meet him. I don’t usually quote from press releases much, but the Greater Framingham Running Club’s announcement of the Busa Bushwack sums him up nicely:

“On or off the trail, Rich Busa is an inspiration to all who know him, and has a reputation for being a really nice guy,” the notice states. “His many outstanding physical endurance achievements, while highly coveted and unattainable by most, do not detract from his friendly and gracious personality.”

Plus, he's a really interesting guy. Typing up our interview, I was struck by how many of his sentences start with "This is really funny...."

The Club has a Rich Busa page on its website, too.