Peter Makris Run adapts to pandemic conditions

LACONIA — Even when it became clear that the 14th Annual Peter Makris Memorial Run would have to take place during a pandemic, Cynthia Makris said it was always a question of how, not if, the ride honoring her late father would take place.

The Peter Makris Memorial motorcycle run will take place on Saturday, Aug. 22, and will begin and end at the NASWA Resort, the landmark business that Peter operated along with his wife, Hope. Registration is open online through a link on the resort’s website through Thursday, after which registration may be done at the resort’s desk or on the morning of the ride. The first 150 registrants will receive a commemorative pin and guaranteed entry into the after-party, held at the NASWA’s beach bar.

“A motorcycle ride is the best of social distancing, I never thought about canceling the ride,” Cynthia Makris said. She did, however, have to make some adaptations to the usual hallmarks of the event. First of all, there won’t be a big breakfast buffet before the ride, and instead of a T-shirt, each entrant will receive an official Peter Makris Memorial Run face mask.

“I’m not sure what my father would think of having his name across everyone’s mouth,” she said.

In addition to wearing masks, motorcyclists are going to be asked to maintain social distance from other parties when they arrive by 9:30 a.m. – same-day registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. – for the placement of motorcycles. The blessing of the bikes will take place at 10 a.m., including a rendition of “Amazing Grace” performed by James Montgomery. The ride will set off at 10:30 a.m.

As in past years, the ride will head to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where participants will be able to ride around the same track used by NASCAR drivers, then they'll head out for a loop around the lake and return to the NASWA for the after-party. Again, no lavish lunch buffet this year, though riders will be able to grab what Makris called a “gourmet lunch bag,” and the first 150 registrants will be able to join the after-party, featuring the band “Once an Outlaw.”

It’s a fun time, but Makris said the real goal of the event is service.

Peter, a veteran of the Marine Corps, was a philanthropist as well as a business owner. He helped set up the Laconia Fire Department’s Life Saving Fund and helped to underwrite the department’s water rescue capabilities.

Over the first 13 years, the Peter Makris Run has raised more than $435,000, which has gone to social service organizations such as Easter Seals, Veterans Count, the Boys and Girls Club, the Lakes Region Community Emergency Response Team, and to the Fire Department’s Life Saving Fund.

Laconia Fire Chief Kirk Beattie said the Life Saving Fund was established to help grow the department’s ability to rescue people from the water, which requires special training and equipment that many municipal departments don’t have to worry about. Laconia, with multiple bodies of water within its borders and thousands of people who come just to recreate on the water, has to be able to respond to emergencies on the water. But, Laconia also has a tax cap, which limits the amount of tax dollars each department can spend in a given year.

That’s where the Life Saving Fund becomes so helpful, Beattie said. It has allowed the department to grow its capabilities without taking resources away from existing budget lines.

“Over the years it’s been used to buy us different types of water rescue equipment, as well as technical rescue equipment, we used it to be able to do training for people in water and technical rescue training,” Beattie said. “What this allows us to do is be able to purchase more equipment for water rescue than we’d be able to under a normal budget...The majority of our water rescue training and equipment comes from this fund.”

That’s why Cynthia Makris said, “So, no, I didn’t want to not do it this year, I wanted to find a way. You have to find a way to keep reinventing and find ways to be creative.” She said every organization that has benefited from the ride was “near and dear to my father’s heart. It is important that I continue his legacy of giving back to the community.”