Andy Schachat Celebrates 20 Years as the Voice of Racing!

I (Lisa) and the Bibs2Bags team would like to extend our Congratulations to Andy Schachat on his 20th year of announcing events.

Anyone who runs in NH, Maine, and even parts of Massachusetts, knows his voice. I have told Andy this story, but wanted to share it with you as well.

Back in October of 2006 (so I am celebrating my 10th year of running this year!), I decided on a whim to sign up for my first race ever-the UNH Homecoming 5k. I had never run before this, and honestly I hated running. As a child, I would cry for weeks prior to running the mile in gym class. Running had always been a source of stress for me, so the fact that I was signing up for this race, untrained, was pretty outlandish. Not having trained, having had a baby earlier that year, and knowing nothing about running at all, I spent the entire time feeling out of my league and swearing that I would never run another step again.

As I headed toward the finish line, completely defeated, I heard the announcer call my name. I had never participated in sports, so this was the first time something like this had ever happened to me. His enthusiasm made me feel like I had won the race! I am 1000% sure that if it wasn’t for this “announcer”, I would have never run another race again. This voice is what made me want to run again. This voice belonged to Andy.

​I remember running my first Boston Marathon as a charity runner. I was beyond nervous. Not only was I about to take part in the most prestigious marathon in the world, I was concerned I’d let down all of the donors who were so generous in helping me raise the money I needed in order to run. As I approached the start line, trembling, I heard that familiar voice. It was Andy on the microphone, doing the announcing before the race. I immediately felt more at ease hearing his voice. It was nice to have a bit of home away from home.

You cannot think of running without thinking of Andy. I’m actually bummed when I run a race where Andy isn’t the announcer. I race a lot, so for the most part, I don’t have friends or family running or cheering me on at every race. But it’s so nice to know that when you run a race where Andy is announcing, you always have a cheerleader, and a friend, waiting for you at the finish. And each time, he makes you feel like a rock star.

As runners, we may not always say it, but Thank You for always being there for us at the Finish Line.

​Congratulations on 20 Years, Andy, and Here's to Hearing Your Voice for 20 More!!