On the Run with John Stifler: The greatest race in Florence returns

" data-image-caption=" John Stifler " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/gazettenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/7c90678b-4caa-40be-b5b2-247f838e3786.jpg?fit=208%2C300&quality=89&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/gazettenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/7c90678b-4caa-40be-b5b2-247f838e3786.jpg?fit=347%2C500&quality=89&ssl=1" /> Simplify. That was one of Henry David Thoreau’s definitive pieces of advice about living. It’s also a good motto for one of the oldest and most wonderful running events in western Massachusetts, the annual Ron Hebert Memorial Road Race. It’s eight miles from Florence, up through and Haydenville and back down to Florence via North Farms Road, as...