Author: Melanie Sandoval

The 3rd Annual Turkey Can Can, presented by Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm, took place on Saturday, November 21st, in Sterling CT. The race took place on the Moosup Valley Rail Trail, an unimproved trail running from Plainfeld into Rhode Island. The section in Sterling was full of ruts, mud, rocks and roots, moguls, and other surprises, but the 100 runners and walkers who participated met all of the challenges and triumphed, crossing the finish line with smiles on their faces.  Complete results can be found here.

Once again, the 5K trail race was held in support of the Project PIN Food Pantry. Project PIN serves the hungry of Plainfield and Sterling, and the need has never been greater. Tim Kettle, project PIN Director, addressed the assembled runners at the start line, and thanked them for their support. In his remarks, he mentioned that 51% of the residents of Plainfield/Sterling live below the poverty line, ranking them third in the state behind Bridgeport and New Haven. This race helped address those needs somewhat by collecting a truck full of food and raising $500.

The organizers of the Turkey Can Can would like to thank First Selectman Russell Gray and the Town of Sterling for helping make this race happen. We would also like to thank the race sponsors for their generosity; Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm, Brian Andstrom and the Partner Real Estate Network, and Westmark Corporation.  Plans are already underway for the 2016 Turkey Can Can, which will be held on November 19.

All race photos can be found on our Flickr page.

The first Loredana Nesci Memorial 5K was held on Sunday, November 8th at Hubbard Park in Meriden. Runners and walkers lined up at the start line on a crisp morning and made their way past the Meriden reservoir and the remnants of the fall foliage. When it was over, 200+ participants crossed the finish line of the 5K run and the 2 Mile Walk.

First to finish was 15 year old, Demetre Carnot in a blistering time of 18:07, followed by Ismail Orabi in 19:04 and Gabriel Walerysiak in 20:01.
The first female finisher was Stacey Gentino in 22:27 with Mary Bernier in second at 24:20 followed closely by Jessica Doyle in 24:23.

This event was held in memory of Loredana Nesci, star of the Sundance Channel reality show Loredana Esq, who was the victim of domestic homicide this summer. It was hosted by her two brothers, both Meriden Police officers, and her many friends and family members. Proceeds from this race went to Chrysalis of Meriden, a domestic violence agency, and the Rocco Nesci Scholarship Fund. Rocco is Loredana’s 5-year old son.

Plans are now underway for the 2016 event. For complete results click here. For race pictures check out our Flickr page.

The 2nd annual Hartland Harvest Run, hosted by the Bethany Lutheran Church, took place on Saturday, October 17th in East Hartland. On a crisp fall day, runners ran on rolling hills in this rural town while enjoying peak fall foliage. After the race, runners and spectators warmed up with corn chowder while rehashing the race and cheering for the award winners.

The first female to cross the finish line was Joan Makowski in 23:06, followed by Erin Pirro and Katie Ouelette. The overall male finisher was Tyler Schumacher who, at the age of 10, completed the race in a blistering 19:43. He was closely followed by his brothers Jeffrey and Josh. In fourth place overall was Roger Visknes, Pastor of Bethany Church.  For full race results click here. 

Like last year, members of the 169 Society showed up enforce and made their presence known, cheering on their fellow runners and well representing themselves in the awards.

The 2015 edition of the Hop River 5K and 10K took place Aug 8th on a beautiful summer day.

Both races took place on the Hop River Rail Trail in the small New England town of Andover,

CT.

The races had staggered starts with the 10K starting first. The runners headed east on the trail,

going over bridges and through a culvert under route 6 before turning around in Columbia and

heading back, finishing at the Andover Senior Center.

Times were fast on this flat and shady course. Coming in first place was Bacon Academy runner

Jeffrey Noonan in a time of 36:17, followed by Michael Keenan of South Glastonbury in 36:51

and Nick Ferron from Storrs in 38:10. The top female finisher was Aimee Patel from Hamden in

42:15, followed by Kelly Labanara from Chaplin in 43:16 and Reagin Curran from New Haven in

44:05.

The 5K started five minutes later, also traveling east on the trail. Just past the one mile mark,

runners left the trail, circled around the Benjamin Franklin Plumbing property and under an old

railroad tressle before re-entering the trail and on to the finishline. The top three finishers were

Roberto Plutto in 17:07, Kevin Verge in 18:28, and Brian Murray in 18:58. On the women’s side

it was Suzanne Poidrier in 21:40, Marianella Chalfant in 23:41 and Mary Schollin 24:10. Area

running legend Irene Burke also completed the 5K at the age of 82.

 

This year, Yankee Restoration & Remodeling was the presenting sponsor. DuBois Automotive

and Benjamin Franklin Plumbing also sponsored. A total of $600 was donated to the Andover

Food Pantry as well as a car load of food. Organizers are already planning for the 2016 race,

which will be held on Aug. 13th.

 

Complete results can be found here.

For pictures check out our Flickr Page.

The Second Annual My Sister’s Place 5K took place on Sunday, June 14, on a gorgeous spring morning. Taking place entirely on the campus of the University of Hartford, this scenic, gently rolling course is becoming a favorite among local runners. This year, Hartford Toyota was again the presenting sponsor and many other area businesses helped with their support.

This year, the first runner to complete the course was Neal Leibowitz  from South Windsor in a time of 18:50 and the first female was Stacy Clark from East Berlin, second overall. The youngest 5K finisher was Ethan Smith, age 5, from Bristol. The first walker to complete the 2 Mile course was Rebecca Shinkoff from South Windsor.

There was also team competition. A total of 21 teams entered. The award for Fastest Team went to Hartford Toyota. The Most Generous Team was Naubuc School, the Biggest Team was Easier Said Than Run, and the Most Playful Team was Winner Circle Community Movement.

After the race, runners enjoyed post-race bagels, fruit, granola bars, homemade cornbread donated by Smokin With Chris Restaurant, and much camaraderie.

All in all close to 200 runners and walkers participated. My Sister’s Place helps Hartford area women and their children who are homeless and victims of domestic violence. Their goal for this event was to raise money to fund a playground for their clients and they are well on their way.

For complete results, click here.