News

The 2014 edition of the Hartland Harvest Run went off with much fanfare on a beautiful October morning; perfect for racing. The race had been run for a couple of years by members of the Bethaney Lutheran Church to aid a local family in need. It went into hiatus for a couple of years but came back to life this year to much success. Once again the Bethany Lutheran Church hosted the race that drew over 100 runners who all enjoyed a run through the rolling countryside as the Fall foliage was peaking. As runners assembled at the starting line, they were welcomed by Pastor Roger Viksnes who started things off with a prayer. Then the runners were off, including Pastor Roger who ended up in 19th place.

Awards

First across the finish line was Bruce Christopher who ran a fast 19:15, followed by John Miervino and Paul Baldini in almost a dead heat at 19:57. The first female to finish was Kathleen Shaw, 5th overall, in 21:32, followed by Joan Makowski and Francis Armentano. The award for the most enthusiastic went to all of the members of the 169 Society who really made this an event. Click here for Race Results and Awards.

Pictures

Check out photos from the event on the First Mile Flickr page.

Thanks to everyone who came out and helped make this a successful event. Everyone had a great time, a donation was made to the East Hartland Fuel Bank, and already, the groundwork has been laid for the 2015 race.

On Saturday, Oct 4, the 2nd Annual Benny’s Run took place in East Hampton, CT. It was a cool and overcast October morning, and then it started to rain. In other words, the perfect day for a road race!

Over 200 runners and walkers lined up at the starting line on Spellman’s Point Rd and, after being welcomed by race organizer Holly Neiweem, started their way around beautiful Lake Pocotopaug. The course was downhill and fast as participants made their way to East Hampton High School and the finish line. The race was followed by a Kid’s Fun Run, awards and a raffle. Everyone was then invited to a post-race barbecue at Sears Park.

Awards

Awards were then presented to the top three overall male and female finishers. The first runner to cross the finish line was Pat Hammond in 19:03 followed by the first female finisher, Emily Sienna, in 20:54. The next two male finishers were Joseph Gephardt in 21:05 and Chaddy Daddy in 21:44. The second and third place female finishers were Nicole Decristoforo in 23:00 and Nikki Muhlberg in 24:30. A total of 94 runners and over 100 walkers completed the distance. Click here for runner results.

Benny’s Fund

The race was started by Holly Neiweem and her family in memory of her brother, Benny Neiweem, who tragically committed suicide in 2013. Benny was a much loved and admired standout athlete and involved member of the community.

All proceeds from this event support the Benny Fund which advocates for suicide awareness and prevention and awards scholarships. See more information on the Benny Fund here.

Photos

Check out photos from the event on the First Mile Flickr page.

Plans are already underway for the 2015 Benny’s Run.

There were no T-shirts, no water stops, no cheering volunteers with cowbells, no medical tents, live bands, or police escorts, just 10 miles of grueling hills, howling winds, and single digit temperatures. Yes, it was the King of Pain Ten Mile Road Race.

Last Saturday, Feb. 8^th, sixty seven intrepid runners, walkers, and relay teams lined up for the start of this no frills “fun” run hosted by the Glastonbury River Runners. The pre-race instructions were brief: “Be careful. You’re on your own out there”. Then they were off. A little over an hour later, the first of the participants approached the finish and forty five minutes after that, the final runner came in. In between there were many personal triumphs and many stories to go along with them.

There were people who had never before run a ten mile race, and then there was Neil Caron who had never run more than a couple of miles ever, and chose this event to test his mettle. And there were relay team members like Chris Goff who, after finishing the first leg, just kept on going to the finish. 

And then there were those runners for whom ten miles just weren’t quite enough. Laurie DeLuca got within a mile of the finish line when she decided she just needed to add two extra miles and then brought Gary Richards, Tony Maribelli, and Gordon Phillips along with her. And Art Byram, who showed up an hour and a half before the race, asked for a bib, and took off, running the entire ten mile course as a warm up before running the race a second time.

After the race, the main event took place, the potluck brunch. People enjoyed great soup, baked goods, and comraderie, while cheering on this year’s winners. Mike Keenan, who created this race and designed the course (now you know who to blame) presented the top three male and female finishers with crowns and granted them bragging rights for the next year. The three kings were Brett Stoeffler, Joe Hallisey, and Mike Keenan himself. And the three queens were Melanie Sandoval, Lanham Marks-Hamilton, and Brianna Carlson. And the final award went to Sasha from the Willimantic Athletic Club who, with his friend Jack Fulton, came in first place in the canine division for the second year in a row.  

But, of course, everybody was a winner. Everyone who had started the race conquered the course and crossed the finish line, and each one of them had a smile on their face.  As Art Byram said afterwards, “This is what a running club is all about.” We can’t agree more.

On Saturday, November 23, on a cold and windy morning, close to 100 runners assembled for the first Ekonk Hill Farm Turkey Can Can, a 5K race that benefitted the Project Pin Food Pantry.

After hearing a few words from Sterling First Selectman Russell Gray, the runners were off down the Moosup Valley State Park Trail. This converted rail trail provided challenging terrain for the competitors, with rocks, roots, standing water and rutted areas, but everyone was up to the challenge and most finished with a smile.

Results

The first to cross the finish line was John Minervino from Higganum in a time of 19:42. The first female finisher and 6^th overall was local runner Cindy Oullette from Moosup in a time of 21:50. Both along with all age group winners were awarded much coveted Turkey hats.

See full results from the Turkey Can Can.

Photos

Steve Mele of the 169 Society has some photos from the race on his personal account.

More photos will be up shortly. Please check back.

Thanks for your support

The enthusiasm award goes to the 169 Society, who were represented by 48 runners and made a lot of noise, cheering on all of the participants. There was also a large representation of runners from the surrounding towns who came out to support the local event. All in all, it was a fun time and a truckload of food was collected for the food pantry. We are now looking forward to organizing the 2014 event.

The race organizers would like to thank the following sponsors who helped make this event a success: Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm, Westmark Corporation, LKQ Tire & Recycling, McKeen Law, and Walmart of Lisbon.

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