Just a few minutes after the scheduled 9:00 am start time, 143 hardy souls hit the trails for the start of the 2008 Bimbler’s Bash 10k. There may be lots of 10k’s in the race calendar but there is only one Bash 10k which, for good reason, is billed as “…possible the longest 10k you’ve ever run…”! The course is made up of a series of interconnected single track trails through Westwoods near Guilford, CT. The property is predominantly owned and managed by the Guilford Land Conservation Trust to whom proceeds from the event are donated. This year field included a mixture of competitive runners and others intent to just have some fun in the mud and judging by the great photos taken by Cathi Bosco, they got what they were hoping for.
The overall winner Robin Pitt appears to have taken the lead from the start although to begin with he was chased hard by Tonto Kowalski until he took a wrong turn and fell back to finish in 8th place. Robin’s winning time of 58:25, was a great effort but not sufficient to beat the record set last year. In second place was Tim Smith who at over 50 years of age clearly showed a few of the younger guys how’s it done finishing just 38 seconds behind the leader! Behind Tim were 2 more age group winners, (Christopher Cosma (30) 1:00:04, John Agosto (43) 1:00:36).
In the ladies race, Kerry Arsenault returned to defend her title and while she was a little off pace from last year, finished in 1:07:44 and 15th overall. Kerry has been struggling with injuries for the past several months, so it was good to see she appears to be getting back on form. Second lady was Megan Raymond from Branford (1:11:12), closely followed by Elizabeth Ogata (1:11:25) and Mandy Bonz (1:14:37).
Despite being a challenging course, the Bash sets out to attract runners of all ages and once again we had several family groups taking part, with the youngest finisher being only 10 years of age. Tyler McConnell finished in 1:19:23 (60th overall). I hadn’t been aware he had registered and didn’t see him until he raced across the finish line with a beaming smile, while pictures taken during the race show him running with poise and purpose. To some, he might appear a little young to be running a race like the Bash, but seeing him at the finish and hearing accounts from other runners about his pace management, he seems to have natural talent. Other notable young finishers were Kathleen Farrall (13yrs) 1:17:33 and Kyle McLaughlin (14yrs) 1:21:59.
While races ultimately get remembered by their results, mention has to be made about the many volunteers and supporters who helped make the day a success. Fellow runner Andrew Carlson who recently started up Carlson Craft Brewery, a micro brewery dedicated to producing bottle conditioned beers, provided a set of glasses for the overall winners. Cathi Bosco, talented local artist, runner and photographer, provided pictures from the course that were mounted and presented to age group winners. Local chef Frank Giglio, assisted by his Mom, organized the food while Brad and Danielle Forester donated the drinks offered at the finish. The association with Brad originated from last years Bash. Brad runs an IT consultancy called Kinesium Consulting based in Guilford, while Danielle is a licensed Naturopathic Physician in the town.
Without the dedication from these supporters, and the many volunteers who marked, marshaled the course, or handed out refreshments, the Bash simply could not happen. Thanks to all of them and thank you to all the runners for making it the best Bash yet.
We hope to see you all next year!
Jerry
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