by Roger Zotti

Here are some vitals about the upcoming “Runners in Support of Education…and Walkers, too!” The North Stonington Grange Fairgrounds, Wyassup Road, is where the 5K road race, the two mile fitness walk, and the children’s races begin and end. Pickup is also held at the Grange from 8:30-9:45 a.m. on May 23rd. Proceeds from the event go to the North Stonington Education Foundation. For pre-registered runners and walkers, ages three and up, there will be free T-shirts, while available. After the race, it’s chow time, so be ready for hamburgers, hot dogs, home baked goodies, soda, and bottled water. For more information, call Bob Lohmann, Race Director,  at 860.889.5543.

The North Stonington resident pointed out that “last year’s overall winners were Spenser Rogers, Quaker Hill, for the men, and Allison Gallerani, Uncasville, for the women. The course is the same scenic one as in past years. It’s moderately rolling. There’s nothing excessive about it.” As for overall participation, “Well, it’s not as much as I thought I would get,” Bob commented. “Last year 57 ran the race, and we had a few more runners the year before.” But the last two years are an improvement over the first year when “we had slightly over forty runners. In truth, I’d like to see eighty to one-hundred participants this year.”

Brace yourself: over a 15-year period, Bob competed in 58 triathlons. “I do typically four a year,” he said. “Two are sprints. Another is the Olympic distance, (0.9 mile swim, 24 mile bike, and a 6.2 mile run), and another’s the Half-Ironman (1.2 mile swim,  56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run).”

Bob started running, swimming, and biking about 15 years ago, when he was 50. He said, “I was working at Electric Boat at the time, and I was working out at the fitness center. I was getting bored on the machines, and I asked the woman in charge, Donna Kay Ness, if she thought I could do a triathlon. Donna is a successful triathlete. In fact, she won the Hawaiian Ironman twice in her age group. I think she’s working at Springfield College now. I told her I knew how to swim but running and biking I haven’t done in years. She said, ‘Sure, you can do it.’ So she gave me a lot of ideas, and I trained, and I did the Mystic Sprint Triathlon and finished and the rest, as they say, is history.”

Final points: First, running is the most difficult event for Bob, swimming the easiest, and biking somewhere in between. Second, he has advice for anyone interested in an exercise program. “You can start at any age,” he said. “You just have to start slowly and sensibly. If it’s running or jogging, go from one telephone pole to the next. Then walk a few. And you’ll gradually build up strength and stamina.”

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