Mum-entous run: Annual road race benefits Bristol Sports Hall of Fame

Sunday, September 30, 2012 12:19 AM EDT

By Steve Collins

BRISTOL ? The city?s 43rd annual Mum-a-Thon drew scores of walkers and runners downtown Saturday.

?It?s good,? said Curt Stella, one of the runners, ?because it forces you stay in shape.?

Prodded by his children, Stella began running a couple of years ago. But he confesses it?s not always easy.

He said the flat 5 kilometer course through downtown and along Memorial Boulevard ? with both the start and finish at Immanuel Lutheran School on Meadow Street ? is especially nice.

?It?s different from doing all those hills,? said John Lefreniere, who posted the winning time for men in their 50s.

It was so flat, he said, made it an especially fast course.

The race is a fundraiser for the Bristol Sports Hall of Fame. One of the organizers, Tom Ragaini, said it brings in a modest haul for the organization but it?s fun.

He said the new downtown course offers a chance for the race to grow in the years ahead as downtown itself begins to turn around.

Joe Swenton, a Bristol Track Club member, said he watched the first Mum-a-Thon more than four decades ago, when it was an eight mile race that set off from Bristol Plaza. He said participants traversed much of northern and northeastern Bristol.

?It was all runners. No walkers,? he said.

Now there are many people participating who stroll along rather than competing for the fastest times, just taking in a pleasant fall morning.

For those running, though, it can be a challenge.

?This is like a stress testk? Stella said after finishing. ?My heart?s still beating.?

The fast runner Saturday was David Riccinti, 43, who posted a time of 17 minutes, 48 seconds. The quickest women runner was 11-year-old Desiree Davis, who reached the finish line in 21 minutes, 27 seconds.

The full results are available at CTMumaThon.com.

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Source: http://bristolpress.com/articles/2012/09/29/news/doc5067a9feb5693409689175.txt

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