Pumpkin Run was a breeze this year (literally)

KENT — Temperatures were in the low 50s with some gusty winds on Sunday, Oct. 25, as this year’s Pumpkin Run took off from Town Hall.

But the chill did not dissuade runners from five different states from participating in the 33rd annual event, which took runners through a 5-mile course from Town Hall up Route 7, through Route 341 and back again.

This year, 220 runners participated in the event, 55  fewer than at last year’s race.

“As long as it doesn’t snow then it’s still a perfect event,� organizer Dan Schiesel said. “The weather is pretty much about par with previous years.�

Bob Lewis, another of the event’s organizers, has also been participating since the mid-1980s.

“The first couple of miles is the most challenging, but then it levels off,� Lewis said. “It does get nippy running this time of year, but it’s great.�

Richard DeMarco, 67, of Danbury, bumped into his high school classmate, Bob Marum, 69, from Simsbury, at the event. Before the race, the two reminisced and talked about how racing keeps them young.

“You hit a point when, if you are slowing down, you turn into an old person,� DeMarco said. “When we first started running, we used to get laughed at. The next thing you know, you start getting your children into it. Then you get your children’s children into it.�

“I have seven grandchildren, and I feel like I’m setting an example for all of them,� Marum said.

Joseph Lemay from Danbury won the race, finishing in 27:19. Second place went to Eamon Dempsey from Albany, N.Y., finishing in 27:32.

The fastest woman was Claudia Nero from Hopewell Junction, N.Y., with a time of 31:00.