The Race in the Park

This picture was taken at the Race in the Park, an annual event that was originally affiliated with the Komen Race for the Cure, but splintered off a few years ago so that its proceeds could be used locally, rather than nationally. The Komen event is held in Hartford now, and many New Britain residents take part in that event as well as this one, held Saturday in Walnut Hill Park.

The Race in the Park is yet another example of the closeknit community in New Britain. My kids and I have been participating since I pushed them in strollers. It is a very humbling and awe-inspiring experience to meet in our park with thousands of other participants, the survivors a sea of pink shirts, the rest of us fortunate enough to wear white ones. So many locals participate that we can't walk two feet without bumping into a group of people we know. Everyone claps and cheers as each survivor triumphantly crosses the finish line.