At times during Sunday's Christine's Run It While You Can in Fairfield, it was difficult to discern whether it was a road race or a community celebration. It was a little of both, as parents ran with their children, participants jumped into Long Island Sound and serious runners kept focused on their primary objectives. There was, in short, something for everybody.
The inaugural race was in memory of Christine Morandi, the former aquatics director at the Bridgeport YMCA who died last year. She was also a competitive runner. "It's a testament to a great, great lady,'' says Nancy Burke, who assisted race director Joe Riccio and knew Morandi through her association with the Warren Street social and athletic club.
Deirdre and Kaz Sikora represented the community atmosphere associated with the race. They both competed in the 5-kilometer race while a friend watched their son, 16-month old Liam. It was their first time running a race as a husband-and-wife. "It was a great day and a great race,'' Kaz says. "And it was in Fairfield and it was for a good cause,'' Deirdre added.
Morandi's husband, Adam Arkells, surveyed the huge crowd that participated the race and beamed with pride at the support. "I'm not surprised, only because at Chris' funeral I learned I had an extended family that I didn't know I had,'' Adam says. "There was an amazing amount of support that I didn't know about."
As he watched the last people emerge from a plunge in Long Island Sound after the race, Arkells knew his wife would have loved to have been a part of it. "She'd be the one still in there, probably pulling people in,'' he says.
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