The Mother's Day 10K held special significance for Darien's Liz Herbert and Wilton's Mary Dolan Zengo. They finished as the top two mothers in Sunday's race in Norwalk, coming in 12th and 14th, respectively.
"I'm the first mom, so I'm happy,'' said Herbert, who ran 41:34 and was the third woman. Herbert had flown in from California on Saturday after visiting relatives. Her family did not attend the race with her. "They said we're not getting up for an 8 o'clock race."
Her time was 28 seconds faster than last year, when she finished second. Herbert ran the Boston Marathon last month.
Dolan Zengo is returning to running after a lengthy layoff because of a skiing injury. A longtime top runner among women in area races, she has had several surgeries to get her back on track. Her last surgery was five months ago. "I've done this run since the 1970s,'' Dolan Zengo said. "Last year was the first year in a long time I wasn't able to do it. I said I'm not going to miss it another year. I love this race."
Herbert and Dolan Zengo ran with race winner Julie Heaphy in the early stages of Sunday's race. Heaphy pulled away to win in 38:57, followed by Greenwich's Meredith Kalish in 41:26.
Both Herbert and Dolan Zengo would have liked to have won. These days, however, running is a mostly secondary pursuit as they dedicate significant time to their children's interests. "I'm just glad,'' Dolan Zengo said, "to be out there."
Are you a mom who ran in Sunday's 10K? How did you do? Start the discussion below!
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