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Directing one of the biggest running events in Fairfield County is nearly a full-time job, demanding constant hand-on supervision. But Lauren LoFrisco, chairman of the Westport Young Woman's League Minute Man Road Races set for next Sunday, does it while spending most of her time in lower Manhattan.
"Yes, it's all quite insane," she says of her schedule, which involves a two-hour commute from her Westport home to her job at a video-on-demand company in SoHo. Her secret? Having great committee members who tend to individual aspects of the race while LoFrisco keeps her eye on the big picture. "There are so many helping hands in the mix," she says. "The key thing is managing all the timelines and making sure everything is ordered in time."
What has made the Minute Man race such a success and a "must-run" event in its 33 years is a nurturing, "buddy system" employed by the league in bringing people into the event. "We pair 'newbies' with experts so they can learn the ropes and eventually move up and repeat that mentoring process," says LoFrisco, who assisted Lori Sochol during the latter's chairmanship the past two years. "It was a fairly easy transition," LoFrisco says of her move into the top spot.
After three decades, the process of directing the race has been fine-tuned. But that doesn't mean there aren't new challenges, such as the construction on the Hales Road bridge that forced a new course design that ultimately was better for runners and motorists.
"We've been delivering a quality, fun family experience, and our goal is to repeat that," says LoFrisco. And after Sunday's race, will she step back and let someone else take charge? Unlikely. She says, "I wouldn't be happy if I wasn't busy making a difference at home, at work and in the community."
Complete race information and online entry is available on the event's website.
Have you run the Minute Man Race? Are you planning to this year?
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