O'Hartford A Good-Time Fundraiser For Runners, Walkers, Leprechauns

March 13, 2006
By LARRY SMITH, Courant Staff Writer

They ran dressed in green and orange, some with shamrocks on their heads and others with MP3 players on their arms, alongside leprechauns and Dorothy with Toto on Sunday at the Citizens Bank O'Hartford 5K & Wee Mile for the Arts.

More than 800 people ran and walked in the second annual event in Hartford, race director Beth Shluger said. The 3.1-mile course started on Asylum Street and ended on Pratt Street.

The event was a fundraiser for 150 arts and heritage organizations supported by the Greater Hartford Arts Council's United Arts Campaign.

Shluger, a member of the Hartford Marathon Foundation, said the drizzle was not bothersome compared with last year's race, when about 12 inches of snow fell in the Hartford area.

"Any other weather would be good this year," Shluger said.

The runners were cheered on by family and friends and serenaded by bagpipers and other performers. Coming one day after the St. Patrick's Day Parade, the event had a distinctive Irish flavor.

Joann Demicco of Plainville wore her "Irish-Italian hippie" garb with a green wig, shamrock-style glasses and a green skirt. Demicco said she dressed to get in the spirit of the run, but also because she felt locked in by winter.

"I've got to get the winter blues out," Demicco said.

Todd Brown of Rocky Hill wore No.1 and was dressed as a leprechaun with a green wig and big ears. Brown is preparing for the Boston Marathon and ran only a few blocks, but cheered the runners and walked with children in the Wee Mile race.

Mindy Finkelstein of Bloomfield was dressed as Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz," and carried a stuffed Toto in a basket as she walked along the course in ruby red sneakers. It was the third time she dressed as Dorothy. The first was in the Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco, where participants traditionally dress outlandishly, and the second was at the United Arts Campaign kickoff in February, she said.

Finkelstein said she liked dressing as Dorothy because it was so recognizable.

"[It] puts a smile on people's faces," Finkelstein said.