Runners from all over New England will take on a fun, but grueling challenge this Saturday. They’ll participate in the RiMaConn Relay, a 95-mile race that covers three states and 20 different towns.
The race starts at 4 a.m. in Lincoln, Rhode Island and ends on Mortensen’s Riverfront Plaza in Hartford around dinnertime.
Among those participating is a group of six Hartford Police officers. Each officer will run three different race segments of various lengths.
Racing against the clock, though, isn’t the main goal - recruiting new officers is.
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“The big reason we got into it is, running through a whole bunch of towns. It’s a great way to spread the word that we are looking for more cops,” Lieutenant Mike Creter said.
These officers say it has been a challenge, policing Hartford’s streets while being short-staffed.
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“It’s done by a lot of hard work by a lot of officers out there. So, we could really use some more to bolster our ranks and get us back up there to full strength,” Creter said.
Driving parallel to the route - the team van - will have plenty of recruiting signage. All while these officers share the physical test of the nearly 100-mile relay.
“It’s all in the head,” Officer Taikwan Dudley said. “If you tell yourself, you can finish it. If you tell yourself you’re going to succeed at it, you’re going to do it.”
Creter is the group’s organizer and thought the relay was a good way to bring his work team together, but convincing them to take this challenge took a little campaigning.
“People hear 95 miles, and they get a little nervous,” Creter said. The relay is one of 30 events produced by the Hartford Marathon Foundation (HMF).
“It’s an adventure with either two of your best buddies or five of your best buddies, accomplishing 95 miles,” HMF President Josh Miller said.
The course is predominantly run on the East Coast Greenway.
Miller said, “90% of the race is along a multi-use trail. Only 10% is on roadways or sidewalks."
As for the Hartford Police Department team’s performance goals, they’re rather modest.
“I think we’re just trying to finish with a decent time so we're not dead last,” Dudley said with a laugh.
