| Home |
| Grand Prix |
| Group Runs |
| HTC Gear |
| Links |
| Membership |
| Memorials |
| Newsletter |
| Nutrition |
| Pace Calculator |
| Photo Gallery |
| Race Calendar |
| Race Results |
| Running News |
|
DEBTiConn !
Do Every Blessed Town in Connecticut !
The acronym was coined by Bob Davis of Naugatuck. We're not sure who came up with the notion of keeping track of how many Connecticut towns we've raced in, but there seem to be a growing number of runners striving toward the elusive goal of all 169 !
There are various loosely defined ways of tallying your DEBTiConn accomplishments - it's basically up to you to decide whose (if anyone's) rules you want to follow…
ROGERS' RULES let you count all the towns a race goes through, so the Hartford Marathon would let you check off Hartford, East Hartford and South Windsor. You can run the race by yourself, as long as you keep track of distance and time, it counts. While we've never seen or heard a definitive summation of these rules they are attributed to the Nutmeg State's "Queen of the Roads", Karen Rogers of Clinton.
ROBERT'S RULES reflect the research scientist's precision of their author, Bob Davis of Naugatuck. Robert's six rules are as follows - - read carefully and you'll note that abiding by this code the Hartford Marathon would only count as one town because South Windsor and East Hartford each have their own races.
- For those races which pass through more than one town, only one town can be counted as having been completed.
- For multi-town races as in 1), the town which is chosen to be counted must not have its own, independent race in addition to that for which it is being counted.
- A printed application must be available for any race representative of a town.
- An entry fee (one cent or greater) is required, and the runner must be officially registered (no bandits).
- There must be five or more participants in the race.
- At last one stride from the starting line is required. Inability to complete a race due to injury does not disqualify one from completing a town.
RABENOLD'S RULES, the last of the "Three R's" adhere to Robert's precepts but HTC's Paul Rabenold of Avon has (not by saying so. but) by example, demonstrated that in order to count a race you must finish in the top three of your age group. (NOTE: Rabenold's Rules are too stringent for most of us mere mortals!)
Some other finer points of guidance include:
-MATTHEIS' MAXIM - You must complete the 169 towns in a timeframe not to exceed 25 years!
-GOULART'S GENERAL GUIDELINE -"It's arbitrary; if you think you should count the race as a town, count it! After all it's your own personal goal!"
Below is a list of towns that are somewhat elusive in their race scheduling. Bob Davis has suggested some nifty race themes.
List of possible D.E.B.T. Series Races:
| Franklin- Silence Dogood 5K (on Benjamin Franklin's birthday) | Sterling- Sterling Silver 5K (spoons, knives, forks as trophies) |
| Cornwall- Up Against the Cornwall 5K | Bethlehem- O Little Town of Bethlehem 5K (a December race, of course) |
| Andover- Andover, and Over, and Over 5K (a triple loop) | Ledyard- Get the Ledyard Out 5K (from Foxwoods; get your wallet out) |
| Lyme- Tick Trek (vaccinations optional) | Griswold- Grizzly Griswold 5K (regrettably very hilly) |
| Bridgewater- Bridge Over Troubled Water Road Race | Eastford- Eastford Bunny 5K (Saturday before Easter) |
| Scotland- Tartan Trot (to coincide with Scottish Festival) | Bozrah- Why Bozrah? 5K (because we need the town, why else?) |
| Plainfield- ?(Don't Stop the Carnival) ? | Canterbury- Canterbury Canter |
| Voluntown- Voluntown Seekers 5K (for town seekers) | Ashford- Kick in the Ashford 5K (a downhill finish) |
| Union- ? (Get out Running in Your Union Suit) ? | Ellington- Duke with Ellington 5K |
If anyone is interested in joining the DEBTors to hold a road race of "five or more" in these places - let us know and let's get it organized! benmattheis@hotmail.com robertdavis151@yahoo.com
Here's a link to a good Connecticut Map (8 counties, 169 towns) how many do you have so far? http://www.csginc.org/connecticut_map.php
This link of Nutmeg State Place Names helps clarify what's a city, town. village etc. (e.g. Niantic is a Village in the Town of East Lyme - so if you've raced in Niantic you get to check off East Lyme). http://www.cslib.org/placenames.htm
"2010 - Year of DEBT in Conn ! "
See you on the roads.
Ben Mattheis
Cheshire