May 1, 2007

  Bob on the Bash
    By Bob Francis, Owner
    soundRUNNER




The inaugural running of the Bimbler’s Bash in Westwoods on Sunday, April 29, filled a significant void in outdoor recreation along the Shoreline. Presented by Jerry Turk, an accomplished ultra racer featured earlier in these pages, the race attracted a larger-than-expected field of 110, including many veterans of local road races and triathalons. The day was made all the more poignant by visitation arrangements in Madison for a revered figure in shoreline sports and civic life, Dave Parcells.

The people of the towns east of New Haven share a keen understanding of the importance of exercise in a balanced life, an appreciation for natural beauty in the landscape, and civic concern for balancing the need to preserve against the need to grow. The Bimbler’s Bash promoted these concepts, and therefore deserves the encouragement of business and civic organizations.

The shoreline has a rich tradition of road races and triathalons to complement the fields and courts available to active communities. Also readily accessible is a surprising array of natural preserves in both public and private ownership. The Bash is the kind of race not normally associated with suburban living, with an abundance of mud, roots, rocks, hills, a little bushwhacking, and a few hand-assisted climbs. Yet right here among stately neighborhoods is a comparatively wild place which can be made better by bringing people to it, as did this race, to benefit the Guilford Land Conservation Trust.

One hallmark of an excellent event is that it benefits a worthy organization. The Bash benefits the GLCT, supporting the conservation efforts of volunteers who maintain the trails and provide education about the natural environment. A second feature of quality is that the course is sympathetic to the widely varied and occasionally severe character of the terrain, artistically showing the area’s natural beauty. Finally the event teaches all whom it touches why bringing land into the public trust is so important, despite the expense and associated municipal problems.

So next year when you see the race announcement for the second edition of the Bimbler’s Bash, sign up quickly to guarantee your place in an event that will surely fill up early.