| LHRR Hall of Fame – Joan Benoit Samuleson |
What’s a road race without a trip in a Winnebago, with a tuxedo-clad driver, no less!
In 1980, the LHRR was extremely fortunate to have yet-to-be Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit participate in the fourth annual LHRR. A runner of this caliber certainly needed to be treated with the utmost respect and honor. Knowing that Joan was arriving at the airport, a “delegation” of Litchfield’s finest representatives went out to pick her up.
As luck? would have it, Steve Eisenhaure was the proud owner of a Winnebago Brave. (For you younger readers who may not know what a Winnebago Brave is, I think there is one on display at the Air and Space Museum at NASA.) So this little band of adventurers donned their tuxedoes, (no penguins were sacrificed for this) climbed aboard and headed …..to the package store. It was going to be long and thirsty trip.
Now the thinking was that Joan would probably be hungry from her long trek down from Maine, so in addition to the cooler of adult beverages, no costs were spared in the purchase of a specially-prepared quiche from Deer Island Gate Restaurant. (The “no eating” rule was waived for this special occasion). The instructions from the chef were clear; cook at 350 degrees for about an hour. Into the oven, set at the precise temperature, went the quiche, which of course would be done by the time they arrived for their special guest.
Fast forward to the airport…our intrepid chauffeurs bribed an unknown person to allow them to drive the Winnebago onto the tamarack. Wouldn’t Jonan Benoit be so impressed with this type of star treatment? Much to their chagrin however, upon their arrival at the plane, they realized that Joan was about 20 feet over their heads and walking down the ramp into the airport. Ah, but not to worry. The group, led by the infamous Tommy Leonard, made their way into the airport to greet their famous guest.
Once inside, hugs and handshakes were given all around. And, at the same time, a voice was booming over the loudspeakers of the airport. “Will the owner of the Winnebago, parked on the tamarack, please report to your vehicle immediately! It is on fire!” Whoops; the quiche in the oven was done! Actually, it was a little over-done as one of the boys had inadvertently turned the oven to broil, rather than shutting it off. (Keep in mind that back in those days, there were no cooking shows on TV, and did I mention the “no eating” rule? These guys were certainly not experienced in any type of food preparation.)
As they scrambled back to the Winnebago, the smoke was just pouring out of the open windows. A little intrepid firefighting (do any of the episodes of the Three Stooges come to mind?) and the group was ready to head back to Dodge, I mean Litchfield. Heading out of the airport and under an overpass, too late came the realization that the Winnebago was not going to fit. But the only things that were lost were the ladder and the air conditioner from the roof, unnecessary accoutrements after all.
What with all the excitement, the group could sense that Joan seemed a little nervous. An emergency stop was deemed appropriate and they pulled into the first package store they came to. Several Bud Lights later, all was well with the world and the “no expenses spared” quiche, other than it being a little crunchy on the top, was quite delicious after all. As Joan munched her quiche and drank her beer, the guys could see that Joan was fast fitting into the scheme of things.
As a matter of fact, Joan caught on so well, that at 2:00 a.m. on race day, after a festive night at Beverly’s, Joan was practicing her wind sprints in the center of town. The good-hearted local constable told her that he thought it might be a good idea for her to go home and maybe get a little rest before the 1:00 p.m. start time.
Later that day, Joan Benoit Samuleson, won the race. And more importantly, won a place in the history of the LHRR and the hearts of all who were fortunate enough to meet her.
Joan came back to Litchfield in 1981 and 1982 but aside from the story you were just privy to, what happens in Litchfield, stays in Litchfield.
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