| LHRR Hall of Fame – Bill Rodgers |
One of the major players in the early years of the LHRR was the legendary Bill Rodgers. One may wonder how such an extraordinary, world-class athlete managed to find his way to Litchfield, Connecticut.
At the time of the first running of the LHRR (1977) Bill Rodgers was ranked #1 in the world for marathon running. He was also the record holder in the Boston Marathon in addition to many, many other accomplishments in the running world. Of course, perhaps the best accolade comes from Billy Neller. “Bill”, says Billy, “is just a regular guy.” With the participation of this “regular guy” and Olympian in the 1977 and 1978 races, the LHRR was given instant credibility and major press coverage.
Another legend in LHRR lore, Joe Concannon, writer for the Boston Globe, was instrumental in luring Bill Rodgers to Litchfield. There was a huge bond of respect and friendship between these two great men. Joe also convinced many other members of the Boston Track Club to come to Litchfield and participate in the race.
But the famous runner was to find out that there was more to Litchfield than the scenic, seven-mile race. The many people involved with the race at that time, the founders, volunteers and local townspeople opened their arms and hearts to all the runners. The guest rooms, couches and floors of many homes in town were occupied on that June weekend, and the barstools were almost never unoccupied. This is how the spirit of the race was forged and has only grown stronger over the years.
And of course the tradition of the great parties began. These parties became as legendary as the famous and infamous people who attended them. Ah, Beverly’s. Was there ever a better place for a post-race party?
So Bill Rodgers and Litchfield and a host of other out of town runners have brought us to the 31’st running of this great race. No, the LHRR is not listed on Wikipedia (yet) and you won’t find the LHRR listed among the races for Bill Rodgers’ Major Road Race wins, but you can be sure that Litchfield is one race that Bill Rodgers will never forget. And the LHRR will memorialize this incredible runner and “regular guy” forever.
|
|