I found the road race in Ridgefield, Ct. to be alot of fun and full of new, fun, and different ideas. The owner of the Southwest Cafe, Barbara, is pictured with the male and female winners of the race. "What is that on their heads?" you may ask. They are wearing crowns made from chile peppers. The Restaurant serves up great southwest fare. Chile peppers are, obviously, a big part of creating the great dishes and flavors, so, why not make that a neat little twist to the awards.

Margaritas were served to the runners at the end of the race and many, many items were raffled off including a week at a southwest home. Plus the numbers drawn were from the runners/walkers numbers as a special thanks for participating.

Rob and Barbara teamed together to create a great atmosphere for the entire crowd that came. Rob is a very acclaimed coach who is humble about his accomplishments. I am going to write about Rob in the not too distant future. His wife is originally from a town about 10 miles from where I live, so, him and I became friends quickly. Rob and Barbara knew what runners of all abilities wanted in a run and they provided it.

I traveled 2 hours to get to this race and I would do it again tomorrow. Barbara is a special lady that put on a great race. She has a heart bigger than her restaurant and it shows in the things she does and says.

PUT THIS RACE ON YOUR "GOTTA RUN" LIST FOR NEXT YEAR.