Avon Road Race on Tap for Sunday

Pine Grove School will be hosting the 11th annual Avon Road Race on Sunday.

This race draws competitive runners, as well as lots of community members, including parents, teens and even some of the older elementary school kids. Last year, the Pine Grove principal even ran while pushing his baby in a jogging stroller.

In addition to the 5k competitive race, there’s a one-mile Sandy Jarem Memorial Fun Run on the school grounds. A lot of the younger kids participate in the fun run, running at full speed the entire time.

This year’s road race has a particularly special aspect for many past and present Pine Grove families. A scholarship fund has been established with Avon Dollars for Scholars in memory of Sandy Jarem, a very much beloved secretary in the front office at Pine Grove who died quite suddenly and unexpectedly a short time ago. She is missed terribly at the school. There will be runners and walkers in the Road Race who are supporting “sMILES for Sandy” - the scholarship fund.

The race also functions as a major fundraiser for Pine Grove’s parent-teacher organization, which funds cultural enrichment programs for students during the school year, such as visits from Mystic Aquarium, Hartford Stage and the like.

Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. and the race kicks off at 8:30 a.m. The fun run will begin at 10 a.m.