A Rambling Good Time / My Prospective
By Liz Taurasi Wednesday, April 6, 2005
James Joyce once said, "The man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery."
For a man of such literary genius, who would have guessed that years beyond his life he would be honored in Dedham with an event as dynamic as he?
More than simply a place "where the prose meets the road," the James Joyce Ramble is something bigger - raising money and awareness in a community-driven event where friends, family and neighbors gather to fulfill the mission of such an undertaking.
The ramble is the brainchild of Dedhamite and avid runner Martin Hanley. It's been said over the years Hanley was struggling through Joyce's "Finnegan's Wake" one winter when he realized reading this piece of literature was as tough as training for a road race. The first ramble took place on Sunday, March 26, 1984 with 244 runners. This year nearly 3,000 runners are expected to take part in the event.
This is not your typical road race. Thanks to Hanley's imagination and determination, each of the six miles along the course are marked by actors in period costume performing readings from six selected works by Joyce.
Over the years, the ramble has changed in both format and location. This year, there will be a different twist on the event, but one with even more meaning.
Runners participating in the 2005 Ramble Memorial Program will be assigned an American soldier's name which will appear on a small label on the bottom of their bib numbers. The name represents someone who sacrificed his or her life while in uniform during the war on terror. Runners are being asked to dedicate their run in their honor and are encouraged to log onto the ramble's Web site to learn something about the person assigned to them.
"This has been such a costly war ... we have over 1,600 soldiers who have died from Afghanistan to Iraq," said Hanley. "We had to do something to recognize them. It's about the people who made up the fabric of our cities and towns across the country."
The program, according to Hanley, is designed to reach out across political lines and honor these men and women.
"These are our neighbors, our sons, daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers just doing their jobs," Hanley said.
Dedham High School students dedicated their time by compiling the names, rank and hometowns of these soldiers onto a database which will be used to print the names on the competitors' numbers
The race is fundamentally a Dedham event, said Hanley. Over the years it has gained tremendous support from citizens in town who are fixtures in the community. From Paul McMurtry who donates office space, to Chuck Dello Iacono and his family coming together to cook two tons of pasta for the runners, it is truly a community-driven affair all about kinship.
Even if you're not a runner you can still take part in the athletic portion of the day with two separate events held in conjunction with the ramble.
Both the young and old can join in on Dedham Savings' 12th annual Take A Walk. In memory of Janice Stanley, this is a 4.5 mile walk beginning at the same time as the ramble. Walkers collect pledges from sponsors which benefit the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
For seven years, children ages 4-12 have been participating in the North Star Children's Ramble on ramble day. Touted as a "one-of-a-kind literacy-themed sporting event," it includes four age-specific races ranging from the 50-yard dash to the 500-yard dash. It also includes a coloring contest for runners and non-runner audience participants. Like the James Joyce Ramble, the North Star Children's Ramble ties into local author Peter Reynolds' book, "The North Star."
The post race soiree is almost as well-known as the race itself. Held on the grounds of the Endicott Estate, runners, volunteers and spectators enjoy a variety of food and refreshment offerings while being entertained by the renowned Dennis Brennan Band and as always, some surprise guests.
The 22nd running of the James Joyce Ramble takes place on Sunday, April 24 at 11 a.m. at the Endicott Estate. All proceeds from the ramble are donated to the Claudi-Adams-Barr Program at Boston's Dana Farber Cancer Institute. For more information visit www.ramble.org.
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