Friday, April 22, 2005 DEDHAM -- Thousands of runners from around the area will come to the 22nd James Joyce Ramble on Sunday for the love of literature, camaraderie and the post-race party. But there will also be a core group of people looking to win at the race and advance their running careers.
 
     "People in the sport recognize this as a very prominent running event that can enhance their resumes," said Martin Hanley, managing director of the 10K road race. "This a career builder."
 
     Hanley said the race lacks the national sponsorship to be able to buy plane tickets to fly in prominent runners, but the winners of the Ramble can look forward to those types of prestigious invitations at future races that do carry more funding.
 
     The race begins at 11 a.m. at the Endicott Estate on East Street.
 
     Hanley said one of the top runners this year will be Ernest Meli Kemeli, the 20-year-old Kenyan who finished third and just 10 seconds behind the winner at the Cherry Blossom 10-mile run in Washington D.C. on April 3.
 
     "This guy is up and coming," Hanley said.
 
     Top women runners include Christine Clifton, 32, of Winsted, Conn., and Kate Paddon, 43, of New Hartford, Conn., according to Hanley. Clifton finished 14th at the Cherry Blossom race and Paddon 23rd.
 
     There will also be some Boston Marathon participants, but they aren't expected to be at full strength since they'll still be recovering from Monday's run.
 
     "They'll come down here and trot through the course, but they won't be running hard," Hanley said. "Most of them don't have anything left after Monday."
 
     Other than the competitive aspect, there will again be numerous social aspects to the Ramble, including live music and party tents. And of course, there's the James Joyce theme.
 
     The 6.2-mile course features readings from various the Irish novelist's works by actors dressed in period garb at the mile markers. At mile one, for example, there will be reading from "Finnegan's Wake," and mile two there will be material from "Ulysses."
 
     "I think the course has character, it comes at a good time of the year, and we have everything an athlete would want in an event," Hanley said.
 
     Special to this year's race, runners participating in the 2005 Ramble Memorial Program will be assigned a name of an American soldier killed in the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The names will appear on a small label on the bottom of their bib numbers.
 
     Runners are being asked to dedicate the run in their honor and are encouraged to log onto the Ramble's Web site to learn something about the person assigned to them.
 
     Prior to the James Joyce Ramble will be another literary-themed sporting event: the seventh annual North Star Children's Ramble.
 
     Children ages 4 to 12 can participate in age-specific events, such as the 50-yard dash, and tie into Dedham author Peter Reynolds' book, "The North Star." There will also be a coloring contest.
 
     Topping off the day is the "Take a Walk" fund-raiser, dedicated in the memory of Janice Stanley, a longtime employee of Dedham Savings Bank and a Dana-Farber cancer patient for two years. This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of her death and also what would have been her 63rd birthday.
 
     The 4.5-mile fund-raising walk follows the same route as the James Joyce Ramble, minus the Riverdale section, and finishes back at the Endicott Estate.
 
     The minimum contribution for the walk is $5, and no sponsors are necessary. The walk starts minutes after the Ramble runners take off.
 
     For the North Star Children's Ramble, registration begins at 8:45 a.m. Sunday.
 
     The James Joyce Ramble takes registration forms up to minutes before the race start, at 11 a.m. Pre-registration is $20, and those waiting to sign up Sunday must pay $25.
 
     Hanley said he's also seeking more volunteers for the race.
 
     For more information, visit www.ramble.org.