Two Runners from New England Race Club Win Ramble
On a picture-perfect day in Dedham, the 28th annual James Joyce Ramble went off without a hitch as Reading’s Daniel Vassallo and Andover’s Caroline Bjune finished the race as winners in the men’s and women’s fields, respectively.
Vassallo fought off a cross-wind to finish at 31:02 while Bjune finished at 36:14, a race qualifier for her age group.
Vassallo said he had been distracted the last couple of days after losing a friend, Carey Carter, of Easton on Friday.
“I went in it a little distracted, last couple of days, a friend of mine died, and she always supported my racing career,” said Vassallo. “I wanted to dedicate the race to her honor, and I won because of that.”
On the women’s side, Bjune, who had a baby last year, used this race to prepare for a Vermont marathon next month.
“This race was to gauge where I am at,” said Bjune.
When asked why she chose to run the Ramble, she said, “Timing wise, on the schedule, I knew this was a good race, and course wise it was good with its rolling hills in order to get an idea on how to pace myself for the Vermont City Marathon.”
Sam Moorhead was the top men’s Dedham finisher with a time of 34:13. Linda Ingram was the top women’s Dedham runner with a time of 45:57. For full race results, click here.
Event organizer Martin Hanley, who has been apart of this event for all 28 years was very pleased with the results of this year’s race.
“We try to make this an event for all types of people whether they are athletic or pedestrian,” said Hanley. “We try to promote physical fitness and make this an engaging event on an intellectual level.”
With more than 3,000 runners it certainly was engaging as thousands of spectators lined the routeand cheered from the grounds of the Endicott Estate.
“It’s a huge part of this race,” added Hanley. “I am all about the subtext.”