PHOTOS: Run for the Penguins at the Mystic Aquarium

By Mark Barile

On a crisp, cool, sunny October morning more than five hundred people participated in the 6th Annual Run for the Penguins 5k race and fun walk at the Mystic Aquarium.

 A two-mile walk kicked off the day, followed by a highly competitive 5k road, trail, and field run. Finally, there was a kids race to cap off the event.

The top male and female runners of the 5k received awards, as well as the top three winners in each age division.  

Spy Barres, of Mystic, Conn. won the 5k in a time of 17:51. The top female finisher was Kate Klim, of Boston, Mass. who ran a 19:35 time. There were also awards for the top middle school cross-country teams that participated in the race. The awards consisted of ceramic tiles that the penguins themselves painted, and the top runners had their picture taken with a penguin and penguin assistant from the Mystic Aquarium.

Following the race there was food, drinks, door prizes, and free admission to the aquarium for all participating runners. Inside the aquarium, there was an actual penguin race, in which twelve penguins competed in four heats to determine the fastest penguin at the Mystic Aquarium. With the success of today’s race, and those in previous years, the Aquarium is certainly doing its best to raise funds to help protect and increase knowledge of these wonderfully charming creatures.