MONROE, CT — Steve Rice used to compete with his father in the annual Sprint for Monroe 5k race when he was 14-years-old, continuing through the rest of his teenage years.
“It was the first road race we did together that I actually beat my Dad,” Rice recalled during a phone interview Tuesday. “I think I was 19 when I beat him. He was the one that got me into running.”
Steve’s father, Mike Rice, had participated in track and field in high school, and their family entered road races throughout the state of Connecticut together as a hobby.
Steve, who now lives in Monroe with his wife, Jenna, a physical education teacher at Fawn Hollow Elementary School, is continuing that tradition with his own family. The couple recently competed in the Rossiter Run 5k at Steep Rock Preserve in Washington last Sunday with their two children.
Their daughter, Thea, 9, is a Fawn Hollow third grader, and son, Simon, 7, is in first grade.
This Sunday, Steve will compete in the annual Newtown Savings Bank Mile Down the Pike race with Simon, forming a new father-and-son tandem.
“I’m excited about that. This is the first year I’ll get to run it with my son,” Steve said. “It’s definitely a shared experience. I’m not saying I’m passing the torch yet, until he beats me. It’s fun to continue doing the road races together.”
Steve and Jenna Rice both grew up in Roxbury and have a passion for running.
At Fawn Hollow, Jenna organizes the annual Turkey Trot for the whole school in November and now oversees a running club, in which kids run one-to-three miles every morning.
After beating his father for the first time, Steve went on to serve in the Navy, before coming back and running in the last two Sprint for Monroe races.
Since the Sprint ended in 2023, the Mile Down the Pike has taken its place. It’s held just before the town’s Memorial Day Parade.
“I love the timing of it,” Steve said. “It draws the crowd for the race going down the Pike and it honors our fallen heroes with the parade going back up the Pike.”
Steve said his father, who died three years ago, would have appreciated seeing him participate in a road race with his own son.
“Absolutely, he would have been here to cheer us on and to watch the parade as well,” Steve said.
Still time to register
Runners can register for the annual Newtown Savings Bank Mile Down the Pike race, which will come through Monroe Turnpike before Monroe’s Memorial Day Parade on Sunday, May 25. The event raises money for veterans groups and causes.
Participants can run, jog or do a fast walk as long as they can finish their mile in 15 minutes or less, so the roadway is clear in time for the parade. The event will be held rain or shine.
The race starts at Firemen’s Field and ends at the Elm Street and Cross Hill intersection. Check-in starts at 11 a.m. and closes at 12:15 when participants will walk to the starting line. The race will get underway at 12:30 p.m.
Registration costs $27.50 and is discounted at $22.20 for veterans. To register online, click here.
Paul Moyse, founder of the race, expressed his gratitude to Newtown Savings Bank, this year’s new title sponsor, and to other local businesses contributing to the prizes for runners:
- Bella Rosa Pizzeria Ristorante, 500 Monroe Turnpike, Monroe
- Monroe Social, 494 Main St., Monroe
- Last Drop Coffee Shop, 435 Main St, Monroe
- Bill’s Drive-In, 431 Monroe Turnpike, Monroe
- Marathon Sports, 1596 Post Road, Fairfield
“Marathon Sports is giving gift certificates for new pairs of shoes to all of the top male and female finishers,” Moyse said.
Medals and other prizes will also be awarded to the top three finishers in each category.
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