Theo Anastasiadis, left, and Karen Nocera, right, stand by the sign advertising the Pies & Pints 5K Ta-Ta Trot, which will be held Sept. 28. Not shown is Pies & Pints co-owner Christos Gogas. (Marjorie Needham photo)
By MARJORIE NEEDHAM
The Pies & Pints 5K Ta-Ta Trot Sunday, Sept. 28, at 10 a.m. will be a fun event for the participants with entertainment, refreshments and raffle prizes following the run. But for Pies & Pints co-owner Theo Anastasiadis and race director Karen Nocera, the most important part of the race isn’t the fun everyone will have – it is the money the event will raise for breast cancer research.
“It’s a nice social event,” Anastasiadis said, “but the best part is you are running for a good cause and for somebody you care about … At the end of the day, we want to give money to breast cancer research.”
Nocera agreed. She said she didn’t have a personal connection to the cause when she first started helping with the race, but then a friend of hers was diagnosed with breast cancer. The day we talked to Nocera, her friend was undergoing surgery for her cancer.
The day of the race, the event will start with breast cancer survivor Melanie Butler singing the national anthem. Nocera said one in eight women will be affected by breast cancer. Posters with information about the disease will be placed along the race course to help raise awareness and understanding of breast cancer. Men also can get breast cancer. Nocera mentioned “Brave at Heart” in Waterbury, a group that is for men battling breast cancer.
Nocera, a member of the Middlebury Junior Women’s Club, helped organize the club’s Flag Day 5K, so Anastasiadis asked her to manage the Ta-Ta Trot. Nocera is part of the running club that runs three miles from Pies & Pints Wednesday nights. She also runs four to five 5Ks a year, usually, she said, for a good cause.
She encourages everyone who wants to run to register by Sept. 7. Those registered by that date will get a race tee shirt and a coupon for a $5 discount good at either Pies & Pints location. Learn more about the event on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TaTa5k.
Nocera’s goal is to have 500 register for the race. That is up from the 250 she first cautiously predicted. Anastasiadis is aiming even higher. He hopes 1,000 will register. “People can come out with their kids in strollers and walk the course instead of going to the park,” he said.
A number of businesses have stepped forward to support this event. At press time, sponsors donating money, products and gift cards included Timex, Webster Bank, Ion Bank, Catalyst Gym of Southbury, Power Station, Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, Traver IDC, Loehmann Blasius Chevrolet, Pepsi, G&G Distributors, Udis, Dunkin’ Donuts Middlebury, David Jewelers of Watertown, Naugatuck Valley Radiology, Stop & Shop, Napoli Foods, Rizza Chiropractic/Middlebury Chiropractic, Shirt Bakery, G.S. Regan & Associates, VillWell of Wolcott and LaBonnes.
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