MYSTIC — More than 1,000 runners and walkers gathered at Mystic Aquarium on Sunday, October 18, for its annual Run Walk for the Penguins, NBC Connecticut reported. Organizers told the station that participation surpassed their goal and was the largest since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event combined a 5K run and a two-mile walk with a children’s fun run and family activities. NBC’s account describes music, food and opportunities to meet some of the aquarium’s African penguins before the race.
The aquarium’s registration page identifies this year’s gathering as the 18th annual event, based at its 55 Coogan Boulevard campus. It describes the run and walk as routes through a paved neighborhood and says registration included aquarium admission on race day.
Both the organizer’s page and NBC’s report identify African penguin conservation as the purpose of the fundraiser. The species is described as critically endangered. That conservation purpose is distinct from a verified fundraising total: neither reviewed source provides the amount raised Sunday.
Kim Hentz, the aquarium’s strategic events manager, told NBC that the event gives the penguin team an opportunity to answer questions and encourage people to help protect the birds. The station also reported that Automated Business Solutions sponsored the event and brought a participating team.
The turnout figure and the comparison with prepandemic attendance are attributed to NBC’s report and the organizers it interviewed; Eastern CT News did not independently count participants. No race winner, finishing time or fundraising proceeds have been inferred from the attendance report.
The event is now over. Its race-day admission benefit should not be confused with an ongoing free-admission offer or registration for a future edition.