Wickham Park
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Wickham Park is a non-profit, private foundation on the border of Manchester and East Hartford, Connecticut. The park contains 250 acres of gardens, open fields, woodlands, ponds, picnic areas, sports facilities, among other attractions.
130 acres of the park was a gift from Clarence Horace Wickham. Another 67 acres were given by Myrtle Williams in 1967, who owned land adjacent to the original property. Olmstead Associates of Brookline, Mass. were the designers for the original park layout.
Wickham was an industrialist who invented the window envelope. He managed a successful envelope business with his father, Horace John Wickham. He also established the Wickham Memorial Library in East Hartford, Connecticut.
Bank of America finances both the operation and maintenance of the park through a trust established by the Wickham estate.
[edit] Cross Country
Wickham park hosts the Connecticut State Class Championships, the State Open Championships, and The Wickham Invitational every year. In 2006 the course was changed to make the course more of a cross country course and less of a road course. The 5k (3.1 mi.) course at Wickham Park is famous for "The Green Monster" which is the course's most difficult hill located about 1.5-1.75 miles into the race. The finish of the course is slightly uphill.
With the changes to the course in 2006, the best high school runners in Connecticut complete the course in a few seconds under 16 minutes however in previous years the course was completed in under 15:25. This addition of about 30-40 seconds is mostly due to a large change in the course right after the 1 mile mark when the course turns off onto a woodchip trail that leads runners downhill around the finish line of the course in stead of taking a road down past (in front of) the finish.