Politics & Government

Runner's Wedding Band Rescued from Storm Drain

Simsbury Public Works crews found the valuable item after a two-day search in a storm drain.

The Amica Iron Horse Half Marathon event last weekend was a mix of emotions for Vernon resident Alyson Sutera and her husband David when his wedding band ended up at the bottom of a storm drain on Iron Horse Boulevard.

David Sutera participated in the half marathon race on Sunday while Alyson stood proudly near the finish line to cheer him on. Before the start of the race, David asked Alyson to hold his wedding band while he was running.

"I put the ring on my finger and waited by the finish line," Sutera said.

Find out what's happening in West Hartfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

During the race Alyson remembered clapping and cheering for the runners as they passed, but it wasn't until she moved to adjust the shoulder straps of the bag she was carrying that the ring slid off her finger and straight into a storm drain.

"I put my hands up to my face and burst into tears," Sutera said.

Find out what's happening in West Hartfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The couple married two years ago after a ten-year courtship.

Alyson immediately went looking for race officials to find someone to help her out. A group of people came to her assistance and were able to remove the drain cover to begin searching for the wedding band.

After searching through the leaves and debris at the bottom of the drain for a while the group thought it was a lost cause.

After David finished the race, Alyson had to break the news about the missing ring.

"He told me he didn't need the ring to know we were married," Sutera said.

But Alyson wasn't about to give up that easily.

"You have insurance for those reasons, but it's the sentimental value of the ring."

Sutera was encouraged to contact the Simsbury Public Works Department to seek further assistance.

"I was expecting them not to have time to look," Sutera said.

Public Works Director Tom Roy responded to her request on Monday morning and got right to work looking for the missing ring.

"I went out yesterday with our highway superintendent," Roy said. But after the first day of searching there was no ring.

Roy decided to give it another shot on Tuesday and went back to the storm drain and spent more time sifting through debris and sand at the bottom of the drain.

"Honestly, right as we were about to give up, it popped up," Roy said. "I was starting to think it was a lost cause."

Luckily, Roy was able to contact Alyson with some good news on Tuesday.

"I opened my email and it said 'Great News," Sutera said.

Sutera said she was extremely grateful for the efforts of Roy and his crew and will happily pick up the ring on Wednesday. Roy said he was happy they were able to help the couple out.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here