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Saturday,
January 07, 2012
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Roland Lavallee of North Smithfield wins 5th
annual Little Compton Scenic Winter Road Race in record-bustin'
time! The event's records
fell like bowling pins. EverythingWestport.com Saturday,
January 07, 2012 View
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Flash to view album? Click here! Click here to view video of 2012 Annual
Little Compton Scenic Winter Road Race and Walk.
It doesn't get
any better than this. "We had 240
pre-race registrations, and over 150 new registrations on race day, bringing
us to almost 400 runners," organizer Matt Allder
said. "The most pre-race registrations we have had in the past was a
little less than 150." "It was a
great day for a run," said Lavallee. Yes it was,
Roland, yes it was. The event's records fell like bowling pins. Lavallee finished the 4.8 mile loop
at 23:16, smashing the 2008 record-breaking run of 25:06 by Bronson
Venable. Second and third
place finishers also broke Venable's record. William Sanders
of Wethersfield, KY was second at 23:46, and Alan Bernier of Providence, RI
of Providence, RI finished third at 25:14, almost a full two minutes behind
the winner, but still broke the 2008 record.
Above, left: William Sanders
of Wethersfield, KY was second at 23:46.
Above, right: Alan Bernier of Providence, RI of Providence, RI
finished third at 25:14. The top female finisher was Providence's Diana Davis finishing 12th
overall at 29:09, well ahead of the record set in 2008. Michaeline
Nelson, also of Providence was second female overall at 29:57; and Kim
Chula-Maguire of Cumberland, RI finished third female at 30:26. Sean Blythe, 17th
overall, was Little Compton's first finisher at 30:13. Bruce Earle at
72nd overall was Westport's first finisher. 14-year-old Megan
Bubello of Framingham, MA was youngest female
finisher out of the top 150 at 40:44; and Sean Blythe at 15 years old was not
only the youngest male in the top 150 finishers, he was 17th overall, and
Little Compton's first finisher at 30:13. Well done Sean. 73-year-old Rich Rudert of Westerly, RI was the oldest male finisher in
the top 150 at 40:17. 74-year-old Ray
Morrow of Tiverton was the race's oldest finisher, completing the circuit
350th at 1:12:54. 361 runners
finished the course and posted times, a record for the event. .
Top left,
clockwise: first female was
Providence's Diana Davis finishing 12th overall at 29:09; second place female
was Michaeline Nelson, also of Providence at 29:57;
and Kim Chula-Maguire of Cumberland, RI finished third female at 30:26.
“This is the fifth running of The Little
Compton Scenic Winter Road Race which returned after taking a few years
hiatus,” Matt Allder explained. Allder
worked closely with Meredith Nelson of Organization Plus, the official
timekeeper of this event. “We are excited to be teaming up again with
Meredith and Ray Nelson from Organization
Plus Road Race Management Services to offer this classic winter road
race once again,” he said. Inset: Tim Burgess of Little Compton RI was the
first stroller to finish at 42:43, and 173rd overall. The folks at Organization Plus did a fabulous
job in officially recording and reporting times and finishes of all the
runners who completed the course. The number caller and time recorder worked
with three others to keep the runners in line as they entered the finish
chute. Three youngsters ran the completed time sheets one by one into the
Wilbur McMahon School where Megan Cady entered them into a laptop. Times and
runners’ numbers were carefully coordinated to insure accurate placement
results. The 4.8 mile course was
measured by Ray Nelson. Click here to get the complete race results. All proceeds from the event benefit the
Little Compton Education Foundation (LCEF) and students at the Wilbur McMahon
School. Click here
to read more about the Little Compton Education Foundation.
Above: Framed by the
historic Brownell House, the front of the pack checks their watches and
launches off the starting line in the 5th annual running of the Little
Compton Scenic Winter Road Race and Walk. A record turnout primed with
perfect weather begat record times.
Left: 73-year-old Fred Zuleger of Coventry, RI finished 193rd overall.
Amazingly, Fred has competed in over 2200 races! Right:
Megan Cady of Coventry, RI handled the recording of race times, not an easy
job for the 361 runners who finished and want their time ASAP!
Left: top sponsor Randal
Poirier, ChFC Financial Planner, gives runners a
pep talk before the start of the 2012 Little Compton Scenic Winter Road Race
and Walk. Right: the kids head back to the finish line in the Kids Fun Run.
Left: event organizer, Matt
Allder, with Kids Fun Run participants. Right: Sean Leach of Westport had a
great day, finishing 89th overall at 37:37. "I like to be in at around
40 minutes," he said. © 2011 Community Events of Westport. All rights
reserved. EverythingWestport.com |
