Sports
Teens Dominate Road Race
Newtown Youth and Family Services Benefit 5K draws more than 600 Runners
Teenagers dominated the 5th Annual Newtown 5K Road Race Saturday at Dickinson Park.
Newtown 15-year old Jake Feinstein took first place (16:35), 17-year-old Austin Baldour of Sandy Hook captured second place (17:21) and third-place finisher Pat Sullivan, 16, of Newtown crossed the finish line at 17:28.
Meredith Anand, 32, of Easton, captured the top spot for the women, coming in 11th overall with a time of 18:44. Fourteen-year-old Maggie Christe, of Brookfield, (20:18) took second on the women's side and Erin Begg, 16, of Newtown, (20:45) came in third.
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Teenagers may have been the stars at the event to benefit Newtown Youth and Family Services, but the atmosphere was all family.
Runners with babies in jogging strollers completed pre-race stretches. Non-running spouses kept a tight hold on the family dog's leash. Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer" blasted out of the sound system as runners grabbed last-minute energy boosts of bananas and bagels.
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Volunteers rushed to get race-day registrants ready as broadcast announcements exhorted racers to "pick up your chips because even if you have a bib, without a chip your results won't count."
The electronic chips provide an accurate recording of racers' times as they cross the finish line.
Kilt-clad bagpiper John Chalmers, of Bethel serenaded the 608 runners ranging from ages 6 to 81 to the Elm Drive starting line.
Cheers erupted as the first runners neared the finish line. Facial muscles straining and sweat flying they hurtled over the finish line.
Later finishers took a more relaxed approach. One runner veered off course before crossing the finish line to slap a high five to a supportive friend. Another smiled at the rallying cry from the crowd, "Come on Grandma!"
Race director Steve Meeker said the "race went great," praising the weather and 75 volunteers who helped out.
Following presentation of awards to the 5K winners, the smallest runners assembled on the Dickinson playing fields for the Kids' Run.
As onlookers cheered, the kids, each wearing race bibs with the number 1, scrambled toward the garland of red, white and blue balloons which marked the finish line.
