Stoneham community comes together for veterans

On behalf of the Veterans Day Memorial Run Committee, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who sponsored, volunteered and participated in the third annual Veterans Day Memorial Run on Nov. 11. Nearly 400 individuals, largely Stoneham residents, ran or walked in honor of Veterans Day and in support of our service members and vetera

Congratulations to Jason Bilodeau, who won the 5K race with a time of 17:12, Ciara Camire, who won overall female 5K with a time of 18:06, Cesc Guim, who won the 11K with a time of 35:15 and Susan Macleod, who won the overall female 11K with a time of 44:30. The following Stoneham residents were top finishers in their individual age groups: For the 5K, Jenna Bragalone, Katie Oro, Shawna Paonessa, Nick Federico, Nathaniel Fotino, James Kotowski, William Butts, Thomas Finn, Benjamin Halpin, Kristie Colwell, Nancy Little, Jonelle Ahearn, Gerald Shipps and Nancy O’Grady. For the 11K, Jake Bruno, Zelia Magliozzi, Renee Petrocelli and Bill McCabe. Detailed race results can be be found at www.secondwindtiming.com.

We are grateful for the generosity of our sponsors whose support made this year’s event possible and allowed us to offer the race to more than 50 veterans and active service members at no cost. Our Presenting Sponsors this year were Harpoon Brewery, Winchester Hospital, Stoneham Bank, MAVE Apartments, Salem Five Bank, Angelo’s Ristorante, Eversource and DAVIDsTEA. Our Supporting Sponsor were Marathon Sports, Selectwoman Shelly MacNeill, Stoneham Ford, Gerrior Masonry, Whole Foods, State Representative Michael Day, Ameriprise Financial, American Family Care, Honey Dew Donuts, Gamit Signs, Everlasting Fitness, the American Legion Post #115 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #620.

We would like to thank the Stoneham Department of Public Works, the Stoneham Police Department, Massachusetts State Police and the Department of Conservation and Recreation for their guidance and assistance which enabled us to run a safe and successful event. We would also like to thank all the race participants who braved the cold to run, as well as our amazing volunteers who took the time to help on race day. Special thanks to Sharon Iovanni, Julie Martin and the Stoneham Bank volunteers, Jeanne Craigie for her wonderful photography, Ellen McBride, Maureen Buckley and the many others who helped support the Veterans Day Memorial Run.

Lastly, we are grateful to the residents of Stoneham for your continued support of our veterans. We look forward to seeing this annual community event continue to grow. To learn more about the Veterans Day Memorial Run or to get involved next year, please visit www.veteransdaymemorialrun.org.

Sincerely,

Megan Day
Race Director


Photo credits: Jeanne Craigie