Schools
Nayatt PTO Road Races Draw About 500 to Support School
Fitness weekend at the Nayatt School continued Saturday with several running events designed to foster physical activity and raise thousands for programs and equipment.
Temperatures in the mid-20s could not keep more than 400 runners, joggers and walkers from Nayatt School on Saturday morning, March 26 -- site of the 5th annual and one-mile road races.
Approximately 90 youngsters also took part in a series of “fun runs” prior to the main event, arranged by the PTO to generate funds for playground equipment, books and a variety of programs.
“This is our signature event for our school,” said Nayatt School Principal Chris Kennedy. “It’s really taken off over the past several years.”
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All-state high school harriers, moms and marathoners were among the 294 to traverse the 3.1-mile, USTAF-certified course. Barrington High School’s Dylan Verner-Crist raced through the unseasonable air in shorts and a sleeveless shirt to take the top prize.
“It’s the type of temperature that you’re cold, but once you’ve been racing, like after the first mile, you’re fine,” said Verner-Crist, one of Rhode Island’s best cross-country runners.
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Mars Bishop, 12, finished ahead of 175 others to win the one-mile race for a fifth consecutive year. Isabella Richardson, 10, finished first among the girls.
Kim Chula-Maguire was the first woman across the line behind Verner-Crist. The top three male and female finishers in each of seven age groups received prizes, and all participants were eligible to take part in a pre-race raffle.
Gifts were provided by a variety of donors, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, St. Andrew’s School and Oral-B. Reebok and Foundation Performance supplied moisture-wicking T-shirts to the first 425 registrants, and was the primary sponsor for the event.
“The Nayatt School has a good name and a good reputation here in town, so we’re just happy to be a part of it,” said John Daniels, manager of BankNewport in Barrington.
Chairpersons Ed Weinberg and Carla Silva, both in their first years, worked with several sponsors and numerous volunteers to organize an event that has become the centerpiece of fitness weekend.
“There’s no better way to immerse yourself than volunteering to do something like this,” Weinberg said.
Weinberg’s wife and children moved to New England in October, 2009, but he has spent the last year working in the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Southern Iraq. Weinberg returned to the U.S. in October last year.