Portsmouth Native Among Top Winners in Sunday's Pell Bridge Race

Spyros Barres of Mystic, Conn., captured the  under crisp temperatures and bright sunny skies Sunday morning. The 48-year-old Barres finished the 4.2-mile race in 22:32.

“This was a beautiful race. The sun was rising and the moon was at our back. No wind. It was just beautiful,” said Barres. 

Barres ran with a small pack in front of the field and then broke free just before he reached the top of the Newport Pell Bridge. He kept a commanding lead the rest of the way en route to victory.

“You have to expend yourself going up the bridge to the top because you know you can recover in the half,” he said. “That’s what was going through my mind the way to the top.”

Trailing Barres was Warren Angell. The 48-year-old from Chepachet was clocked at 23:08. Brendan Akins, 26, of Old Lyme, Conn., finished third (23:36).

Portsmouth native Molly McCarthy, 29, was the top female overall with a winning time of 25:19.

“It was a perfect day,” said McCarthy. “My game plan was to crawl if it got too windy. But there was no wind. It was perfect. Running over the bridge was an amazing experience.”

Jacqueline Shakar, 52, was the runner-up among the women. She finished in 25:46. Middletown’s Kellie Tabor-Hann, 42, placed third (26:27).

Nearly 2,500 runners came from near and far to participate in Sunday's unique race that allowed runners to experience the scenic view while crossing over the Newport Pell Bridge. The four-mile run began in Jamestown, next to the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority headquarters. Runners headed over the Newport Pell Bridge and then towards downtown Newport and finished at the Citizens Bank Washington Square Branch.