Cool Contest in Capital City

MONTPELIER – Morning showers served only to whet the enthusiasm of 91 runners at the 44th Annual Capital City Stampede. Ranging in age from 17 to 83, the galloping racers splashed through puddles in the early going and basked in sunlight at the end. Temperatures in the high 50s to low 60s led to fast times on the out-and-back 10k course.

Hosted by Central Vermont Runners, the Capital City Stampede also served as the Vermont Senior Games Association’s 10k state championship. Forty-eight seniors, ages 50 and up, vied for gold, silver, and bronze medals within their respective five-year age groups. The senior athletes represented Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, California, and British Columbia.

Mack Gardner-Morse, 62, was the top finisher among the 10 towns covered by the Hardwick Gazette. Gardner-Morse, from Calais, earned a Vermont Senior Games silver medal for his 46:08 effort. His time placed second in the M60-64 age group.

Jessica Bolduc, 45, from Craftsbury was the top local female to cross the finish line. Bolduc’s time of 50:22 placed her first in the F45-49 age group.

Plainfield senior Douglas Glover, 74, outpaced Roxbury’s John Valentine, 73, to win the Vermont Senior Games gold medal for the M70-74 age group. Glover’s time was 56:52.

Nick Orlando, 28, from South Burlington won the Capital City Stampede 10k in 33:54. A 2017 Bates College graduate, Orlando ran a 10k race in 32:05, on the track, during his final season on the Bates College track and field team.

Ian McCallum-Cook, 34, from Burlington, was the runner-up in the men’s division, in 34:41. The last time McCallum-Cook ran in the Stampede, in 2019, he also placed second.

Jess Marini, 32, from Burlington, won the women’s division in 41:15. Marini finished the 2023 race five seconds faster than in 2019 when she also was the first woman to finish. Marini is a 2013 graduate of St. Lawrence University, where she competed in cross country and track and field. Sarah Waterman-Mann, 39, from Morrisville, was the women’s runner-up, in 41:59.

Vermont’s top senior runners were well-represented at the race. Paul Murphy, 53, from Mendon, was the fastest finisher among athletes ages 50 and up. Murphy blitzed the 10k course in 37:57, winning the Vermont Senior Games gold medal for the M50-54 age group. He placed ninth overall. Sarah Pribram, 55, from Shelburne, was the fastest senior woman. Pribram ran a personal best 10k time of 42:18 and brought home a gold medal in the F55-59 age group.

Local Track Stars Shine at New England Championships

BANGOR, Maine – A handful of local athletes from U-32 High School and St. Johnsbury Academy competed in the New England High School Track and Field Championships on June 10, at Cameron Stadium. Track and field standouts from Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine, and Rhode Island qualified at the state level for the prestigious meet.

Charlie Krebs, a senior from Craftsbury, competed for St. Johnsbury Academy in the 4x800m relay and the 4x400m relay. Krebs ran the anchor leg on the 4x800m relay team. His teammates were Nathaniel Bernier, Ryan Callaghan, and Carson Eames. The Hilltoppers finished in 8:16.88 to place tenth of 24 relay teams.

U-32 High School senior Sargent Burns and U-32 sophomore Tennessee Lamb are both from Calais. Burns and Lamb teamed up with Wilder Brown and Luke Page on the Raiders’ 4x800m relay squad. The U-32 boys finished in 8:22.36 to place 15th.

Amy Felice, a junior from Calais, was a member of the U-32 girls 4x800m relay team. Her teammates were Ginger Long, Jane Miller-Arsenault, and Madison Beaudoin. The Raider girls finished in 9:55.98 to place tenth of 23 relay teams.

Taggart Schrader, a U-32 junior from Plainfield, placed 21st of 24 finishers in the 3200m run. Schrader ran a personal best time of 9:56.6.

Cian Nott, a sophomore from Stannard, competed for St. Johnsbury Academy in the triple jump. Nott’s best jump of 38 feet, 2 inches placed 25th at the New England meet.

In the final event of the day, Charlie Krebs teamed up with Andrew Thornton-Sherman, Jaden Beardsley, and Andrew Bugbee in the 4x400m relay. The St. Johnsbury Academy boys finished in 3:28.54 to place 13th of 27 teams.

Among the 36 combined boys and girls track and field events at the New England Championships, the boys 800m race was the only event where Vermonters topped the podium. Kelton Poirier, a junior from Essex High School, and Andrew Thornton-Sherman, a sophomore from St. Johnsbury Academy were the favorites. The 800m race was a classic rematch. At Vermont’s New England Qualifying meet, on May 27, Poirier came from behind to beat Thornton-Sherman by 0.17 seconds. Poirier and Thornton-Sherman both broke the boys 800m state record that day in Essex. Poirier’s win set the new state mark at 1:52.38.

At the New England Championship meet, the two-lap race was just as close. Thornton-Sherman settled into third place on the back stretch of the second lap, right where he wanted to be. He passed the lead runners on the final curve, then sling-shotted into the final straightaway. In synchrony with Thornton-Sherman, Poirier catapulted his body off the curve, passing Matthew Servin of Champlain Valley Union High School. Poirier kicked past Thornton-Sherman in the last 30 meters to win the race in 1:52.92. Thornton-Sherman captured second in 1:53.24. Servin placed fourth in 1:54.40. The top seven runners finished in under 1:55.

Runners Take to the Trails

CRAFTSBURY –The Craftsbury Outdoor Center’s Tuesday Night Trail Race series kicked off on June 6. John Broadhead, 79, was the inaugural walking champion, completing the challenging three-mile course in one hour and 29 seconds. Scarlett Podolin, 9, placed first in the 3k trail race. Her time was 25:54. Twenty-four runners competed in the three-mile trail race.

Ollie Burruss, 37, edged out Thorin Markinson, 40, to win the three-mile trail race. Their times were 24:01 and 25:39. Pete Johnson, 51, finished third, in 27:28.

Susan Dunklee, 37, and Hallie Grossman, 30, topped the women’s field in the three-mile trail race. Dunklee and Grossman conquered the course in 27:56 and 28:32, respectively. Emma Podolin, 32, crossed the line in 28:41 to capture third place.

The Trail Race Series continues each Tuesday evening through August 29. Mountain bikers and runners start at 5:45 p.m. and 6 p.m. respectively. For race locations, visit craftsbury.com.