Scot Joseph (right) clearly gets a kick out of the sheer joy on Matthew Joseph’s face as they approach the finish line. Photo by Beth David.
By Beth David
Editor
According to organizers, nearly 2,000 people registered to run in the 42nd annual Father’s Day Road Race in Fairhaven. According to official results, 1834 crossed the finish line, 418 in the 10K and 1416* in the 5K.
Last year saw torrential rains, but this year the day was perfect for running, bright and sunny, but not too hot.
Groups of runners wore shirts to identify themselves as running for a cause, or for their particular clubs. The family of Luis Cabral, who was killed in a car accident, leaving behind a wife and three children, wore t-shirts with his photo on them.
His wife, Melissa Cabral, said it was a good activity for her and the children to do on Father’s Day.
“And it keeps his memory alive,” she said. “It keeps our thoughts happy.”
Marcus Reilly is airborne as he takes the final turn before the finish line. Photo by Tori Tepe.
Allen Days thanked the sponsors and the many volunteers for supporting the race, as well as the runners, who make it all possible. He said the race has sent more than $200,000 back into the community in the form of scholarships and grants to non-profits and municipal groups.
The fun, family event is also a USATF certified course, so it brings out the serious runners and the fun-run/walker types alike. Father-child teams have their own category for prizes.
First male over the line in the 5K in 15:26 was Matthew Sukeforth, 57, of Middleboro; Paul Reilly, 36, of Northbridge followed at 16:08; and Trevor Wysong, 18, of Taunton grabbed the third spot with 16:56.
For the women, Stephanie Reilly, 38, of Northbridge, beat all comers with 17:28; followed by Meg Hughes, 14, of Rochester with a time of 18:27, and Judi St. Hilaire, 56, of Fall River with 19:19.
First Fairhaven resident over the line was Kevin Furtado, 17, in 18:06 for the men; and Lynn Vasconcellos, 41, in 20:08.
In the 10K, Jonas Oppenheimer, 22, of Somerville, crossed the line first in 32:53; followed by Michael Vaz, 22, of No. Dartmouth in 33:17, and Aidan McCaffrey, 25, of Somerville, in 33:21.
Three runners hold hands as they approach the finish line. Photo by Beth David.
For the women, it was Rachel Coogan, 25, of Allston, who crossed over first in 39:47; followed by Patricia Carreiro, 38, of No. Dartmouth in 41:09; and Molly Comerford, 33, of Milton in 41:17.
First Fairhaven resident over the line was Taylor Days-Merrill, 22, in 34:05 for the men; and Emma Robidoux, 20, in 41:34 for the women.
For results, visit http://jbrace.com.
*Fixes errors and typos from previous versions.
Click to download the 6/23/16 issue: 06-23-16 issueRoadRace
