GREENSBORO – Several local runners took on the nearly seven-mile loop around Caspian Lake over the weekend, with Hazen Union’s Maxfield English besting the field to take home the 13th Annual Caspian Lake Challenge.
The popular event kicked off at the ballfield in Greensboro on Sunday morning and ended with English crossing the finish line first. Hazen’s technical-ed teacher won the men’s overall division with a time of 41:59. Emma Palombo beat all comers in the women’s overall division with a time of 49:10. The race consisted of a classic rolling 6.75-mile loop around Caspian.
The Challenge also consisted of an out and back 5k walk/run. Carsen Collins, a visiting high schooler from Austin, Texas, was the men’s 5k division winner with a time of 20:09. Ruthie Podolin was the winner of the women’s 5K in a time of 25:58. Dilan Clements was 2nd in the women’s division with a time of 27:18.
Notable runners in the field included Craftsbury Academy senior Charlie Kehler and recently graduated Twinfield-Cabot multi-sport standout Meles Gouge. Kehler won two individual titles for the Charger track and field team during the regular season this past spring and capped off a sensational junior campaign by teaming up with Silas Hunt, Alex Califano, and Matthew Califano to capture the state title in the 4X800m relay for the third consecutive year. Gouge finished off a storied high school sports career this past spring with Capital League honors for a Montpelier baseball team that was ranked No. 2 in Division II. Gouge made his name on the pitch for the Trojan boys’ soccer program the last four years, finishing his career with over 60 goals and three consecutive Vermont All-State selections.
The thirteenth installment of the Caspian Challenge was sponsored by the Greensboro Association and was a huge success, raising nearly $1,700 for the Caspian Lake Adult Swim Program. Eric Hanson served as Race Director and he along with volunteers handed out etched collectible tumblers to all male and female winners in eight different categories. Raffle prizes were also given out to randomly selected runners, along with ice cream and bananas for all competitors.
“We had a very successful Caspian Lake Challenge! Last year’s event had approximately 75 runners, so this year, with excellent weather, it was a big step up both in terms of number of runners and dollars raised,” said Hanson.
This story was corrected at 12:55 p.m. August 1, 2024. An earlier version incorrectly indicated “Dilan Clements won the women’s division with a time of 27:18.”
