WEBSTERVILLE – Several local runners had strong showings or won their age group outright, ending the month of July on a high note at the Barre Heritage Festival Trail Race.
The top three finishers in their age group at the Barre Heritage Festival 5k were (from left) Mack Gardner-Morse, Mark Howard and Jim Flint.
Former Hardwick Gazette key contributor, Jim Flint, won the male 60-69 age group, navigating the 5k trail in a time of 24:59. Mack Gardner-Morse of Calais finished 29 seconds behind Flint to claim runner-up honors. Overall, Flint (65) posted the ninth best time out of a 70-competitor field ranging in age from five to Hardwick’s 73-year-old Thomas Hogeboom. Hogeboom’s time of 29:49 beat out Plainfield’s Dennis Shaffer to win his age division and was good enough for twenty-second overall. Plainfield’s Sarah Knutson was the top overall nonbinary finisher in the race for the second year in a row, posting a time of 32:41. Knutson’s time was good enough to beat forty other runners in the field. Plainfield’s Patrick Reime was fourth best in a highly competitive male 50-59 age group, posting at time of 27:47 and fifteenth overall. Marshfield’s Manuel Sainz (68) bested half of the field with a strong performance of his own, crossing the finish line at 33:54. Thirty-five-year-old Ben Taska of Barre was crowned the 2024 Barre Heritage Festival 5k Trail Race Champion, holding off Montpelier’s Luke Miller with a winning time of 20:15.
Flint now resides with family in West Rutland but was instrumental in helping build a Craftsbury Academy track and field program that won its first boys’ division IV overall state title in 2022 and has been a contender in both the girls’ and boys’ varsity programs within the division for several years. He is an avid runner himself and has qualified and placed in his age group at the National Senior Games the last two years, including six times since 2013.
“There was a strong turnout of local senior runners at the Barre Heritage Trail Race! After the race, my wife Barb attended the festival and enjoyed hearing the Barre-Tones acappella group, which includes the Gazette’s own Sandy Atkins!”
Podolin Wins Caspian Lake Challenge
GREENSBORO – A correction has been made by race organizers of the Caspian Lake Challenge from last week, making Craftsbury’s Ruthie Podolin the official women’s 5k winner at just 8 years old.
Podolin’s time of 25:58 becomes the official winner in the female category, edging Dilan Clements, who crossed the finish line at 27:18. Clements was mistakenly posted as the winner last week.
“We had one change to make in the Caspian Challenge race results, it was our mistake. Ruthie Podolin is the official 5k women’s winner. A very fast 8-year-old winning a 5k is unusual. Are we seeing the signs of Vermont’s own contribution to the 2036 Olympics?” said race director Eric Hanson.
