MONTPELIER – Several local runners braved the cold over the holiday break to post strong results in the Central Vermont Runners (CVR) New Year’s Eve 5K.
Calais native Sargent Burns posted a fourth overall finish in frigid temperatures with a time of 19:19 to wrap up the final event of 2025 in the CVR/Onion River Outdoors Race Series. The 20-year-old former U-32 standout helped lead both the Raider track and field and cross-country boy’s programs to a combined six Division II state championships. Burns was also a member of the 2021 U-32 team that took home Vermont’s first New England High School Cross-Country championship in three decades.
Equally impressive was Cabot’s Dahe Stoddard’s eighth overall finish with a time of 21:10. The 48-year-old Hazen Union cross-country head coach finished second to East Montpelier’s Peter Maksimow in his age group. The cold temps didn’t slow down Mack Garder-Morse of Calais as the 64-year-old finished 24th overall with a time of 25:03. St. Johnsbury’s Peter Luyckx (54) posted a top twenty finish with a time of 23:59. John Brenner (28) of Needham, Mass., bested the field of nearly 100 runners with a time of 17:49.
Dillon Burns (46) of Calais finished 37th overall and was tops in the female 45-49 age group with a time of 27:17. Plainfield’s Laura Lapierre (43) was fourth in her age division and posted a 61st overall finish with a time of 32:13. Winooski’s Sophie Doman (26) finished 9th overall and was top female in the field with a time of 21:12.
The first competition on the 2026 CVR schedule is the Millstone Madness Snowshoe Race in Barre on February 8.
