CHS grad Christian Bates three-peats as July 4th road race champ
By Mike Berger
Canton’s 43rd annual 5-mile July 4 road race began and ended at the Canton Town Club.
Recent Canton High School graduate Christian Bates repeated as champion in Sunday’s 43rd annual July 4 road race, winning for the third consecutive year with an impressive time of 31:05.
The race drew nearly 100 participants with 24 children running in the 1.8-mile fun run and 73 runners, including teenagers and adults of all ages, competing in the five-mile road race. Several families ran together — some with babies in strollers — and one woman even ran with her dog on a leash.
This year’s youngest runners were Ava Bohane and Olivia Maffeo, both 5 years old, while the oldest was veteran runner Ali Abbas, who is over 70. Eleven-year-old Ben Berkowitz, who ran with his father, Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz, and Dan Dillon, also 11, were awarded trophies for completing the adult races.
The first woman finisher in the adult race was Canton resident Kara Leonard, who finished third overall. Joel Goggin, 11, of Randolph, won the fun run in 10:08, and Shawna Skelton, 12, of Canton, was the first girl to finish.
For Bates, this was his second fastest race. Two years ago he won the race in 30:46, and last year he crossed the finish line at 32:46. Bates is preparing to run indoor and outdoor track at Boston College next year.
Leonard, who is a regular runner and had a strong performance in last fall’s Homecoming race, was outstanding on Sunday, staying with the top-two male runners for half the race.
The race was held in sunny but hot conditions, with the temperature reaching 81 degrees in Canton Center at 9:30 a.m. The race had only one injury, and the person was treated very quickly by Canton paramedics, who found the runner on the route and alerted the ambulance. The top three finishers in each category received a trophy, and each first-place winner received a plaque. Race organizer Joe DeFelice announced the date of the fall Homecoming Road Race — September 25 — which begins and ends at CHS. Last year’s Homecoming race drew over 600 runners.
Men’s Results
(L-R) Robert Shannon (2nd place overall), Kara Leonard (3rd place overall, 1st woman finisher) and Christian Bates (1st place overall)
13-17 Years Old
Sean Akey
Kevin O’Donnell
Cody Shannon
18-29 Years Old
Mike Morris
Adam Sheppard
Paul Lyons
30 to 39 Years Old
John Pasciucco
Eric Zine
Marty Sasin
40-49 Years Old
Rod Shannon
Pat Gately
Tom Witty
50-59 Years Old
Steve Sheppard
Bob Moritz
Larry MacQuarry
60 & Over
John Martino
Arthur Bronstein
Women’s Results
13-17 Years Old
Lila Singer-Berk
Kate D’Orazio
Caitlyn Karol
18-29 Years Old
Courtney Karol
Caitlyn Shannon
Tracy Lyons
30-39 Years Old
Andrea Widberg
Bridget Gately
Susanne Prall
40-49 Years Old
Mimi Beatly
Debbie Connolly
Tracy Karoll
50-59 Years Old
Maureen Jardin
Anita Hadlock
Katy Hall
Fun Run Results
Boys 8 & Under
Ben Guerini
Colin Alessi
John Peplau
Boys 9-12
Joe Goggin
Owen Guerini
Stevie Karol
Girls 8 & Under
Abbie Donlon
Ava Bohane
Alexa Maffeo
Girls 9-12
Shawna Skelton
Abby Glick
Genna Floyd
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=3256
Posted by Mike Berger
on Jul 8 2010. Filed under Beyond CHS, Sports.
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