A total of 148 weekend warriors came out to run five kilometers and 63 more took on a 10 kilometer jaunt in Derry during the Greater Derry Track Club’s third annual Runs for Freedom on the Fourth of July holiday.
Derry 15-year-old Joshua Noe won the shorter race with his time of 18 minutes and 21 seconds, while 21-year-old Pelham resident Steve Hammar won the longer race in a time of 34:01.
The proceeds from the two races went to Liberty House – a transitional home for homeless American veterans – in Manchester.
In the 5K race, winner Noe was followed by runner-up Garrett Mallory from Salem (18:45), and Casey Hecox from Salem was the first female runner across the finish line (eighth overall in 21:19).
Age group winners in that race hailing from Derry included Elizabeth Fontaine in the 1-19-year-old female grouping, Allyson Scott in the women’s 30-39 division, Marty Kennedy in the men’s 50-59 division, Carolyn Morgenstern among the 50-59 ladies, and Ed Burns among the 60-69 males.
In the 10K event, race champion Steve Hammar was followed by runner-up Sean Quinn from Brookline, NH (34:28), and Pennsylvania resident Jess Mohr was the first female across the line, 14th overall in 43:32.
The age group winners hailing from Derry included Nick Silva in the men’s 30-39 grouping, Kelsey Cummings in the women’s 30-39 division, and Maria Checket in the ladies’ 40-49 class.
