Chamber has ’em racing to Rocky Point

Tim Forsberg
Posted 6/30/15

They came with their families, they came with their friends, for it’s the Rocky Point 5K tradition ‘cause it’s summertime again!

For the second time in as many weeks, the Central Rhode …

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Chamber has ’em racing to Rocky Point

Posted

They came with their families, they came with their friends, for it’s the Rocky Point 5K tradition ‘cause it’s summertime again!

For the second time in as many weeks, the Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce (CRICC) held another blockbuster event at the now fully open park at Rocky Point. Following on their successes at the first of four planned Movies in the Park nights on June 18, the 3rd annual Rocky Point 5K drew more than 500 participants for a trek through Warwick Neck last Saturday morning.

“It was so fabulous,” said Lauren Slocum, president and CEO of the CRICC of the race. “We’re very excited, we had a record-breaking number of registered participants, more than 530 signed up, and 487 actually crossed the finish line. Some just came and supported the race.”

 The race has ballooned since around 350 runners and walkers took to the course in 2013. An official U.S. Track and Field sanctioned and certified race offering panoramic seaside scenery and traversing some of the most challenging hills in Warwick, the closed course snaked through the now fully open Rocky Point.

 Participants paid an entrance fee of $35, or less if they registered early, with proceeds benefiting three charities: Goodwill Industries, A Wish Come True and the RI Center for Law and Public Policy.

“We were thrilled to have CVS Health Charity Classic as our presenting sponsor and heard a number of people who participate every year say they were going to bring friends back again next year,” said Slocum. “We had a lot of support from our volunteers and couldn’t have done this without them or our sponsors.” 

This year’s event differed from the previous two as the old lot inside Rocky Point grounds was opened for parking. Shuttles were used to bring runners and walkers to and from the start and finish lines, which was located on Rocky Point Avenue near Warwick Neck Elementary. The setup alleviated parking issues in the surrounding neighborhood.

“The park was open for parking, and we shuttled people, which they seemed to appreciate having the ability to get to and from the race base easily,” said Slocum. “The shuttles were courtesy of the Warwick Boys and Girls Club and Kent YMCA, who volunteered the vans, and it was very nice to have that service.”

 Unlike other races, this 5K offered some unique local post-race celebrations with goodies that might not make it into a typical runner’s diet otherwise.

“The huge hit of the day were the Viti’s Bakery pizza chips. We went through 35 dozen pizza chips,” said Slocum. “We had over 70 dozen clam cakes and 70 dozen doughboys from Iggy’s Doughboys and Chowder House, and we didn’t have one left at the end of the day.”

Looking ahead to next year’s event, Slocum plans to implement changes based on participant feedback, while eyeing other future opportunities at the former amusement park.

“We’ll have a few more tricks up our sleeves over the next couple of years that will utilize Rocky Point,” said Slocum.

This year’s top three finishers in the women’s division were Laura Nagel, 23, from North Kingstown with a time of 17:19, Tracey Foster, 31, from West Kingston with a time of 20:24 and Michelle Lambert, 43, of Coventry with a time of 21:20.

The top three finishers in the men’s division were Kevin Cooper, 25, from Providence with a time of 15:13, William Sanders, 28, from Wethersfield, Colorado with a time of 15:21, and Steve Flanagan, 25, of Providence with a time of 15:44.

Full race results are available online at www.coolrunning.com/

results/15/ri/Jun27_RockyP_set1.shtml.

The top 25 participants and their race times are as follows:

 

1   KEVIN COOPER 15:13.1

2   WILLIAM SANDERS 15:21.8

3   STEVE FLANAGAN 15:44.0

4   BRONSON VENABLE 6:05.4

5   DOMINIC PARLATO 16:15.6

6   THIJS KOLET 16:22.0

7   MIKE MACEDO  16:26.9

8   GREGORY BEAUDETTE 16:42.6

9   LAURA NAGEL 17:19.6

10  MICHAEL DANIELS 18:14.2

11  ERIC CARLSON  18:20.2

12  ROBERT CORSI 18:25.7

13  BRAD HIGHCOVE  18:29.3

14  NORM BOUTHILLIER 18:40.9

15  MICHAEL THIBODEAU 19:00.5

16  RICHARD GRIFFITHS 19:19.0

17  GEORGE SHUSTER 19:28.9

18  LUKASZ-LUKE LAKOMA  19:58.2

19  DAVE SCHAAD 20:14.1

20  GARY MARN 20:16.0

21  SEAN WIGGIN  20:23.9

22  TRACEY FOSTER 20:24.6

23  JARED BARKER 20:29.5

24  LES STEINBRECHER  20:36.2

25  JOHN ANDERSON   20:45.3

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