Lenox Loop runners are all winners with support of One Fund

LENOX – Race organizer Karen Tibbetts announced 20 percent of the proceeds from the Lenox Loop would be donated to the Boston One Fund in support of the marathon bombing victims.

While 150 runners showed up last Saturday at Lenox Middle and High School to also support the Class of 2016 and The Walker Fund, all came away as community winners after the three-and-a-half-mile race.

Finishing first with a time of 18:47.2 was Lenox track star Scott Carpenter, who, just after finishing first, admitted he was a little disappointed that fellow local running legend Kent Lemme was not there to participate.

“I was hoping Kent was going to be here, I was looking forward to a showdown with [him], but that didn’t end up happening – but I ended up running my race and took both days as workouts,” Carpenter said after running in a track meet on Friday, as well as Saturday’s race.

Lemme was scheduled to run the James Joyce Ramble in Dedham, Mass., on Sunday – one of the bigger road races just outside Boston that garnered lots of support and interest in the Boston running community this year.

Finishing in the top five at the Loop were Stephen Foley of Pittsfield, at 19:49.3, and long distance Lenox track runner Tucker McNinch, who placed third at 20:24.4.

Brandon Williams of Pittsfield finished fourth at 20:24.4, and Eric Haywood of Interlaken was fifth at 21:30.

For the women, Michelle Kroboth finished first for the fourth consecutive year, with a 10th-place finish at 22:07.

Other notables include Blaine Freadman, who finished eighth at 21:52, Michael Tyler of Lenox Dale at 23:43 and Emily Tibbetts at 25:47.

“It’s a fun and fast race and it’s definitely hard on the way back – but they run a nice race and they get a ton of people to show up – they do a great job,” Kroboth said. “The mile markers really help too.”

The race, which comes up Housatonic Street and Pine Knoll Road, before going back to East Street, has a steep incline that makes the race challenging for all types of experienced runners.

“It took me four minutes to get back up the hill,” Kroboth said. “That’s the thing about the running community around here, we are all competitive with each other, but we are all friends, we are all cheering for each other, and that is nice.”

The race funding was just as successful, with local businesses stepping up for additional support to once again make the Lenox Loop a great community event for the fourth consecutive year.

“It’s for my sister’s class, and it’s cool running with people that I know and that I see around town – it’s a cool atmosphere,” Carpenter said.

Posted by Tim Davis on May 2, 2013. Filed under Community Events,Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry