After finishing second in the 2015 Londonderry Old Home Day/Lundgren 5K Road Race last summer, recent Londonderry High School graduate Noah Schrank moved up one spot and bagged the race title at the 2016 event in near-perfect running conditions Saturday, Aug. 20.
Former Londonderry High cross-country and track and field stalwart Schrank – who will be off to the University of Rhode Island this fall – even bested his finishing time from 16 minutes and 54.4 seconds in 2015 to 16:38.8 in winning this year’s race. He also repeated as the event’s 17-19 male division winner in the process.
The 2016 race had three more finishers this time around than last summer, with 212 racers crossing the finish line to cheers from a substantial and spirited early-morning crowd.
Other former and current Londonderry High athletes also busted their way across the finish line among the top five placers, including Chris Zaino in second (17:00.3), Cam Dickson in third (17:19.4), and Declan Hotter in fifth (17:55.4). Raymond resident and 40-49 men’s division champ Alberto Barrid finished fourth overall in 17:53.2.
As former Old Home Days race director Larry Martin predicted, former collegiate running star Jennifer Mortimer – spouse of ex-Londonderry High multi-sport star John Mortimer – was the women’s winner of the race, ending up ninth overall in 18:25.3. Current LHS running standout Kalin Gregoire placed second (20:02.9) and 19th overall, and former Londonderry High running stalwart Alissa Rogers placed third among the ladies and 21st overall in 20:03.9. Bedford resident Mortimer was also the 30-39-year-old ladies’ division champ, Gregoire won the 13-16-year-old girls’ division, and Rogers was tops among the 20-29-year-old females.
“This is the event that really starts Old Home Days, and I have a lot of people who come up to me and say this is the only race they run all year,” said a proud Larry Martin. “It’s something people look forward to.”
Current race director Matt Smith, overseeing his second Old Home Day Race, was also extremely pleased with the way the 2016 event went.
“Its all been great. The volunteers have been wonderful, the runners, everything has been wonderful,” said the soft-spoken Londonderry High cross-country and track coach.
Other age group winners included a slew of Londonderry residents: Grace McDonough (12-and-under girls, 22:35.8); Elizabeth Stubbs (17-19 girls, 23:50.5); Andrew Young (12-and-under boys, 21:49.3); Declan Hotter (13-16 males); Josh Leahy (20-29 males, 19:24.1); Matt Raylinsky (30-39 males, 19:59); Paul Leahy (50-59 males, 20:59.2), and Jim Prucha (70-79 men’s class, 31:16.6).
The Old Home Day records established by Dave Dunham way back in 1991 (14:44) and Maribel Sanchez in 2000 (17:35) went unthreatened again this time around.
As is always the case, the Londonderry Track Scholarship Fund benefits from funds raised at the annual race.
Noah Schrank
Jennifer Mortimer
Over 200 runners head out from the starting line in front of the grange on Mammoth Road early Saturday morning during the annual Londonderry Old Home Day/Lundgren 5K Road Race. Photos by Chris Paul