Sports

Friends of Community Fitness holds annual Riverfest 5K

GUILFORD — Friends of Community Fitness’ Riverfest 5K returned after a 3-year absence on Saturday morning, July 30 to kick off the Piscataquis River Festival.

The 15th annual Riverfest 5K featured the following results: 1. Justin Bates 19 minutes, 58 seconds; 2. Ben Higgins 23:33; 3. Scott  Chadbourne 23:34; 4. Matt Chadbourne 23:44; 5. Greg Neal 24:17; T-6. Bob LaFrance and Brian Mailhot 26:22; 8. Kayla Hett – women’s winner – 26:43; 9. Chris Conner 29:19; 10. Morgan Ward 29:40;

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
RUNNING AGAIN – Friends of Community Fitness’ Riverfest 5K returned on Saturday after a 3-year absence due to the pandemic to kick off the Piscataquis River Festival in downtown Guilford. More than a dozen runners took off from the downtown athletic fields to loop the 3.1 miles around.

11. Robert McCloskey 29:53; 12. Trisha Moulton 31:05; 13. Tim Leland 33:08; 14. Charity Neal 35:33; and 15. Izabelle Pizzo 44:10.

Age group winners – high school men’s 1. Higgins 2. Scott Chadbourne 3. Matt Chadbourne. High school women’s: 1. Hett 2. Pizzo. 30-30 women’s: 1 Ward. 40-49 men’s: 1. Bates 2. Mailhot 3. Conner. 40-49 women’s: Neal. 50-59 men’s: 1. Neal 2. LaFance 3. McCloskey 4. Leland. 50-59 women’s: 1. Moulton.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
SUB-20:00 – Justin Bates won the 2022 Friends of Community Riverfest 5K with a time of 19:58.

All-time Community Fitness Riverfest 5K winners (year, men’s winner and time and women’s winner and time): 2006 Jerod Hayes 20:32; 2008 Dean Hartley 21:45 and Sarah Curtis 22:53; 2009 Joe Gallant 21:02 and Jill Taylor 23:41; 2010 Jason Abbott-Dallamora 18:19 and Trisha Moulton 24:21; 2011 Abbott-Dallamora and Mike Coffey 19:15 and Rebecca Gaw 22:52; 2012 Abbott-Dallamora 18:27 and Katherine Arch 21:06; 2013 David Doore 18:14 and Katherine Arch and Mary Arch 21:01; 2014 Doore 18:53 and Moulton 25:43; 2015 Zach Doore 21:15 and Amalia Harrington 23:11; 2016 Dawson Smith 21:41 and Brenda White 23:30; 2017 Smith 19:55 and Stephanie White 25:53; 2018 Smith 20:14 and White 25:23; 2019 Brendan Labarre 20:49 and Willow Forbes-Smith 27:38; and 2022: Justin Bates 19:58 and Kayla Hett 26:43.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
WOMEN’S WINNER – Kayla Hett was the top women’s runner in the Friends of Community Fitness Riverfest 5K in 26:43.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
SPRINT TO THE FINISH – Ben Higgins, right, and Scott Chadbourne sprint down the final stretch on Saturday morning in Guilford. Higgins finished second in the Friends of Community Fitness Riverfest 5K at 23:33 with Chadbourne a second behind at 23:34 for third-place honors.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
FIRST-PLACE MEDAL – Friends of Community Fitness Executive Director Britney Gallagher presents the first-place medal to Justin Bates after the Riverfest 5K on Saturday morning in Guilford.

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