Though the 12-kilometer event at the 35th annual Bedford Rotary Memorial Road Race was dominated by out-of- staters, the 5-kilometer run was peppered with local talent.
In fact, four of the top 10 and 10 of the top 25 5K runners on Saturday, May 16, were Bedford residents.
Bedford’s Jason Porter, 39, easily won the 5K in 16 minutes, 44 seconds, finishing more than one minute ahead of his closest pursuer.
Teenager Sam Daly, 14, placed fifth overall, completing the circuit in 18:44, one second ahead of fellow Bedfordite Dan Dipiro, 43. Another teen, 19-year-old Joe Van Gombos, took ninth in 19:40.
Haley Lydstone, 19, was the first Bedford woman across the finish line. She also cracked the top 20 overall to lead a handful of town runners who took spots 20 through 25.
Morghan Linehan, 14; Chris Como, 31; Katie Hosang, 13; John Mara, 18; and Max McKee, 13, were 21st through 25th, respectively, among more than 200 entrants in the 5K.
The 12K run, a USA Track and Field New England Grand Prix event, attracted some of the top athletes in New England to Bedford.
Joseph Koech, a 40-year-old from Melrose, Mass., won the race in 37:50, breaking Mark Miller’s record of 38:10 in the process. Wilmington, Mass., resident Dan Vassallo, 24, finished second in 38:04.
Bedford’s Stewart Richmond, 43, was the first Bedford resident to cross the 12K finish line. Among 480 athletes who completed the race, Richmond was 142nd.
For complete results, visit coolrunning.com.
– Jerry Liptak