Hundreds of runners and friends gathered around on September 24 for the 45th annual Clarence DeMar marathon. Excitement and laughter filled the air. From the kids to the elders, everyone was walking with a smile on their faces.
There was more happening then what met the eye, with different lengths and divisions offering possibilities for those of different ages and abilities. Kicking off the morning, the eldest group arrived under the arches, which was then followed by kids winding the corner of Appian Way, with parents mixed in, though it wasn’t clear if it was the parents pushing the kids along or the kids dragging along the parents. This marathon means something different to everyone. The smiles, energy in the air and satisfaction of all these people completing different goals speaks for itself.
The morning kicked off with the super seniors, though they really started in the spring. Between May 1 and August 25, they had to log 25 miles, either walking or jogging. Those who completed that got to come together for one last 1.2 miles on race day. Appian Way was lined with cheering spectators as they took the final steps to the finish line.
All eyes were peeled when the half marathon was underway on their route from Surry to Keene. A record held since 2014 was shattered by over three minutes by Cameron Leonard, a 24-year-old from Newburyport, Mass. He clocked in at 1:08:14, breaking the former record of 1:11:33 held by Thomas Paquette of Keene. Leonard had a pace of 5:13 per mile. The women’s half marathon winner was Mercy Chepkirui, a 22-year-old from Holyoke, Mass. She had a pace of 6:29 per mile with a final time of 1:24:48. The fulllength marathon started in Gilsum. Finishing first for the men was 33 year old Thomas Cantara of Nashua. His time was 2:32:50, with an average pace of 5:50 per mile. For the women, it was won by 30-year-old Kelly Snyder of Somerville, Mass. Her time was 3:07:07 and averaged a pace of 7:09 per mile.
Behind the scenes at the event was something special for children. “Part of the money that’s raised for the whole DeMar marathon goes towards buying sneakers for every second grader in our community,” said Alumni Danielle Ruffo, who is part of Elm City Rotary and Saving Sankofa Uncles. The Kids DeMar is a great way to expose kids to running, along with just getting them active all summer. Before the marathon day, the kids had been running during the spring and fall. If a kid ran and logged 25 miles, they earned the chance to run the final 1.2 miles on race day. “The whole purpose of the Kids DeMar is really to get them to move every day, so we can get them out and moving and have this be the final part of their run,” said Ruffo. the kids came down Appian Way, it was easy to see kids with smiling faces and determination to take the final steps over the finish line.
Nikolas O’Connor can be contacted at
noconnor@kscequinox.com
