It almost came down to the wire, but with about 400 metres to go, 18-year-old Tristan Forsythe charged ahead to cross the finish line first in the Chilmark Road Race Saturday morning.
A resident of Pittsburgh, Pa., the rising freshman at Georgetown University had a time of 16:03.
“It’s mentally tiring being at the front. Everyone’s chasing you,” he said. “Seeing the crowd gave me enough energy to finish.”
Lilly Tuck, 16, from Port Perry, Ont., was the first woman to finish with a time of 18:04.
The overcast morning made for ideal conditions for the 3.1-mile race along Middle Road, now in its 41st year. There were 1,442 runners entered.
The 17-member Greenstein family, sporting matching T-shirts with Clambakers written across the front, made the race a sort-of reunion.
“It’s just so fun and the kids look forward to it,” said Sami Sinclair, one of the pack.
“I’m going to run as fast as I can to get through all of the people,” chimed in eight-year-old Hannah Sinclair.
At the front of the pack stood three members of Team MacMaster, also wearing matching shirts, emblazoned on the back with the phrase “You Push me, I Push You.” The crew was part of a 32-member family running this year that they said has a rich road race history.
“We’ve run it since we were little kids,” said Tiernan MacMaster.
Minutes later, the bull horn blared and they were off. People lined the hilly road, cheering from the end of their driveways. One held a tambourine.
Race organizer Hugh Weisman drove just ahead of the pack in his red Toyota truck, pushing the pedal down a little harder as the finish neared and the front group of runners began sprinting.
Bananas, granola bars and bottles of water were on hand for runners outside the Chilmark Community Center. Sweaty finishers high-fived and hugged one another.
Jeff Herman, president of the town affairs committee and a race volunteer, said the race this year raised $30,000 for the Community Center. He praised Mr. Weisman for making the race possible.
By the finish, Mr. Weisman stood next to volunteers watching each participant cross the finish. Each got a cheer of their name as they crossed. Times didn’t matter. They had finished the race.
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