A crowd gathered outside the Chilmark Town Hall Saturday, ready to cheer on the runners as they crossed the finish line in the 47th Chilmark Road Race.
Charlie Ortmans, 19, won the race for the third year in a row with a time of 15:58. Mr. Ortmans runs for Harvard University’s cross country team and is staying with his grandfather on the Island for the summer.
“It’s one of my favorite races of the year,” Mr. Ortmans said. “I think the atmosphere is just incredible. Events like these bring the community together more than anything in my opinion and I think that having a race just lifts everyone up.”
Jack Lionette took second place with a time of 16:06, just nine seconds shy of Mr. Ortmans. Michael Schroeder earned third place, crossing the finish line at 16:16.
The Chilmark Road Race has been a town tradition since 1978. Runners gathered 5 kilometers, or 3.1 miles, away from the town hall and ran along Middle Road to the finish line.
Lilly Tuck, 22, was the first woman to finish the race and placed seventh overall, crossing the finish line at 17:07. Ms. Tuck was also the first woman to finish the race the last time she ran here in 2018. This go-round she beat her previous time by almost a full minute.
“You can be up there with the boys even if they’re a little bit intimidating,” Ms. Tuck said. “You just have to make room for yourself even if there’s not a place for you.”
Ms. Tuck graduated from Providence College in May where she ran for their cross country team. She is staying with her grandparents on the Island for the summer.
More than 1,000 runners lined up at the starting line on Middle Road at 10:30 a.m. Among them was Patrick Sullivan, an Aquinnah resident.
Mr. Sullivan’s five year-old daughter, Harlow, twirled beside the finish line with her mom, brothers and grandparents. She carried a flag saying “CHEER” that she made to support her Dad.
“I made it with markers, crayons and paper,” Harlow said. “It’s good to cheer Daddy on.”
Harlow said she is proud of her Dad and hopes that when she’s a little older she can run with him.
Josie Wyman, a 20 year-old who is staying at her family house in Vineyard Haven, was dancing with her aunt for the whole hour before runners crossed the finish line.
“Me and my Aunt are hoping to hype everyone up as they walk past,” Ms. Wyman said. “We have a lot of fun seeing everyone succeed as they cross the finish line.”
She said her family has been coming to the Chilmark Road Race for years, and while she’s participated in the past, this year she said she was excited to support her cousins from the sidelines.
Many participants were running for nonprofits. Chris Edwards, a long-time resident of Edgartown, crossed the finish line wearing a lobster outfit. He runs in several races over the summer and asks for donations from people he knows. In return, they get to pick which goofy getup he’ll wear during the race.
“[The lobster] is one of the easier costumes I’ve run in,” Mr. Edwards said. “I’ve run in an inflatable shark costume, an inflatable elephant costume, and an inflatable German lederhosen.”
This summer, Mr. Edwards raised more than $3,000 for Organization for Autism Research. He said the organization uses science to address social, educational and treatment concerns that people with autism and their parents have.
Mr. Edwards described the Island as a supportive community and said that events like the Chilmark Road Race are proof.
Once runners caught their breath and grabbed a banana and water bottle, they went back to the finish line to cheer on others who were still running. Family members exchanged sweaty hugs and all celebrated each other’s personal victories.
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