Kara Haas and Benjamin Ndaya Fly to Victory at Hollis Apple Country Fast 5K
What a tremendous race it was. Enormously successful in its fourth year, the Hollis Apple Country Fast 5K excelled both as a competition and a fund raiser for the Hollis Brookline Rotary Club.

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By Skip Cleaver
Posted Friday, 6 June, 2008

Two terrific regional racing stars came to Hollis on a cool, cloudy Thursday evening to test themselves and gravity at the Hollis Fast 5K in Hollis, New Hampshire. And they did indeed make it fast. Kara Hass of Chelmsford, Massachusetts set a personal best time in flying to a 16:33 victory. This was 18 seconds under her previous best of 16:51, set on this same course in the inaugural run in 2005. Benjamin Ndaya of Lowell, Massachusetts also blazed down the roadway, streaking to a 14:29. The second place finishers also set a screaming pace. Tammie Robie of nearby Milford zipped to 17:07, and Nick Karwoski, running on his home town course, zipped in at 14:53. Third position went to Jill Trotter of Westford, Massachusetts (18:43) as well as Eric Blake of New Britain, Connecticut (1843). The top four men all broke 15 minutes as Jim Johnson of Salem, New Hampshire scorched a 14:56.

Haas, a former teacher at Elm Street Middle School in neighboring Nashua (now teaches in the Bay State), was in command from the beginning as she glided down Depot Road so efficiently she seemed to barely touch the ground. She sped through the last tenth to the finish with her trademark smile, and the crowd responded with resounding cheers. Her only challenge came from Robie, also a teacher at Elm Street Middle School.

Tammie Gaffey of Pepperell, Massachusetts (19:41) and Bill Newsham of neighboring Brookline (16:22) were the winners in the masters’ divisions to lead some outstanding age group times. Some of those outstanding age group winning times (this race gives out more age group awards than any race in New England) included Christopher King of Durham, New Hampshire with 19:06 in the 10-11-year old group; Robbie Pienta of Derry (18:40) in the 12-13 division; James Morisseau of Raymond with 17:49 in the 50-59 group; and Harry Carter of Blackstone, Massachusetts ran 19:46 at age 71.
Carter, Bill Spencer of Litchfield (21:00) and Bob Welts of Hollis (28:48) finished 1-2-3 in the 70+ division. Welts, the oldest in the race, did not show his age as he beat many of the kids with a finish spot of 398 out of over 600 registered.

Lenni Webber of Newtonville, Massachusetts won the women’s 60-64 group with 23:57, while Jane Levesque of Nashua took the 65-69 crown with 26:57. Trevor Ward of Merrimack won his 55-59 division with 18:23.

And there were outstanding times by many of the young runners present. For example, Molly McCabe of Brookline (19:14) and Laurel Gagnon of Hooksett (19:43) went 1-2 in the 12-13 girls’ division. McCabe won her nine-and-under age division with an incredible 21:51 in 2005. Cassandra Valen of Wilton bettered that mark by winning age 9-and-under this year with 20:42. This race was fast, as advertised. And there were remarkable performances across all age groups.

Gate City women took the open team prize, led by Gaffey, along with Stacey Ascone (24:54) and Mackensey Farina (28:20). The Gate City men won the team club championship as well with Chris Bougopoulos (17:16), Brian Stevens (18:00), and Jeff Hammond (18:47). Gate City also won the Junior High Girls and Co-ed team divisions. The Gate City Striders were instrumental in providing many volunteers for the race.

We caught up with Race Director George LeCours right after the race, and he was obviously pleased with the results.

"On behalf of the Hollis Brookline Rotary Club, we are pleased to host this unique running event in a terrific running venue. Six hundred runners challenged themselves on our gradual downhill course that drops 224 from start to finish. Once again, our organization offered great traffic control, water stops and race timing. We are pleased to have hosted over 100 particpants ages eighteen years or younger. Thanks to all participants in making this Rotary fundraising event the most successful ever", he said.

The concept of running Thursday nights to keep the race away from the crowded weekend calendar has really paid off.

The fourth annual Hollis Brookline Rotary Apple Country Fast 5K was a tremendous success by all measures, as 600 registered, and over 500 completed the 3.11 miles point-to-point certified course. There was a terrific atmosphere and some outstanding racing. The adventure started at the Hollis Brookline Junior High, wound through the historic village, and finished at Morin’s Landscaping on the south end of Depot Road where many spectators gathered to cheer the participants.

It was a net downhill course, and runners took advantage of gravity and the gentle down slope, a net drop of 242 feet. Pre-race and post-race activities took place at Alpine Grove, a short walk from the finish. Post-race ceremonies included unique awards of attractive sculpted apples on a wooden base backed by a plaque—very different, and very much appreciated by all winners.

There were many prizes awarded, to be sure. Age group awards alone included 36 divisions going three deep, plus the top three women, and top three men overall. There were awards for walkers, and team awards for female, male, and co-ed in four division: club, corporate, junior high, and high school. Including the post race party, it made for an exciting night for all. Yankee Timing did a tremendous job in providing chip timing and computerized results across so many categories.

Race Directo LeCours of Hollis and his committee all had huge smiles at the conclusion of events. The thoughtful planning and logistical work indeed paid off to bring yet another outstanding running event to the region.

This was a well planned and well executed event, from the pre-race registration process to post-race food. The big winners, of course, were the worthy charities of the Hollis Brookline Rotary Club. Most participants were from New Hampshire and Massachusetts, however there were seven states and three countries represented. Runners near and far who missed this event in rural Hollis will definitely want to place this one on the calendar for next year.

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