25th Dixville Races

Dixville Notch to Colebrook, NH, September 29, 2001

The start at the Balsams Panorama Golf Club

Record Number at 25th Dixville Races

PRESS RELEASE: September 30, 2001 - Contact Karen Harrigan, 603-237-5501/4687

DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H.—With foliage at near-peak, sunny skies and a cool breeze, Mother Nature served up a perfect day for the 25th Annual Dixville Races, run from Dixville Notch to Colebrook, N.H., on Saturday. A record turnout of 147 for the events—a USATF-certified half marathon, 12-mile relays and a three-mile fun walk—made the day a complete success.

“We had a lot of first-time participants, in addition to the many people who have been racing with us regularly over the years,” said organizer Karen Harrigan. “People came from Tennessee, Indiana, New York, Quebec, and from all over New England.”

The running races start from the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch, following Route 26 to downtown Colebrook. The Fun Walk starts three miles out on Route 26, and is timed so that all three events finish at roughly the same time. Waiting for the runners and walkers at the finish line were live bluegrass music from the Parker Hill Road Band, massages by Bonsai Bodyworks of Colebrook, food and refreshments from the Colebrook Kiwanis’ snack shack. A race history display contained T-shirts, photographs, results and news articles from the past three decades of Dixville Notch races.

The grand prizes of dinner for two at the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel and a cup trophy were awarded to the first male and female runners of the half marathon. This year’s top honors went to Judd Esty-Kendall of Glenburn, Maine, with a time of 1:18:27, and to Nicole Eastman-Willette of Berlin, who came in at 1:35:04.

New to the races this year were the Dennis Joos and Vickie Bunnell awards for the top male and female local finishers. Mr. Joos raced for many years and wrote several articles that were published in the race books from the 1970s and ‘80s, and Ms. Bunnell was a longtime sponsor of the races. Both were killed in the shootings that occurred in Colebrook in 1997; the Dixville Races were cancelled that year, the only time in the event’s history. Jeff Brooks of Colebrook won the Dennis Joos award with a time of 1:28:00, and Ann Marie Breault of Stratford won the Vickie Bunnell Award with a time of 2:02:53.

There were two categories of relays along a 12-mile course: two-person by six miles, and four-person by three miles. Prizes were awarded for the top male, female and mixed teams; mixed teams consisted of even numbers of male and female members. In the four-person relays, the first men’s team across the finish line was Arguin’s Army—Barb and David Arguin of Goffstown, Daniel Arguin of Berlin and Donald Arguin of Sullivan—with a time of 1:17:50. The first women across were Mountaineers +2, consisting of Donna Pierce of Stratford, Darlene Belknap of Bloomfield, Vt., Charlene Poulin of Manchester and Bridget Jeffers of Colebrook, with a time of 1:36:55.

In the two-person relays, the first men’s team was Vincent-Ryder—Mark Vincent and Scott Ryder of Lancaster—who came in at 1:19:52. The first women were the Zims, Caroline Zimmerman of Concord, Mass., and Emily Zimmerman of Littleton, Mass., at 1:42:31. The first mixed team was the Two Rascals, Donald Crane and Lynn Mueller of Lancaster, with a time of 1:20:24.

Also new to the races was the participation award, given to the business, organization or family with the most participants. Upper Connecticut Valley Mental Health and Developmental Services of Colebrook took that award, with 14 participants in the various events. They posed for a group shot during the awards ceremony, and will receive a personalized photo award later this week.

The Great Guts award, given to a participant has overcome great obstacles or otherwise shown determination to finish, was mistakenly presented to the wrong person during the awards ceremony. The individual realized he had received it in error, and graciously came up to the organizers and returned the award after the ceremony. The true winner of the Great Guts award was half-marathoner Chuck Elliott, 59, of Stewartstown, who overcame leg cramps to walk and jog to the finish in a time of 2:26:36, only five minutes behind the second-to-last finishers. The race committee planned to catch up with Mr. Elliott at the beginning of this week to present him with his award.

Aside from the Great Guts faux pas, organizers were pleased with the day and the increase in participation. They encouraged the runners and walkers to return next year, and to bring a friend along. Next year’s races are set for Saturday, September 28, 2002, with the same events and, with luck, the same great fall weather.

Proceeds from the Dixville Races benefit the Colebrook Police Athletic League for at-risk youth, the Colebrook Ambulance Corps, and an annual scholarship for a Colebrook Academy graduate. Sponsors of the race are the Portland Natural Gas Transmission System, Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinic at Indian Stream, Waystack and King Attorneys, Camp E-Toh-Anee, Colebrook Oil, Upper Connecticut Valley Mental Health and Developmental Services, LaPerle's IGA and the New Hampshire State Troopers' Association.

Sponsoring water stations along the route are Lewis Ford, the First Colebrook Bank, Rudy’s Cabins & Campground and Citizens Bank. Water station volunteers were the Canaan, Vt., Key Club, the Haven, and the Colebrook Police Athletic League. Contributors of goods and services to the race are the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel, the News and Sentinel, Clarkeies Market and Nugent Bus Company.

Half Marathon Results

Name Hometown Age Time

Judd Esty-Kendall Glenburn, ME 52 1:18:27 Bill O'Mara Buzzards Bay, MA 43 1:19:23 Dave Birse Hancock, NH 42 1:20:49 Jeff Brooks Colebrook, NH 31 1:28:00 Lincoln Phillips Nashua, NH 39 1:28:31 Mike MacDonald Goffstown, NH 45 1:29:40 Eric Huddleston Lancaster, NH 43 1:30:51 John Eddy Lancaster, NH 47 1:31:12 Erin Taylor Portland, ME 32 1:31:30 Robin Robitaille Barton, VT 50 1:32:04 David King Colebrook, NH 42 1:32:41 John Griesemer Lyme, NH 53 1:32:57 John Fitzgerald Lisbon, NH 45 1:33:22 Jason Brady New York, NY 27 1:34:34 Jim Siewierski Colebrook, NH 35 1:35:03 Nicole Willette-Eastman Berlin, NH 23 1:35:04 Charlie Cotton Lancaster, NH 45 1:36:01 Lee Bradley Newington, CT 59 1:37:33 Dick Ziegler Oak Ridge, TN 55 1:37:38 Mark Chariter Colchester, VT 31 1:38:16 Bill Cardinal Lancaster, NH 48 1:38:44 Karen Cutris Bethel, ME 34 1:39:30 Brett Keeshin Deerfield, IL 42 1:41:04 Eric Herminghausen East Burke, VT 47 1:41:23 Bruce Gould Lyndon Center, VT 49 1:41:28 Michael Beahan Lyme Center, NH 55 1:43:28 Clark Lefavour Southborough, MA 40 1:45:46 Brian Riley Beecher Falls, VT 23 1:46:49 Jane Herron Oak Ridge, TN 47 1:47:09 Fred King W. Brooksfield, MA 46 1:48:05 Ted Cooney Cambridge, MD 40 1:48:06 John Quay Lancaster, NH 48 1:49:48 Bethany Miller Landaff, NH 37 1:50:32 Neal Keeshin Guildhall, VT 38 1:51:10 Francesca Hayes Buzzards Bay, MA 32 1:51:12 Jen Dieringer North Hampton, MA 33 1:51:36 Carol Cardinal Lancaster, NH 37 1:51:58 Maude Keeshin Guildhall, VT 43 1:52:08 Terri Earnshaw Lancaster, NH 42 1:52:48 Heather Miles New York, NY 27 1:53:26 Normand Pouliot Milan, NH 46 1:55:58 John Eldredge Concord, NH 46 1:58:24 Marianne Cannon Lancaster, NH 39 1:58:29 Alex McKinnon Colebrook, NH 19 1:59:13 Ann Marie Breault Stratford, NH 36 2:02:53 Denise Brisson Lancaster, NH 48 2:04:09 Becky Cooney Cambridge, MD 38 2:04:16 Marcella Nugent Lancaster, NH 45 2:04:21 Lisa Williams Greenwich NY 2:05:54 Alexander Craig Lennoxville, PQ 60 2:07:04 Robert Warn Marshfield, MA 58 2:07:11 Hugh Keazer Dover, NH 36 2:08:40 Nancy Kingston Lancaster, NH 64 2:21:04 Elizabeth Riff Lancaster, NH 55 2:21:04 Chuck Elliott W, Stewartstown, NH 59 2:26:36

12-Mile Relay Results

M—male/open F-female X-mixed (even split, male & female)

2x6-Mile Relay

1 Vincent-Ryder—M 1:19:52 Mark Vincent, Lancaster, NH Scott Ryder, Lancaster, NH

2 Two Rascals—X 1:20:24 Donald Crane, Lancaster, NH Lynn Mueller, Lancaster, NH

3 Slow & Steady—X 1:35:44 Jim Dempsey, Milton, MA Margaret Lima, Canaan, VT

4 Roy/Grand—X 1:38:05 Bridgette Grandmaison, Columbia, NH E.H. Roy, Montpielier, VT

5 Bonnie-Donnie Duo—X 1:39:12 Bonnie Galasyn, Dalton, NH Donald Frizzell, Colebrook, NH

6 Zims—F 1:42:31 Caroline Zimmerman, Concord, MA Emily Zimmerman, Littleton, MA

7 Windbreakers—X 1:58:09 Rick Tillotson, Colebrook, NH Linda Tillotson, Colebrook, NH

8 Penny-Farthing—X 1:58:09 Werner Zhetner, Montreal, PQ Judith Craig, Montreal, PQ

4x3-Mile Relay

1 Arguin's Army—M 1:17:50 Barb Arguin, Goffstown, NH Daniel Arguin, Berlin, NH Donald Arguin, Sullivan, NH David Arguin, Goffstown, NH

2 Across the River Gang—M 1:30:06 Todd Nichols, Lemington, VT Alan Jones, Canaan, VT Martha Allen, Canaan, VT Wyatt McKibben, Canaan, VT

3 United We Run—X 1:31:29 Kelly Esposito, Boston, MA Jason Bean, Burlington, VT Terri DeYoung, Burlington, VT Fred Morgan, Melrose, MA

4 F Troopers—M 1:32:06 Scott Stepanian, Columbia, NH Travis Anderson, Canaan, NH Steve Stepanian, Merrimac, MA Jamie Steinmetz, Grantham, NH

5 Pokemen—M 1:32:25 John Fothergill, Colebrook, NH Ed Carrier, Colebrook, NH Sam Bird, Colebrook, NH Chris Ladd, Colebrook, NH

6 Mountaineers+2—F 1:36:55 Darlene Belknap, Bloomfield, VT Donna Lee Pierce, Stratford, NH Bridget Jeffers, Colebrook, NH Charlene Poulin, Manchester, NH

7 Fox/Zomms—X 1:40:30 Eileen Dempsey-Fox, Lake Placid, NY Peter Zimmerman, Littleton, MA Michael Lima, Canaan, VT Alison Lima, Canaan, VT

8 Rehab Rascals—X 1:42:33 Sally Penrose, Gorham, NH Rowena Kew, Concord, NH Rebecca Hodgkin, Bethel, ME Derek Eastman, Berlin, NH

3-Mile Fun Walk Participants Jace Ericson, Gloria Parkhurst, Janice Kaufman, Michele Johnsen, Susan Robidas, Pierrette Champagne, Doreen Smith, Marie Smith, Candy Varney, Tracy Owen, Louise Owen, Mike Divney, Joeng Divney, Derek Weingart, Barbara Smith, April Smith, Angie Thibeault, Ann Champagne, Micky Peistrup, George Van Buskirk, Michelle Gorman, Karl Komasaveck, David Lang, Mary Cote, all of Colebrook; Grace Carlin, Anne Sullivan, Lorene Hartwell, all of Clarksville; Irene Elsemiller, Stewartstown; Barbara Killam, Marlyn Neary of Columbia; Kaitlin, Emily and Avis Brosseau, Linda Hook of Brunswick; Meg Chartier, Colchester, Conn.; Wes Warren, Brookfield, N.H.; Wrene Warn, Marshfield, Mass., Lorraine Keazer, Dover, N.H.; Johanna Arguin, Sullivan, N.H.: Louise Beloin, Lancaster; Faye Lay, Lemington; Laura Benjamin, Canaan; Vicky Lawton, Errol; Walter and Gloria Smith, Goffstown; Lawrence and Debora St. Cyr, Bedford, N.H.; Linda Tenney, Chester, N.H.

THE 25th ANNUAL DIXVILLE RACES
Dixville Notch to Colebrook,  New Hampshire
PO Box 39 ~ Colebrook, NH  03576
Phone 603-237-5501    Fax 603-237-5060