PHOTO BY BOB ROCHE
Lynnfield’s Olivia Lamarche was the first female to cross the finish line in the annual three-mile road race in Lynnfield on Monday.
By ANNE MARIE TOBIN
LYNNFIELD — Eighteen-year-old Olivia Lamarche of Lynnfield and 29-year-old Richard Carrick of Burlington, VT were the overall winners of the Lynnfield Athletic Association (LAA) 49th Annual 4th of July 5K Road Race.
Lamarche, a 2016 graduate of Phillips Academy and Bates College women’s soccer commit, won the women’s title in 19:40, outlasting 14-year-old Megan Churm (20:23) of Mahomet IL, who finished runner-up, and 41-year-old Emily McDivitt of Melrose, who finished third in 20:50. Churm won the 14-16 female group, while McDivitt won the 40-49 female group.
For Lamarche, winning is getting to be old hat. She also finished 21st overall and won the overall female title as a 14-year-old in 2012. This year, she moved up several places to 13th overall.
“I think I ran a fine race overall,” she said. “All I tried to do was keep in front of the people I passed, so that’s pretty much what I did. I have not been running much, so it helped that it was a perfect temperature and was not too hot.”
Carrick won the men’s title in 17:45, outkicking a pair of 16-year olds. Joseph Churm, brother of Megan, finished second (18:07), while Andrew Moriarty of Danvers finished third (18:21).
Churm and Moriarty also took the top two places in the 14-16 male group.
Carrick was in the area visiting his parents, who reside in Wakefield. He ran track and cross country at Wakefield High School and Johns Hopkins University.
“I figured I was in the area for the long weekend, so I figured why not get a good run in,” Carrick said. “Conditions were perfect, so I’m glad I entered, and it’s a bonus to have come in first.”
Sixteen-year-old Lizzie Shaievitz (23:50) and 15-year-old Jonathan Luders (19:39) were the top Lynnfield High School finishers. Shaievitz survived a nasty spill when she was accidently tripped by another runner, and ended up with a bloodied knee. She recovered and finished second in the 14-16 female group and was 48th overall, while Luders finished third in the 14-16 male group and was 12th overall.
One of the most impressive performances came from 11-year-old Nathan Lopez of Lynnfield. He finished 19th overall and won the 11-13 male division in 20:33, beating runner-up Devin Bolger, also of Lynnfield, by nearly seven minutes.
A total of 229 runners aged 5-73 competed in the race, which serves as a fundraiser for LAA. LAA helps purchase uniforms and equipment for Lynnfield sports teams and also funds six scholarships for senior Lynnfield student-athletes.
In the 1-10 group, Zac Benedetto of Lynnfield (29:02) won the male division while Iris Mayerson (25:22), also of Lynnfield, won the female division.
April Weeks of Portsmouth, NH won the 11-13 female group by nearly five minutes (26:50).
In the 17-19 group, Woburn’s Matthew Dimauro won the male division in 19:16 and finished seventh overall, while Vicky McDermott of Wilmington won the female division in 22:36.
Jeff Cook placed 11th overall and won the 20-29 male division in 19:37, while Alexandra Millstrom of Melrose won the female division in 21:59.
The 30-39 male group was arguable the most competitive race of the day with the top three runners placing in the top-eight overall. Lynnfield resident Brian Hutter (18:38) won the group and finished fourth overall, while Devin Billings (19:06), also of Lynnfield, was sixth overall and Sean Akell (19:23) of Medford was eighth overall.
Billings’ effort was especially noteworthy as he ran the race pushing daughter Cookie Billings, age 6, and neighbor Tess Lanza, age 8, in a tandem stroller.
“My son Phoenix is getting too big, so he ran on his own, but it seems that every year these kids are adding 15-20 pounds,” Billings said. “This might be the last time I can do this, but the course is perfect for running with a stroller as it’s fairly flat with only one slight hill, so you never know.”
Seven-year-old Phoenix Billings finished fifth in the 1-10 male division in 36:36:57.
Lynnfield’s Kara Moran (21:57) and Hannah Zaitlin (22:34) took the top two places in the 30-39 female race.
Shawn Conway of Wakefield placed fifth overall and won the 40-49 male race.
In the 50-59 group, Reading’s Bill Squires placed first (16th overall) in 19:55, while Elizabeth Emerald of Melrose won the female race in 23:08.
John Dove won the 60-69 group in 24:15, while Zeke Zannotti, age 73, won the male 70-99 race and 71-year-old Sarah Kelly of Naples, FL won the female 70-99 division in 39:13.
