Fourth of July Road Race returns to North Andover

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NORTH ANDOVER — The town of North Andover welcomed back the annual Fourth of July road race after a three-year absence due to road work and construction to North Andover's old center.

It was like old times as a large and enthusiastic field of 790 runners (340 10K finishers, 450 5K finishers) took to the roads.

"I was really glad they brought it back. It was a great event and it turned out to be a nice day," said Alex Kramer of North Andover. "I think it's good for the town."

Jon Korhonen, 26, pulled away late to beat Kramer by 26 seconds (15:51-16:17) to capture the 5K race.

"It was a good race, we were back and forth for the first two miles and I was able to break away with about a mile to go," said Korhonen.

"We were close with a mile to go and he just took off," said Kramer, 17, the top distance runner in North Andover High history.

Korhonen, a member of the Greater Boston Track Club, still holds the UMass Amherst indoor mile record of 4:04.26.

"My girlfriend's uncle runs the race and I just found out about it yesterday," said Korhonen, who lives in Cambridge. "I think this a race that I would like to do again. I'm a runner and I love to run, and now I can enjoy the rest of my weekend."

The 5K women's winner, Emily Doherty, 39, of North Andover finished a comfortable 47 seconds in front of the second-place finisher, Kris Jackson, 46, of North Andover.

"It was a good race. The beginning was hard with the hill on Johnson Street but the rest was fine. The people on the bikes kept giving me updates on the other runners," said Doherty, a mother of three who ran at Winchester High and Tufts. "The day was great with a lot of nice people and it was close by for my kids."

Greg Englehart, 17, of Newburyport won the 10K race in 37:16, beating Kenny Rayner of Acton by 22 seconds.

"This was my first ever 10K race and I didn't know what to expect but it was pretty good,'' said Englehart. "We were neck and neck for a couple of miles but I was able to pull away at the end."

Englehart heard about the race from his friend and high school rival Kramer.

"I was looking for a race to run and Alex was able to tell me about the race. I'm happy he did because I really liked the course and had fun," said Englehart.

For the women, Michelle Wilkinson of North Reading took first place with a time of 43:28, finishing 36 seconds in front of Erin Wyner of Medford.

"It was a real nice course to run. It had some hills but it was good," said Wilkinson. "There was nice drama in the race near the end but I was able to push it at the end."

A graduate of UMass Lowell and North Reading High, Wilkinson ran in college but was more of a jumper in high school. She triple jumped 36-21âÑ2, which ranks her 11th all-time in the area.

The annual road race attracted another big crowd and received favorable reviews.

"I would definitely like to do this race again," said Kramer, who will run for Brandeis in the fall.

"I thought today was great. The kids had a blast and I definitely hope they can do this again," said Doherty.

28th North Andover Fourth of July Road Race

Men's 5K (Top 5)

1. Jon Korhonen, Cambridge, 15:51; 2. Alex Kramer, North Andover, 16:17; 3. Michael Primes, Andover, 17:29; 4. Carlos Flores, Lowell, 18:16; 5. Nicholas Quinn, Methuen, 19:48

Women's 5K (Top 5)

1. Emily Doherty, North Andover, 21:22; 2. Kris Jackson, North Andover, 22:09; 3. Nicole Gaudet, Nashua, 22:18; 4. Lynsay Wray, North Andover, 22:30; 5. Pam Connolly, North Andover, 22:30

Men's 10K (Top 5)

1. Greg Englehart, Newburyport, 37:16; 2. Kenny Rayner, Acton, 37:38; 3. Michael Shanahan, Billerica, 37:59; 4. Wenhua Yang, North Andover, 38:43; 5. Richard Cotta, Lawrence, 38:43

Women's 10K (Top 5)

1. Michelle Wilkinson, North Reading, 43:28; 2. Erin Wyner, Medford, 44:04; 3. Maura Iaquinta, Nashua, 45:40; 4. Linda Quimby, Middleton, 45:43; 5. V. Ardizzone, Andover 46:16

Top age-group finishers

5K Men

19 and under: 1. Patrick Burns 20:41; 2. Graham Jackson 21:27; 3. Eric Teuber 21:33; 20-29: 1. Nicholas Quinn 19:48; 2. Brian McCarthy 20:21; 3. Ryan Chapelle 20:45; 30-39: 1. Mathew Martel 21:04; 2. Michael St. Hilaire 21:29; 3. Francis Lane 21:50; 40-49: 1. Carlos Flores 18:16; 2. Brian Moody 19:50; 3. Edward Bradford 20:44; 50-59: 1. Mike DiTroia 21:51 2. Steven Schwartz 21:57; 3. John Lennhoff 22:32; 60-69: 1. Tom Grilk 27:34; 2. Frank Tamarro 27:52; 3. John Morgan 28:17

5K Women

19 and Under: 1. Lynsay Wray 22:30; 2. Sarah Warden 22:34; 3. Jennifer Gaudet 23:22; 20-29: 1. Jana Tarbox 23:45; 2. Rebecca Blaine 24:19; 3. Tina Valentin 26:41; 30-39: 1. Sylene Roberts 23:00; 2. Sue Quimby 23:39; 3. Michelle Roche 23:45; 40-49: 1. Pam Connolly 22:30; 2. Lyn Smith 23:12; 3. Susan Viscosi 23:12; 50-59: 1. Anne Hagen 24:52; 2. Elizabeth Marshall 24:58; 3. Mary Lou Monteiro 27:10; 60-69: 1. Sue Wartman 34:37; 2. Beth Adams 35:31; 3. Beverly Perkins 41:05

10K Men

19 and under: 1. Aaron Martinez, 41:16; 2. Gilead Towne, 45:07; 3. Connor Sullivan, 47:21; 20-29: 1. Alex Geller, 40:21; 2. Tim Morin, 41:15; 3. Brig Leland, 44:31; 30-39: 1. Wenhua Yang, 38:43; 2. Richard Cotta, 38:43; 3. J.P. Gowdy, 40:54; 40-49: 1. Andrew Novis, 39:46; 2. Edward Coleman, 41:57; 3. Dennis Regan, 43:02; 50-59: 1. Donald Chapelle, 38:48; 2. Albert Farris, 39:28; 3. James Wilson, 40:36; 60-69: 1. Yusuke Tajima, 45:01; 2. Robert Spurrier, 53:05; 3. Stan Vassallo, 55:04; 70 and over: 1. Ram Satyaprasad, 52:06; 2. Joseph Ganem, 1:05.31; 3. Mike Beresford, 1:29:04

10K Women

19 and under: 1. Audrey Parrill, 1:06.57, 2. Meghan Buttress, 1:07.26; 20-29: 1. Jennifer Smialek, 47:05; 2. Nadya Bliss, 48:43; 3. Meagan Campbell, 49:11; 30-39: 1. Tracy Breen, 46:20; 2. Krystyna McInally 46:22; 3. Katie Siwicki, 48:02; 40-49: 1. Linda Quimby, 45:43; 2. V. Ardizzone 46:16; 3. Valerie Humphreys, 47:54; 50-59: 1. Sharon Johnson, 49:02; 2. Liza Waters, 51:08; 3. Ann Kucharski, 51:48

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Ex-UMass star holds off North Andover's Kramer to highlight return of holiday race

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