Rindge Recreation Department hosts Le Tour de Common 5K

Olivia Richard of Rindge, who finished third overall, was the first female finisher and the first 17-and-under finisher, checks her time as she crosses the finish line. STAFF PHOTO BY ASHLEY SAARI—

Matt Letourneau of Rindge makes the last lap around the Rindge Common. STAFF PHOTO BY ASHLEY SAARI—

Pat Martin, 73, walked the route with first-time racers Marilyn Griska, 79, and Laurel Cameron, 71. All are from Rindge. STAFF PHOTO BY ASHLEY SAARI—

Pat Martin, Marilyn Griska and Laurel Cameron of Rindge, all of whom are over the age of 70, walked together for motivation during the Rindge Le Tour de Common on Saturday. STAFF PHOTO BY ASHLEY SAARI—

First-place finisher Benjamin Pyhala of Rindge finishes the Le Tour de Common 5K on Saturday. STAFF PHOTO BY ASHLEY SAARI—

Runners take off from the starting line during Le Tour de Common. STAFF PHOTO BY ASHLEY SAARI—

Trayton Chapman of Rindge, who finished fourth overall and was the frist male 17-and-under finisher, raises his arms in celebration as he crosses the finish line. STAFF PHOTO BY ASHLEY SAARI—

Runners race for the finish during the Rindge Le Tour de Common 5K Saturday. STAFF PHOTO BY ASHLEY SAARI—

Christopher Blais of Jamica Plain, Mass., finishes in seventh place. STAFF PHOTO BY ASHLEY SAARI—

Rolando Dumont of Rindge pushes across the finish for a 12th-place finish. STAFF PHOTO BY ASHLEY SAARI—

Kevin McCusker of Rindge runs for the finish. STAFF PHOTO BY ASHLEY SAARI—

By ASHLEY SAARI

Monadnock Ledger-Transcript

Published: 08-07-2023 9:24 AM

A total of 39 runners participated in Saturday’s annual Le Tour de Common 5K run in Rindge on Sunday, including septuagenarians Marilyn Griska and Laurel Cameron, for whom the race was their first-ever 5K.

Rindge runners took the top three spots, with Benjamin Pyhala finishing first overall with a time of 17 minutes and 11 seconds, taking both first overall and for the male 18-to-29 age group.

Second place went to Seth Seppala of Rindge with a time of 18:38, which also qualified him as the first finisher for the male 30-to-39 group.

Olivia Richard of Rindge took third place with a time of 21:57. Richards was the first female finisher and first for the female 17-and-under category.

Though they were the last across the finish line, Woman’s Club members Griska, Cameron and Pat Martin, all of Rindge, completed the race, which Griska and Cameron said was their goal for the day, as it was their first ever 5K at the ages of 79 and 71, respectively. The women have been training for the race, which they walked, with Martin, who walks or runs the Le Tour de Common every year. Martin, 73, joked that if you keep at it long enough, eventually all that competition ages out and you can start collecting gold medals for your age category.

“People my age need to keep going,” said Griska, who used her walker to assist her. “It’s about finishing, for me. So that I can say, even people with limitations can do it.”

The three agreed to walk together as a team, supporting each other, and for the final push of the race down Todd Hill, donned their Woman’s Club aprons. Griska finished 37th of 39 racers, and was able to collect the accolade of age group champion for females over 70, with a time of 1 hour, 14 minutes and 8 seconds.

Results of the 2023 Rindge Le Tour de Common:

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