On Saturday, August 11, over 300 runners braved the rainy weather to participate in the 7th Annual Rochester Road Race in order to raise money and food for Damien’s Food Pantry in Wareham. A total of 465 pounds of food and canned goods were collected for the charity.
“We want to say thank you to everyone,” said Chuck Kantner, Vice President of the Rochester Road Race Committee. “We encourage people to get involved in the local community and support something that is meaningful to them.”
Kantner has been at the helm of the race since its inception in 2006. He teamed up with a group of local running enthusiasts to create the event.
“There were local races in Marion and Mattapoisett, but Rochester didn’t have one,” he said. “We thought it would be nice if every town in the Tri-Town had a race.”
Rochester rounds out the Tri-Town race season, and with the Marion Village 5K in June and the Mattapoisett Road Race in July, many familiar faces participate in each of the races. Of the 340 registered runners this year, there were a wide variety of seasoned runners and families participating.
“There’s a definitely a number of really good runners,” said Kantner. “But there’s definitely a lot of families and it’s a great family venue. It’s a special event for them.”
The 3.1-mile race started on Dexter Lane, continued down Mary’s Pond Road to Walnut Plain and turned down Clapp Road. From there, runners turned down Mendell Road and finally down Rounseville Road before finishing on the church green in the center of town.
340 runners marks the lowest registration the race has seen in recent years as compared to 358 runners last year and 365 in 2010. Kantner said he believes the rainy weather kept people from registering the day of the race and that pre-registration numbers were actually higher than the previous years. Still, despite the lower turnout, the 465 pounds of food raised for Damien’s Place is the most the race has raised in the past three years.
“Even though the registrations were off a little bit this year, we had more pounds of food and that’s great. In the end, that’s what it’s all about,” said Kantner.
By Katy Fitzpatrick