It was a West Tisbury School trifecta on the men’s side at the Chilmark Road Race on Saturday, with Sam Fetters taking first place, Jack Lionette coming in second and Michael Schroeder notching third place.
It was a West Tisbury School trifecta on the men’s side at the Chilmark Road Race on Saturday, with Sam Fetters taking first place, Jack Lionette coming in second and Michael Schroeder notching third place.
All three runners grew up on the Island and spent their elementary school years at the West Tisbury School.
Lilly Tuck was the first female finisher.
Lilly Tuck was the first female finisher.
Lilly Tuck, of Sunderland, Ontario, took home first place on the women’s side for the second year in a row, and the fourth time overall. Mariane Johnson placed second (earning first place in 2023) and Megan Cerullo placed third on the women's side.
The men’s top three have also been familiar faces over the years at the top of the leaderboard. In 2024, Fetters took fourth, behind Schroeder who took third (who won in 2021), and Lionette who came in second.
Charlie Ortmans won in 2024 (as well as in 2023 and 2022) but without him in the race this year, it was anybody’s to win, and it came down to the wire.
Fetters, 20, won with a time of 15:53, followed by Lionette, 20, with a time of 16:11, and Schroeder, 30, with a time of 16:15.
Lionette checks how close Schroeder is.
Lionette checks how close Schroeder is.
Tuck, 23, was fourth overall, with a time of 16:27. Johnson finished with a time of 17:39, and Cerullo finished with a time of 19:17
Fetters has participated in the race for the past five years, but this year kicked it onto another gear, besting his previous best time by nearly a minute.
“My favorite part about being involved is always the people,” Fetters said after the race. “Crossing the finish line felt electric.”
Tuck also enjoyed a personal best, beating her own course record by 40 seconds. The men's course record is 14:38, set in 1996 by Art Smith.
A heated battle by the top 3 - at this point it is Lionette, Fetters, Schroeder.
A heated battle by the top 3 - at this point it is Lionette, Fetters, Schroeder.
“It’s just such a great race community, there are always people throughout the course, so I always have a lot of fun and it’s great to open my season here,” she said.
The 5K race is notable for its views and hills, as well as being an essential August tradition for many. The race was started in 1978 by Hugh Weisman, who continues to organize it each year with an army of volunteers.
Staked out at the finish line on Saturday was Courtney Antonucci and her dog Chesca, supporting her husband Mark, who was running his first Chilmark Road Race.
“We love this area, this is our favorite part of the Island, so I am just so excited to be here, involved in all this and to see him finish,” Ms. Antonucci said.
At the start.
At the start.
Serafina Krag ran with a large group of family and friends, all wearing pink shirts, a tradition of theirs dating back nearly 30 years.
“Running with them is the best,” Ms. Krag said. “The best, though,” she said, “is also afterwards basking in the glow.”
Cassandra Dean and Michael, from Camp Jabberwocky, were one of the first wheels to cross the finish line with a little inspirational help by listening to the song Wannabe by the Spice Girls.
“It was fun, it was hot, but a good time,” Ms. Dean said.
For Mr. Weisman, race day was a moment for celebration and of a job well done.
“The day was fantastic...and now I’m looking forward to getting a slice of pizza at the Chilmark Store,” he said.
Comments
What a wonderful day for
Mary Jane Nevin ChilmarkWhat a wonderful day for this great Annual Community event. Congratulations to Sam for Winning and congratulations to the other winners for coming in with such great running times. This course is surprisingly
Tough for even the most seasoned runners. You made us all proud today!!
Congratulations to all the
JS MVCongratulations to all the participants in this year's Chilmark Road Race.
I would like to express my dissatisfaction with the Gazette's reporting, however. It seems that newspapers invariably list the results of men's races first, and it this case, acknowledges the top three male finishers but only the first place finisher in the women's division. In my opinion, Ms. Tuck's record-breaking time (by a whopping 40 seconds!) should have been the headline, rather that being overshadowed by the results of the men's race.
I mean no disrespect to Mr. Fetters, Mr. Lionette and Mr. Schroeder and congratulate them on their well-run races as well. However, given that women represent 50% of the population, I would like to challenge newspapers to report the results of women's races first at least 50% of the time. In an age when women earn roughly 80 cents on the dollar for the the same work performed by men, and salaries in women's professional sports lag far behind those of men's leagues, this would be a good first step toward equal recognition.
Agree completely, and for the
Hugh Weisman ChilmarkAgree completely, and for the record, there were 753 female finishers this year and 703 male.
Editors note: the second and
Vineyard Gazette EdgartownEditors note: the second and third place female finishers and their times have been added to the article. Thank you for pointing the omission out.
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