Waterford 5K draws 242 racers

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STILL GOING — Bart Hague, 85, was the oldest competitor in the Waterford 5K Saturday, and finished last – but finished with a smile.

WATERFORD — The sun shone down and the temperatures dipped to create a perfect setting for the 13th Waterford 5K Foliage Race and Fun Run this past Sunday. The red and golden colors of fall set the tone for the competitors, along with the usual chili cook-off, this year provided by the Waterford/Harrison PTO and community members.

This year, we had 242 race participants, from as far away as Denver, and as old as 85 – Bart Hague from Waterford, who run/walks it every year – topping all other years of the 13 races that have been held. It is a race to benefit the Tony Waldeier scholarship fund, which so far has awarded over $30,500 to graduating seniors going on to further their education.

Mr. Waldeier taught for many years at the Waterford Memorial School. It is a fitting tribute to a man who dedicated heart and soul to the students in Waterford for close to 30 years. He passed away in 2001.

As expected, TimothyEven of Stoneham came in with the blazing time of 17:02, followed by Makoto Watanabe of Hebron, 17:30, and Josh Grenier of Otisfield, 18:40. In the women’s group, Jacqui Black of Naples took first place at 21:11, followed by Sara Bradley of Waterford, 21:51, and Sandra Iacozili of Fryeburg, 22:00.

In the 1 mile fun run, Shannon Nelligan of Abington Ma. took first place for the girls with a time of 7:49, followed by Margaret Chingos of Brunswick,Me, 8:20, and Mariel Beebe of Waterford, 8:57. For the boys, Jed Graboys of Waterford took first place at 6:37, followed by Collin Cooper of Acton,Ma, 8:07 and Hanz Berger of Waterford, 9:08.

The chili cook-off was won by Amy Sawyer of Wateford, with over 20 entrants.

The PTO will be back again next year, to raise funds for their schools.