Hundreds of local runners gathered in the Seacoast area of NH to pay tribute to fallen Greenland NH Police Chief Michael Maloney this past Sunday. In April 2012, just eight days before his retirement, Chief Maloney was killed in the line of duty by an alleged drug dealer. Just days following his death, the first annual run took place in Portsmouth, NH. With the help of the Millennium Running management staff, the Chief Maloney Memorial Fund was able to raise tens of thousands of dollars for the Maloney family over the first event. Since then, the race has continued on an annual basis and helped support the Seacoast New Hampshire area first responders – over a half million dollars has been raised for the cause just from the Unity Run alone. The race is now a point-to-point slightly downhill 10k trek from Stratham, NH police department to Greenland, NH police department and was included in this year’s New Hampshire Grand Prix slate.
On the men’s side, recent Southern NH University grad and Gate City Strider Jake Wormald got out quick from the gun, splitting 5’12 for the slightly uphill first mile, then holding his lead through 2 in 10’32, 3 in 15’49. Despite CMS/White Mountain Milers double-teammer Jim Johnson challenging the whole way, Wormald held his lead all the way to the finish and broke the tape in a solid 32 minutes, 48 seconds. The newly minted 40 year old Johnson would place 2nd in 33’15 over the 10k layout for a very respectable masters’ racing debut. The battle for third evolved into a dual between Gate City Strider Brandyn Naro and Upper Valley Running Club’s Kevin Hartstein. Though Hartstein was the stronger man at the Boston Marathon (2’48 vs. Naro’s 2’52), it was Naro who covered the Maloney course fastest – running it in 33 minutes, 49 seconds. Hartstein finished in 34’07 for the 4th position.
The women’s race also featured a gun-to-wire victory as Millennium Running’s Emily Cousens hammered from the gun and never let up. Cousens cruised through the first three miles in 5’59, 5’58 (11’57), and 5’44 (17’41), leading the rest of the women’s field by a solid margin. She would eventually break the tape in 36 minutes, 2 seconds to win. The silver medal battle came down to a kick between Upper Valley’s Mary Peters and Whirlaway Racing sensation Amy Bernard. Out of the two, Peters would edge Bernard by a slim 3 seconds, out-racing her via 38’20 to 38’23 by net time. Millennium’s Caitlin DiFava would place a distant 4th female in a speedy 39’21 over the 10k course.
We’ve got video coverage of the event with splits at the mile and 3 mile:
See full results courtesy of Millennium Timing
