Huddle leads 4 under course record at Lone Gull 10K / USATF-NE Championship

Overcast skies and a seabreeze did not make Sunday a beach day, but it proved to be ideal for running. 
Molly Huddle (Rhode Island TC / Providence RI) set a new course and race record at the 16th annual Lone Gull 10K, serving as the USATF-NE championship.  A two-time USA Olympian, Huddle's time of 32:50 bettered the previous record of 33:43 set in 2019 by Molly Seidel, 2021 Olympic marathon bronze medalist, and matched in 2022 by Regan Rome.  Huddle had placed third in 2022 just a few months after giving birth to her first child.  She told New England Runner magazine that Lone Gull was her first race after an injury.

Following Huddle, Boston Athlettic Association runners Abbey Wheeler (33:20), Bethany Hasz (33:26) and Megan Hasz (33:40) placed second through fourth and also broke the previous record, as they led their club to the team title.

The men's race came down to a two man sprint down the length of the Good Harbor Beach parking lot. Breaking the tape was Marcelo Rocha of the Ocean State Athletic Club, two seconds ahead of New England 10 Mile Champion Ben Drezek (Tracksmith Boston Hares/Lowell MA).  Rocha, a 2023 Providence College graduate, recorded a time of 29:40, just 7 seconds off the men's course record. The B.A.A. also won the men's team championship.

Jenn Lutz (Battle Road TC) and Karolyn Bowley (W50) are the only division leaders to remain undefeated after six 2023 GP races. 

With 728 runners crossing the finish line in 2003, the race saw an increase of 132 from 2022; it's among the most popular in the Grand Prix series.  Race proceeds benefited The Children’s Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf in Beverly.

Full preliminary results can be found at www.gsrs.com/results/4788