2025 Road Race Grand Prix opens in Portsmouth with hot competition

March 9
After a 'false start" storm-related cancellation of February's 4 Mile Championship, the 2025 USATF-NE Road Race Grand Prix opened in high gear at the OS1st St.Paddy's 5K, USATF-NE championship event. 
1123 competitors covered the traffic-free course in the Pease Development Authority development in Portsmouth NH, with 570 USATF-NE members entered. The course had enough rises and turns to make for an interesting loop with varying wind provided an extra challenge

Race winner DJ Principe (CMS) was unpressed in breaking the tape at 14:50, and led CMS to their first open division team win in several years with a 5 runner time of 1:16:58. Greater Boston TC was 42 seconds back with their best recent placing. Second through fifth places were just 29 seconds apart as 19 clubs fielded scoring squads. So deep was the field that 16:00 earned 37th place, and only 2 scorers for the top 9 teams had times over 16:00. Top master Chris Antunes (Somerville Road Runners) ran 15:46.

Tucked in among the dense men's field, Alexandra Lucki (B.A.A.) was first female home, clocking 16:40 wtih runner-up Maddy Berkson (Battle Road TC) 13 seconds back. Slightly better depth had Tracksmith Boston Hares outrunning Battle Road 1:28:07 to 1:28:30 in the 5 runner team total; 14 clubs scored in the open divisionwith 13 also in the 40+ results.  Leading the masters in 18:04, Jess Minty contributed to the Open team placing for Battle Road.
Thanks for the championship quality presentation by host Millennium Running.
Full results
The series continues at the Frank Nealon Boston Tune-Up in Upton MA on Saturday, April 5.

(race photo - Tom Derderian)