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Thousands pack Green for Faxon Law New Haven Road Race

NEW HAVEN >> Temple Street was packed with traffic again Monday, but instead of cars going bumper-to-bumper, it was great runners from across Greater New Haven and around the country going toe-to-toe.

Thousands of people crowded into sidewalks, crammed into bleachers and squeezed into stairwells and balconies — anywhere they could go Monday to watch runners challenge the record books and their own personal bests in the Faxon Law New Haven Road Race 5K and 20K competitions.

The cheers echoed through the sun-splashed city Green as Jared Ward (59:24) and Molly Huddle (1:06:26) locked up 20K championship titles and runners like Sean Collins, of Madison, set new personal records.

Collins came across the 5K finish line in 17:32, which knocked 23 seconds off his personal record in the race.

“It was awesome, one of the first races of the season,” said Collins, who runs cross country for Daniel Hand High School. “It’s a tradition.”

Collins, who finished 21st overall in the race, ran the race for his fourth time and said the music booming out from bands all along the course kept him going.

He and teammates Collin Roth (14th, 16:47) and Niko Zorba (39th, 18:12) were all among the first runners to charge toward the finish line between Elm and Chapel streets. Afterward, all three were all smiles.

“It was really fun,” Roth said. “It was really exciting.”

They were among an estimated 2,500 runners who competed in the 5K. Another 4,000 were expected for the 20K race, which was the USA Track & Field national championship for that distance.

Check out the 5K results here and the 20K results here.

Race officials and runners alike said the conditions for Monday’s race were much improved from 2014. While it was sunny and warm — especially around the time of the 20K finish — the high humidity of the previous year was gone.

The 5K race took runners up Whitney Avenue along the eastern edge of the Yale campus and into East Rock with runners turning at Cold Spring Street before coming back down Whitney and finishing on Temple.

“It’s a lot of fun, a really scenic race with a lot of cheering,” said Sarah Pollock, of Newtown, as she cooled down after finishing. “I think at every point in the race you could hear music from the bands. It’s a cool way of looking at the city.”

The 20K course sent runners down Elm then up Broadway and Goffe Street to Crescent Street. They came down the Boulevard then took Edgewood Avenue into Westville before going up Yale Avenue.

They took Willard Street to Alden Avenue, then took Alden down to Chapel Street and took Chapel almost all the way across the city to East Street. They turned and took Grand Avenue into Fair Haven then took Batley Avenue and State Street before running through East Rock Park. They came out on East Rock Road headed for the home stretch on Whitney Avenue and Temple Street.

After they finished, the racers and their families got to chow down on hot dogs, loaves of bread from Chabaso Bakery, scoops of Turkey Hill ice cream and treats from Dunkin’ Donuts as the band on the Green belted out 1980s hits and elite runners accepted their awards.

For some, Monday’s race was a personal first. Edgar Nunez and Howard Jean-Denis, of New Haven; Reuel Parks, of Hamden; and Ike Okwuosa, of Milford, trained together as a way of staying healthy and in good shape. They all said they were very excited as they headed toward the starting line of the 20K. The four said it was their first organized long run.

For others in the race Monday, hitting the 20K starting line is an annual tradition.

Twelve runners have been on the 20K starting line every year since its inception in 1978. Known as “streakers,” they are all men who range in age from 56 to 72. They include a firefighter, attorney, state trooper, railroad executive and school teacher, and many are now retired. Three of them are cancer survivors.

The streakers who finished again Monday are Rick Conte, of Branford; Peter Halsey, of New Haven; Jim Kennedy, of North Haven; Mark Martin, of Madison; Charles Matassa, of East Haven; James McCormack Jr., of West Haven; Stephen McLaughlin, of Branford; Walter Messersmith, of Hamden; Steve Praskievicz, of Bethany; Kenneth Ritt, of Norwalk; Peter Sanchez, of New Haven; and William Schaeffer, of Branford.