Pinkham Notch, n.h.
Robinson, 41, completed the race up New England’s tallest mountain in 1 hour, 22 minutes, 21 seconds, bettering the next female Granite Stater by more than eight minutes and ending up fifth among all women in the event. Robinson’s time was also good enough to claim the women’s 40-to-44 age group by more than two miles. Robinson finished 117th overall out of the 538 cyclists who were able to complete the race.
Lyme’s Scott Nichols also had a winning trip up the mountain. Nichols, 45, won the men’s Clydesdale division (for competitors weighing at least 200 pounds) in a time of 1:13:25 that was also fourth-best among New Hampshire men and 48th overall. Nichols also placed fourth in his age group.
Orford’s Dennis O’Connor, 55, wasn’t far behind, posting a time of 1:18:24 that was good for 83rd overall and seventh among New Hampshire men. O’Connor landed 13th among men ages 55-59.
Other Upper Valley riders completing the race included (with overall finish):
Donald Graham, 69, Vershire: 1:38:51 (277th).
Peter Dickinson, 66, Chelsea: 1:51:16 (370th).
Anthony Gove Sr., 55, White River Junction: 1:52:59 (382nd).
Alex Coombs, 49, Claremont: 1:53:56 (388th).
William Andrews, 54, New London: 2:02:13 (434th).
Margaret Andrews, 54, New London: 2:54:47 (530th).
Manchester
Valerie Thompson, 59, was named the outstanding female athlete at the championship. Thompson competed in five events, winning the 16-pound weight throw (29 feet, 11.5 inches) and 50-meter dash (in a personal-best 9.45 seconds). Thompson also finished runner-up in the shot put and discus while also playing fourth in the javelin.
Jane Higgins, 67, earned the age-graded outstanding thrower award as a result of her performances at Memorial High. Higgins won both events in which she entered, throwing 21-2 in the shot and 33-4.75 in the 12-pound weight throw.
Four TSAC men were age-group event winners as well. Dave Brooker, 73, took the 16-pound weight throw (34-11.75); John Bronstein, 76, won the discus (personal-best 86-10); Scott Chapman, 58, prevailed in the shot (37-7); and Pat Morris, 61, won the discus (163-9) in his division.
Lebanon
The evening, which runs from 5-9 p.m., will bring in food, beer and wine from a variety of Upper Valley restaurants and vendors for an evening of sampling. Music, dancing and a cash bar will also be part of the event.
Proceeds from A Tasteful Evening will go toward several CCBA initiatives. The organization hopes to install push-button doors to make the facility more accessible, upgrade public Wi-Fi and start a fund to help with maintenance of the center’s tennis courts.
Tickets are $50 per person or $90 for a couple and can be purchased at the Witherell Center. Call 603-448-6477 for more information.
Three at a Time
Omaha, Neb.
Enfield’s Michael Libuda will be heading to the 2017 worlds in Rotterdam, Netherlands, thanks to his efforts in Omaha. Competing in the Olympic-distance competition, Libuda posted a time of 2 hours, 48 minutes, 1 second, which was 13th among all men in the 65-69 age division.
Norwich’s Jeff Reed raced in the shorter sprint race and posted a time of 1:15:24 that was good enough for 13th place in the men’s 60-64 age group. Thomas Gessner doubled his fun by competing in both races; the Grantham resident was 20th in the men’s sprint 50-54 age group, clocking 1:09:46. He was also 44th in the same age division at the Olympic distance with a time of 2:27:53.
Other Upper Valley competitors at age group nationals:
Harrison Chapman, Hanover: Olympic distance, 2:21:07 (44th among men ages 20-24); sprint distance, 1:09:46 (26th in age group).
Peter Glenshaw, Lyme: Sprint distance, 1:21:35 (49th among men ages 50-54).
Tyler Bergmeier, Hanover: Sprint distance, 1:23:38 (48th among men ages 45-49).
Grantham
The tournament hopes to raise money that will help design, imlement, staff and sustain programs that provide youth ski jumpers from the region programs to either start or extend their participation in both jumping and Nordic combined. Proceeds from the tournament will also help with funding compensation and travel expenses for NESJNC’s head coach for summer and winter competitions.
The golf tournament is set for a 1 p.m. shotgun start at Eastman (11 a.m. registration). The cost to participate is $200 per person or $600 for a foursome, which includes golf, carts, range balls, NESJNC hats and a post-tournament barbecue and awards ceremony.
To learn more, contact either Tom Oddy at 802-318-1970 or kajen4321@gmail.com or Walter Malmquist at 802-291-0519 or wmalmquist@kingcon.com.
Randolph
The tournament is an 18-hole scramble for four-player teams at a cost of $220. The fee includes greens fees, a post-tournament dinner and the chance to claim a variety of prizes. The tournament kicks off with a shotgun start at noon, and the dinner, awards and prizes will be handed out at 4:30 p.m.
This rain-or-shine event has a registration deadline date of Sept. 24. Contact Hartford High boys hockey coach Todd Bebeau at 802-296-6068 for more information or to reserve a spot in the tourney.
Thetford
Hikers can join two trips. On Sunday, Peter Hope (603-863-6456) leads a hike of Carter Dome in Jackson, N.H., a very strenuous, all-day excursion covering 12.7 miles. Hope will lead something tamer on Wednesday, a hike of 2-3 miles through the wooded trails of Cornish’s Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site.
Paddlers can join Dick Ruben (802-333-3707) for a Saturday trip along the Ottauquechee River from Hartland Dam to Quechee Gorge. For cyclists, Jason Berard (jason.berard@uvlt.org) will lead a mountain bike trip on Mount Ascuty on Saturday, while Inge Brown (802-280-8017) will guide a 14-mile trip on the Northern Rail Trail on Tuesday.
Claremont
The event is open to adults as well as children at least 11 years of age. The day will also include a free one-mile kids course for children ages 10 and younger.
The event is limited to 500 competitors. Advance registration is available for $45 for individuals and $140 for a family of four; day-of registration increases to $40 and $150, respectively. Race-day registration begins at 8 a.m.
For more information, visit www.reachthepeaknh.net.
Lebanon
The day will consist of a timed 5K run along with a wheelchair-accesible 5K walk along the Northern Rail Trail in Lebanon. The event starts at 8:30 a.m., with day-of registration from 7-8 a.m. at the Upper Valley Senior Center at 10 Campbell Street in Lebanon. Pre-registration is $25 per person (available online at runsignup.com/Race/NH/Lebanon/SpecialNeedsAllianceMoveAthon), increasing to $30 on the day of the event. Everything ends in the field adjacent to the Spark Community Center along the NRT in Lebanon.
Special Needs Alliance members High Horses, Global Campuses and Visions for Housing Solutions are also getting behind the Move-a-Thon effort.
Sharon
The Sprouty consists of a 10-kilometer run, a 5K run/walk and a kids’ fun run. The 5K and 10K take off at 9 a.m., with the fun run following at 10:15 a.m.
Online registration is available at runsignup.com/Race/VT/Sharon/The Sprouty. More info can be found at sharonvt.net or by contacting Catherine Freese at freesevt@gmail.com or 802-889-9410.
Orford
The event operates on donations to the Rivendell Trail Association. The suggested fee is $15 for adults to participate in either a 5K or 10K trail run or 3.6-mile hike planned for the day. The event begins and ends at Rivendell Academy, with shuttle bus service to the race and hike starting locations. A free lunch from area restaurants is also provided to all participants.
Visit the CRT’s Facebook page for more information.
Fairlee
Riders may choose routes of six, 21 or 30 miles, all starting in Fairlee for their respective tours. All along each route, participants will get to stop and sample fare provided by eateries around the Upper Valley such as Arianna’s Restaurant, Base Camp Cafe and Lou’s Bakery, among others.
Visit www.uvtrails.org for more information or to register in advance.
Wilder
The VSOA will come at Whitcomb High School in Bethel for a clinic on Saturday, an all-day event running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Contact Gary Blodgett at gblodg@comcast.net or either 802-558-3147 or 802-228-8711 to register.
Another clinic will take place at Peoples Academy in Morrisville on Friday at 1 p.m., with both classroom and scrimmage clinics planned for the same day. For more information on the Morrisville clinic, contact Frank Martel at 802-782-4489 or fmartel55@yahoo.com.
In both cases, the cost to participate is $75, with $25 of the fee covering NHFS insurance.