Overview:
The annual Big Cheese 5K road race, held in Athol on Saturday, April 1, saw 241 participants. The race is part of the Athol/Orange River Rat Race. Jacob Bassett of Barre and Katie Babineau of Athol were the overall winners in the men's and women's categories, respectively.
ATHOL – Amid chilly temps and a mix of sun and clouds with a brisk wind blowing, 241 people joined the annual Big Cheese 5K, one of the many events held as part of the Athol/Orange River Rat Race
Jacob Bassett of Barre and Katie Babineau of Athol were the men’s and women’s overall winners in Saturday’s Big Cheese 5K road race. Bassett, running in the 15-19 age group, finished with a time of 19:14 while Babineau, competing in the 30-39 age group, crossed the finish line at 21:35.
Cameron Woodcock of Orange, running in the 30-39 age group, finished a close second for the men, recording a time of 19:15, while Brody Faucher of Barre (15-19) took third with a time of 19:23.
Second place for the women went to Julie Bergeron of Baldwinville (40-49), who clocked a time of 22:55, while Kelsey Cass of Athol (30-39) finished in 24:15.
Several people said this was the first time they participated in the Big Cheese, such as Lee Anne Colecchi of Gardner.
“This is my first race here, although I do other races in the area,” she said. “I’ve been trying to do this one for a couple of years, but the weather just didn’t agree with me.
“I’m a speed walker, a race walker. I race walk all my races. Thirty-five minutes for me would probably be a good time; I’m hoping to finish under 40.”
Colecchi met her goal, finishing with a time of 37:23.
Cal Rooney of Athol was another Big Cheese first-timer. Describing himself as an “ultramarathoner,” he said, “I’m just running this one for fun. I’m not looking for a time, I’m just running with some friends. It’s just about enjoying it and having some fun.”
Friends Laura LaChance and Colleen Amidon said they were walking the 5K course. Asked if they were race walking or taking the race at a leisurely pace, Amidon said, “Oh, we’re gonna move. We’re not dilly-dallying.” Both said the decided to take part as a way to support the Y and its programs for kids and adults.
A visitor from Bainbridge, New York, Dale Persons, said he was competing in both races Saturday.
“I’ve done the River Rat Race for years. In fact, 20 years ago my partner Dennis Carey and I won it. So, anyway, they had this race going on and I’ve probably been doing it for the last seven or eight years. We race this afternoon, but this gets my heart rate up and kind of gets me ready for this afternoon’s race.”
While Persons finished the Big Cheese 122nd overall, he and Carey finished 10th in the River Rat.
Other runners included 11-year-old Maggie Day and 10-year-old Tyler White. Both run track at Athol Royalston Middle School. While Maggie said she was hoping for a time under 45 minutes, Tyler quipped, “Less than an hour.” The two both crossed the finish line at 34:36.
Race Director Liz Day of the Athol Area YMCA said more than 241 took part in the 5K.
“This was just a great day,” she said. “We’re going to start planning for next year’s race earlier than we did this year, but I think things turned out great. It was a really good day for the community.”