James Mabry, president of Middlesex Community College, Ellen Kennedy, president of Berkshire Community College, Lane Glenn, president of Northern Essex Community College, and Nolan Atkins, interim president of Lyndon State College in Vermont, all ran in the NECC Campus Classic 5K on May 6.

There was friendly college rivalry at the Fifth Annual Northern Essex Community College Campus Classic 5K and Fun Run, held on Saturday, May 6 on the college’s Haverhill Campus.

Lane Glenn, president of Northern Essex, won third place in his age group; Nolan Atkins, interim president of Lyndon State College in Vermont, took home second place in his age group; and James Mabry, president of Middlesex Community College was second in his age group.

All presidents brought teams from their colleges to the race and they were joined by Ellen Kennedy, president of Berkshire Community College, who drove a van of Berkshire falcons all the way from western Massachusetts.

Close to 300 runners, representing a wide variety of organizations and communities, registered for this year’s race.

Finishing first overall was Austin Thiele of Andover, MA, with a time of 17:39, followed closely by Samuel Flint of Methuen, 17:44, and NECC student Ruben Santa-Waldron of Haverhill, 17:45.

Men’s Winners (left to right) Austin Thiele of Andover, lst; Samuel Flint of Methuen, 2nd; and Ruben Santa-Waldron of Haverhill, 3rd with NECC President Lane Glenn.

Kate Gage of Danvers, MA, was the top female finisher with a time of 22:25.  NECC staff member Lauren Lynch of Manchester, NH, 23:15, and Lisa Doucett of Lowell, 24:13, finished second and third respectively.

NECC President Lane Glenn said he was pleased to see so many teams participating.  In addition to the runners from Berkshire and Middlesex community colleges and Lyndon State College in Vermont, other groups included the NECC Police Academy, the Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, the Merrimack Valley Striders, and the North Shore Striders.

The official teams weren’t the only ones sporting college apparel.  Many of the individual runners showed their college pride by wearing running shirts and sweatshirts branded with the name of their alma mater.

Women’s winners (left to right) Kate Gage of Danvers, 1st; Lauren Lynch of Manchester, NH, 2nd, Lisa Doucett of Lowell, 3rd, and NECC President Lane Glenn.

The Campus Classic 5K and Fun Run is an annual college fundraising event held each spring along the Haverhill Campus USATF certified course.  People of all ages and competitive levels, including novices and walkers, are encouraged to take part in this growing campus tradition.  Proceeds benefit the NECC Annual Fund for student scholarships and academic programs.

Covanta, one of the world’s largest owners and operators of infrastructure for the conversion of waste to energy as well as other waste disposal and renewable energy production businesses, is the Gold Sponsor for this event.

Lindsay Graham, director scholarship, alumni & community relations, said she was pleased to see so many Northern Essex students running this year, and she credits the involvement of Amy Callahan’s Public Relations class.  The class helped promote the race on campus and, as a result, the number of students running this year doubled.

She was also pleased with the new touch-a-truck addition this year.  Children enjoyed exploring vehicles and equipment provided by Essex County Sheriff’s Department, Lawrence Police Department, Haverhill Fire Department, United States Air Force, Motion Media, and Mass State 911.

Here are photos and here is a full list of results.

For more information on the Campus Classic 5K and Fun Run, contact Lindsay Graham, lgraham@necc.mass.edu.

With campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence, Northern Essex Community College offers over 70 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth.  Each year, 8,500 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,600 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley.  Northern Essex is the only state college located in the lower Merrimack Valley Region of Massachusetts. For more information, visit the website at www.necc.mass.edu.