By Kimberly Phyfe
Three Village Historical Society launched its first annual Culper Spy 5K on Sunday, Sept. 8. It’s the first annual because there are already plans in the works to bring this wonderful community event back next year.
Margo Arceri of Tri-Spy Tours is the brainchild behind Culper Spy Day, which just celebrated its tenth year. As she stated in her welcome address, “It takes a village, sometimes three!” She remarked that “this community has truly embraced the Culper Spy Ring story that reaches all ages. I look forward to Culper Spy Weekend next September with the 5K becoming a huge part of the celebration of our rich history.”
The festivities began on the TVHS lawn with a stretch and warm up from Real Deal Fitness with bagels and coffee donated by David Prestia of Bagel Express.
As families gathered, 17 children participated in a fun run to Ridgeway Avenue and return. Back at the starting line on North Country Road, 309 racers got ready to run through the Old Setauket Historic District. The route headed north past the Setauket Neighborhood House where volunteers stationed a water stop, through Frank Melville Park, across Main Street by Patriots Rock, around Caroline Church and back to the historical society headquarters.
These sites were once farmlands, battlefields and home to Revolutionary War heroes which made the run “powerful and emotional — you really feel the deep sense of pride in our history when you’re out there,” one runner commented.
As head of the Three Village Dads Foundation, David Tracy posted that 3V Dads were “honored to be the finish line sponsor of the inaugural Culper Spy 5K hosted by the Three Village Historical Society. What a great turnout, beautiful day and awesome route. Looking forward to next year’s event!”
Mari Irizarry, director of TVHS said, “We are beyond thrilled by the incredible energy and overwhelming support we saw throughout the Three Village community for our inaugural 5K race. All proceeds from the run support The Dominick Crawford Barn Education and History Center.”
Irizarry added, “This event was made possible through the remarkable efforts of Sean Grossman, who approached us with this idea at just 14 years old. Sean, now 15, brought together a dedicated committee, secured the expertise of the Strong Island Running Club and led every meeting with maturity and focus. We are incredibly proud of Sean and his commitment to both our organization and the community.”
Strong Island Running Club had a giant finish line to welcome back and celebrate the racers, also capture their times and images. The most senior competitor, Rolf Sternglanz won a medal at 85 years old for completing the course in 44 minutes, 35 seconds.
The top-placed runners were:
Male
1. Blake Weaver 17:10
2. Felipe Garcia 17:30
3. Lucas Sweeney 18:16
Female
6. Jane Radke 19:49
8. Anjali Narayan 20:32
10. Margaret Kennedy 21:29
A full list of all placed runners and sponsors can be found at www.tvhs.org or click here.
