Leaf-peeping at a fast clip

Oct. 7, 2021  |   By Waterbury Roundabout 

Both races start and finish at the State Office Complex and use part of South Main Street for the course. Photo by Gordon Miller

Dylan Broderick of Montpelier (bib 489) leads the pack and finished as the female winner of the half marathon in 1:33:31. Photo by Gordon Miller

Photo by Gordon Miller

Photo by Gordon Miller

Photo by Gordon Miller

Runners cheer other finishers. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, race organizers skipped awards at the end of the races. Photo by Gordon Miller

Photo by Gordon Miller

Photo by Gordon Miller

Photo by Gordon Miller

Runners in the 5K travel the final leg along the Cross-Vermont Trail through a cornfield beside the Winooski River. Photo by Gordon Miller

Photo by Gordon Miller

Ten-year-old Gigi Graves from Stowe was the youngest runner in the 5K finishing in 26:45. Photo by Gordon Miller

The Leaf Peepers races attract locals and runners from around the region. Marina Contarini of Southwest Ranches, Fla., (center) runs the 5k in 30:01; Thomas Houser of Sheppton, Pa., (right) finishes in 30:15. Photo by Gordon Miller

Eric Curtiss of Boston runs the 5k in 30:05. Photo by Gordon Miller

Former Randall Street resident Guthrie Drake dropped in from Montreal for the half marathon, finishing in 1:43:59. Photo by Gordon Miller

The State Office Complex provides the backdrop to the annual race start and finish. Photo by Gordon Miller

Sunday marked the 37th running of the Leaf Peepers Half Marathon and 5K in downtown Waterbury and along the Winooski River in Duxbury. 

The Waterbury State Office Complex was the start and finish hub for the 190 runners in the half marathon and another 132 in the 5K. The course included part of South Main Street and a stretch of River Road in Duxbury with the final leg along the Cross-Vermont Trail beside the Winooski River and a cornfield.   

Jordan Theisen of Park Rapids, Minnesota, was the male winner of the half marathon in a time of 1:14:46. Dylan Broderick of Montpelier was the female winner of the half marathon in a time of 1:33:31

Scott Savage of Jersey City, New Jersey, was the male winner of the 5K with a time of 18:20. Meg Valentine of Jericho was the female winner in 20:33. 

Complete results are online at leafpeepershalfmarathon.org.