The 49th running of Fairhaven’s popular Father’s Day Road Race took place this morning in excellent early summer conditions, with temperatures in the mid 60s. The competitive 5k, which features just over 100 feet of elevation gain, saw over 1,000 runners cross the finish line.
Check out footage from the race’s first mile below:
Breaking the tape for 1st place was Fairhaven native Will Benoit, who ran a quick 15:03. Benoit lead from the get go, taking the race out aggressively into a light headwind in the first mile. Not far behind in second was Rochester, Ma native Adam Sylvia, who ran 15:22. Sylvia started his race more conservatively, tailing the lead pack by 4 seconds roughly a quarter mile into the race. He would eventually track down the second and third place runners and display his 4:08 mile PR speed in the race’s final stretch for a fast kick. The battle for third place was a close one, with Wyatt Lee (16:08) just edging out Ben Davignon (16:10).
See what Benoit and Sylvia had to say after their 1st and 2nd place finishes below:
The first place finisher on the women’s side was race veteran Rachel Schilkowski, who has consistently been one of Massachusetts’ fastest road runners over the past decade. Schilkowski, who finished 7th overall, reeled in over 10 runners after the race’s first quarter mile to cross the line in 16:54. In second place was Haley Desmarais, who finished in 18:41, while Naomi Cass took third in 19:51.
Schilkowski spoke with Tape Break after her race:
As Fairhaven’s most popular race, this morning’s run was a return to its pre-Covid level of popularity. See what race directors Russell Benoit and Tom Wojick had to say about this year’s event: