Chase the Butterfly 5K and Kids Run

Sunday, May 4, 2025. Recap by LINDA DESJARDINS.

Another race in the NSS Grand Prix was held today and it was spectacular!  The weather, which was predicted to be iffy at best all week, was just fine: lower 60’s and overcast, a tad humid for early in the season but good running weather.  The race was organized to raise funds benefitting the Ipswich Family YMCA and The CureCMT4J Foundation and included a kids fun run.  The location, the former Proctor Estate has a historic significance.  It was sold to the Catholic Church in 1955 and served various functions such as a seminary, a novitiate and Don Bosco school, and was purchased by BioLabs in 1999.  The property is amazing – beautiful buildings retaining their charm, well-manicured and landscaped acreage, rolling hills on the roadways, all preserved, and sitting amid all this splendor are the New England BioLab structures and facilities.  It was a very convenient location with plenty of parking and easy access: a perfect backdrop for the 5K race.

The race itself started off downhill for at least a mile and the scenery was breathtaking with all the flowering trees and shrubs and bulb flowers in bloom. Runners were eating up the course!  Eventually the course went out on to a public road with very little traffic and then circled around to another entrance to the property and ended on an uphill – though it seemed much shorter than the downhill portion.  No one complained as we all anticipated the finish would be a bear and were delighted that it wasn’t.

North Shore Striders truly outdid themselves, especially with John Ayers winning the race for the men, and then many, many other fantastic finishes.  Many medals were awarded to NSS runners and this is especially significant as the age groups were 10-years, not the more runner-friendly 5 year divisions.  Bananas and energy bars and water were free at the finish as was a free beer for each runner of age, and to fill our tummies more substantially, a Beef food truck sold their yummy wares.  Both before and after the race we were entertained by a live rock group and then a more country-oriented ensemble.  Very pleasant.

Here’s an accounting of who ran and how they did.  Kudos to all!  Thanks to Jill for compiling this list and for all her help ALWAYS!

NORTH SHORE STRIDER RESULTS:

• 1ST PLACE OVERALL WINNER: JOHN AYERS 18:42****
• 4TH PLACE JOHN LINSLEY  20:04 (1ST PLACE 40-49)
• 6TH PLACE VINCE SWINIUCH 23:15 (1ST PLACE 60-69)
• 10TH PLACE DAN BERNHARDT 24:15 (2ND PLACE 50-59)
• 16TH PLACE BILL KOBUS 24:52 (1ST PLACE 70-79)
• 18TH PLACE SCOTT WHITTEN 25:04 ( 3RD PLACE 50-59)
• 21ST PLACE LIAM CHRICHTON 25:27 (2ND PLACE 20-29)
• 22ND PLACE REBECCA IMPERIALI 25:29 (1ST PLACE 50-59)
• 24TH PLACE ANNE KOHLER 25:44 ( 2ND PLACE 50-59)
• 27TH PLACE JOHN MCFADDEN 25:57 (4TH PLACE 50-59)
• 35TH PLACE MELISSA WHITTEN 27:05 (3RD PLACE 50-59)
• 37TH PLACE JENNIFER O’NEIL 27:!4 (2ND PLACE 60-69)
• 41ST PLACE KIRA ASHBY 27:35 (4TH PLACE 40-49)
• 69TH PLACE MARIAN SALES 30:35 ( 3RD PLACE 60-69)
• 70TH PLACE VANESSA DIRANIAN 31:07 (10TH PLACE 40-49)
• 75TH PLACE MARIELLEN HAYWARD 31:32 (5TH PLACE 60-69)
• 78TH PLACE RON IMPERIALI 31:41 (6TH PLACE 60-69)
• 81ST PLACE TINA PALMER 31:59 (6TH PLACE 50-59)
• 89TH PLACE KATELYN BOAMAN 32:38 (8TH PLACE 30-39)
• 92ND PLACE LIZA BATHURST 32:48 ( 16TH PLACE 40-49)
• 109TH PLACE RYAN AYERS 34:28 (9TH PLACE 30-39)
• 122ND PLACE LISA LAVERTY 35:56 ( 10TH PLACE 50-59)
• 161ST LINDA DESJARDINS 42:09 ( 6TH PLACE 70-79)