Fun Topped The List At The West Bay Y Run

Fiona and Zoe Fairbanks, age two, completed their second Sunday morning – in a running stroller.

Mom Robin Fairbanks – who works for one the of the event sponsors, – says the family often takes part in weekend fundraising walks. The twins might be ready to “compete” on foot next year. “Right now, they kind of walk in all directions,” she reported.

Family and fun appeared to lead the agenda for the May 15 four mile run/one mile walk on Quonset Point, which raised more than $2,000 for the West Bay Y Financial Assistance Campaign. Sixty families and individuals registered for the event, which began and finished at  (Southern Rhode Island Collaborative Education & Training Center) on Camp Avenue.

Racers and walkers competed for gift certificates. Maeve McNulty was the winning female runner and second-place finisher overall. Bill Adams was the name of the first and third finishers – a son and his father from West Kingston led the men’s competitors.

The junior Bill Adams said the race was his first victory, and Dad, who works at Electric Boat, said he’d enjoyed his best finish ever. Both said they benefited from a smaller field than they had faced in previous years.

The number of participants for the West Bay Y’s sixth Run 4 Fun was down from 89 last year. But Kaitlyn Rooney of the West Bay Y said the cloudy, threatening weather may have discouraged potential runners. Several racers said the race did not appear to be as well publicized as in previous years. “It wasn’t on coolrunning.com,” the senior Bill Adams noted, referring to a popular running website where the race results are posted. “I did not hear about it until the last minute.”

The rain held off until after the event, and the smaller crowd had an upside: At the finish line competitors found plenty of water, bananas, hot cross-buns -- courtesy of sponsor Great Harvest Bread Co.— Subway sandwiches, and enough free T-shirts for everyone who completed the course.