14 Photos
Runners, including Southampton's own Barbara Gubbins, trot through a flooded Dune Road at the start of Saturday morning's Over The Bridge races.
The lead runners come down Ponquogue Bridge during the ninth annual Over The Bridge 10K and 5K races.
The lead runners come down Ponquogue Bridge during the ninth annual Over The Bridge 10K and 5K races.
The lead runners come down Ponquogue Bridge during the ninth annual Over The Bridge 10K and 5K races.
Gustavo Morastitla of Southampton won the ninth annual Over The Bridge 10K on Saturday morning.
Brad Louis of Troy, New York, placed second overall in the 10K.
Tara Farrell of East Quogue was the first woman to cross the finish line in the 10K.
The start of the Over The Bridge 5K.
The start of the Over The Bridge 5K.
The start of the Over The Bridge 10K.
The start of the Over The Bridge 10K.
The start of the Over The Bridge 10K.
Runners for the 10K had to deal with a flooded portion of Dune Road.
Runners for the 10K had to deal with a flooded portion of Dune Road.
Hurricane Dorian may have only grazed the south shore of Long Island on Friday but it certainly made for an interesting and more-difficult-than-usual Over The Bridge 10K and 5K races in Hampton Bays on Saturday morning.
The first stretch of the race on Dune Road was covered in a good foot of water or so, enough to make runners stay in the middle of road, but even then they were still splashing each other. Then a strong headwind coming down Ponquogue Bridge added to the difficulty of the race, which is hosted by the Hampton Bays Lions Club and in its ninth year.
As usual, the race featured a number of strong local runners, many of whom came out on top. Gustavo Morastitla, a 2018 graduate of Southampton High School, now 19, won the 10K race in 35:55.92, a mile pace of 5:47. Tara Farrell, 40, of East Quogue was the first female to cross the finish line of the 6.2-mile race in 40:43.27.
Nick Berglin, 22, a graduate of Hampton Bays High School who also recently graduated from SUNY Oneonta, won the 5K in 17:29.49. Rebecca Tooker, 23, of Eastport, and a graduate of Eastport-South Manor High School, was the first female to cross the finish line of the 5K in 24:17.
All results can be found at elitefeats.com.
This year’s event was in memory of Sal Villareale, an active member of the Lions Club who died in March, as well as others in the Hampton Bays community. This was also the first Over The Bridge races that were a part of the U.S.A. Track and Field-Long Island chapter Grand Prix Individual Series.
Funds raised from the event by the Lions Club typically go to sponsoring six seeing-eye dogs through the Smithtown Guide Dog Foundation. Three of those six dogs go to returning war veterans. A number of other charitable organizations that benefit from the race include the Dominican Sisters, who help families in need, St. Rosalie’s Food Pantry of Hampton Bays, Hampton Bays Little League, local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and Maureen’s Haven, which provides shelter and support to the homeless on the East End. The race also provides scholarships for students in the Hampton Bays and Westhampton Beach school districts.
