Record Setting Performances in 11th Annual Over the Bridge Race in Hampton Bays on Saturday

Clear skies and perfect temperatures prevailed as runners and walkers of all ages and ability levels turned out for the 11th annual Over the Bridge 5K and 10K run in Hampton Bays on Saturday morning.

Turnout was strong despite the fact that it was a busy day for racing in the area. The Hamptons Marathon and Half-Marathon was held the same day just a few miles to the east, in Southampton Village, and the Great Cow Harbor 10K in Northport Village, which draws a lot of participants, also happened Saturday morning.

Despite that, more than 350 people were at the foot of the Ponquogue Bridge on Dune Road Saturday morning to take part in the race that has become a much anticipated tradition in Hampton Bays for the past decade-plus. The race offer participants — especially those who do a high number of road races — a little something different, as it takes both the 5K and 10K runners over the picturesque bridge, with sweeping views of the ocean and bay to start. The course diverges early on in the race, with the 10K runners peeling off for a varied and longer run, but they all end up at the same finish line, on the athletic fields behind the Hampton Bays Middle School.

Hampton Bays alum Nick Bergland, 25, led from start to finish in the 5K, setting a new course record with a time of 17:26, a blistering 5:37 mile pace. Sofia Galvan, 14, of Hampton Bays was the top female finisher in the 5K, 10th overall, in a time of 23:05 (7:26 pace). Galvan is a member of the Hampton Bays High School girls cross country team, and improved her personal-best time by nearly a minute in the 5K, according to head coach Kevin O’Toole.

In the 10K, Louis Volle, 38, of Eastport took the top spot in 39:23 (6:20), also believed to be an Over the Bridge record for fastest finish in the 10K. Melissa Rockwell, 39, of Orient was the top female finisher (6th overall) in 47:06 (7:35 pace).

While the record-breaking performances of the 5K and 10K winners were impressive, the finish line saw participation from runners of all ages. Many children under the age of 12 finished the 5K, with East Quogue resident Jonah Greenwald, 11, grandson of race director Frank Butz, finishing 15th overall in 25:59. There was strong participation from the 70-plus age range as well, with Jerry Koop, 83, of East Quogue coming across the line in an extremely impressive 31:42, Fernando Recalde, 74, of Hampton Bays finishing in 34:28, Kathy Sarg, 78, crossing the line in 47:52, and 92-year-old Robert Goldfarb of Southampton finishing in 57:30.

Full results are at elitefeats.com.

Race Director Frank Butz said he and the rest of the organizers from the Hampton Bays Lions Club were happy with the turnout, and with the fact that the race raised somewhere in the neighborhood of $40,000, which will support the “good work the Hampton Bays Lions are known for.”

The Hampton Bays Lions Club focuses most of its charitable efforts on helping people with blindness and on supporting military veterans in need of assistance. The organization has helped fund six seeing eye dogs from the Smithtown Guide Dog Foundation, as well as Canine Companion dogs for veterans.

He added that it was the first time that the race had been contested on the same day as the Hampton Marathon, and that organizers would likely move the Bridge race a week earlier next year, to avoid that conflict.

Butz expressed his gratitude to the race’s many local sponsors as well as to the Southampton Town Board, Southampton Town Parks and Recreation Department, Southampton Town Police Department and the Hampton Bays Volunteer Ambulance Corps for their important contributions to make the race a success every year.