Winning Big at 2011 Cox Providence Rhode Races

Winning Big at 2011 Cox Providence Rhode Races

Tom O’Grady and Emily Kroshus were the big winners at last weekend’s 4th annual Cox Providence Rhode Races.

The weekend-long event featured four races, with nearly 7,000 runners in attendance, highlighted by the 26.2-mile Cox Sports Marathon.

Twenty-five-year-old Tom O’Grady, of Latham, NY, was the first to cross the finish line of the Cox Sports Marathon in front of a large crowd of spectators on Exchange Street in downtown Providence. With a time of 2:31:25, O’Grady set his own personal best as well as a new course record.

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Greeted at the finish line by his four-month-old son Connor, O’Grady shared his thoughts about the race. “It was a tough race," he said. "My goal was to hold back in the first half and see how it unfolds. I was hoping to finish under 2:31, but I was hurting the last two miles. This race puts me in a good position to reach my goal of 2:30. One step at a time, I am closer to my goal. I am really happy to win this race.”

Runner-up was Jeremy Adler of New York, NY, who completed the course with a time of 2:34:23. In third place was Nick Menzies, 31, of Jamaica Plain, MA, with a time of 2:34:55. Menzies was the winner of the 2010 Amica Marathon in Newport this past fall.

Twenty-eight-year-old Emily Kroshus, from Boston, MA, was the first female to cross the finish line with a time of 2:53:23. Kroshus last won a marathon in 2005 when she placed first at the Philadelphia Marathon.

“I haven’t won in a while. This is a pretty great feeling,” said the Harvard graduate student. “I had a good race, this was a beautiful course. It showed off Providence nicely. It was a great event.”

Behind Kroshus was Lisa Kaplan, 40, of Watertown, MA, who finished with a time of 2:55:29. Finishing in third place was Jacquelyn Jackman, 33, of Warwick, with a time of 3:03:05.

As for the Eident Sports Half Marathon, 2009 winner Eric Lonergan took the title again this year. The 25-year-old set a course record with a time of 1:09:22.

“The weather was beautiful and the course was great,” said Lonergan. “My goal was to be consistent and stay comfortable. It was tough because there wasn’t anyone around me to work off of. I used the bike guy (lead cyclist) to help me, he was great.”

Zachary Kudlak (NY), and Brennan Galloway (CT), finished second and third with times of 1:12:45 and 1:14:18 respectively in the Eident Sports Half Marathon. Twenty-six-year-old Yale graduate student, Sarah Piazza, was the top female finisher with a time of 1:22:35.

Also this past weekend was the inauguration of the Munroe Dairy Kids Marathon, and the Shape Up RI 5k. Providence’s Alan Bernier took the Shape Up RI 5K title in 16:15. Warwick’s Issy Nielson was the top female with a winning time of 19:58.