NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Pittsfield’s Simeon Mercier and Kelly Maginnis were the top male and female finishers in the inaugural Hoosic River Run on Saturday at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

 

Mercier clocked a 5-kilometer time of 20 minutes, 12.65 seconds to finish 49 seconds ahead of the field. Maginnis placed fifth overall among 41 finishers and first among female finishers with a time of 22:06.07.

 

The 5K competitors were joined by 32 participants in a 1-mile walk held in conjunction with the race.

 

“People loved the route we created with the support of Mass MoCA: viewing the river’s North Branch before walking through MoCA’s Mary Lum exhibit, exiting and shortly thereafter enjoying the sight of the free-flowing South Branch meandering next to Noel Field,” HRR President Nancy Bullett said.

 

Organizers credited Mayor Jennifer Macksey and the City of North Adams with helping make the event a success, along with the Berkshire Running Center, volunteers along the route and sponsors that included Specialty Minerals, Casella Waste Management, the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, RK Miles, Berkshire Bank, Greylock Community Club, Haddad Auto Group, Mezze Bistro, Tunnel City Coffee, Door Prize, Big Y, Hotel Downstreet, Grazie and Coyote Flaco.

 

A highlight of the day included hearing the premier of “The Wise Old Hoosic River Suite,” a piece created for the HRR event by the students at the Berkshire Academy for Advanced Music Studies located in Heritage Park, a spot along the run route. The composition can be heard at https://www.berkshiresacademyams.org/baams-presents.  

 

Organizers also provided an opportunity to meet with Tessa Kelly, whose Pittsfield design firm Group Work has been hired by Hoosic River Revival to meet with residents living near the Hoosic River to discuss options for creating riverfront permanent, public gathering spaces for music, recreation, and relaxation. 

 

Hoosic River Revival is a non-profit organization dedicated to modernizing the aging, unattractive Hoosic River flood control system in order to reduce flood risk, enhance climate resilience, and create a community asset for North Adams. For more information, call 413-398-5288 or email info@hoosicriverrevival.org.