DMSE Sports Inaugural Harvard Pilgrim 10K on July 4 Featured 3,000 Runners Crossing Finish at 50-Yard Line inside Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

DMSE managed pair of New England road races, including North Andover 3rd of July Road Race, over hot and humid Independence Day weekend

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (July 9, 2010) – Thousands of runners who braved the heat and humidity over the Independence Day weekend enjoyed a pair of DMSE Sports, Inc.-managed New England road races – the inaugural Harvard Pilgrim 10K at Gillette Stadium on July 4 and the 29th North Andover 3rd of July Road Race.

“The North Andover event, with a 5K and 10K plus a kids’ run, is always a fun time with something for everybody,” said Dave McGillivray, president of DMSE Sports (www.dmsesports.com), a North Andover, Mass.-based national sports event management company. “And a day later, it was really special to see 3,000 runners cross the finish line at the 50-yard line at Gillette Stadium in the first-ever Harvard Pilgrim 10K. What an exciting moment that was.”

Here is a recap of the weekend’s events:

Harvard Pilgrim 10K Road Race

More than 3,000 runners took part in the inaugural Harvard Pilgrim 10K Road Race (www.harvardpilgrim10k.com) in Foxborough, Mass. on July 4.

Starting just outside Gillette Stadium, the 6.2-mile mostly flat course took runners through scenic, tree-lined roads before ending to fanfare inside the stadium. Runners entered the stadium passing through an inflatable New England Patriots helmet, just like the players, before stepping on to the field to the roar of the crowd and seeing themselves on the giant stadium video screen as they crossed the finish on the 50 yard line.

First to cross the finish line was Jon-Michael Brandt, 19, of Winona, Minn., who clocked a 33:42. He was followed by Keiron Tumbleton, 44, of Hopkinton, Mass. (33:52) and Bernat Olle, 31, of Cambridge, Mass. (34:38).

On the women’s side, Lauren Philbrook, 23, of Hopkinton, Mass., won in 37:30, followed by Jennifer Campbell, 27, of Watertown, Mass., (38:31) and Tammie Robie, 35, of Milford, N.H. (38:52).

Full race results are available at www.coolrunning.com/results/10/ma/Jul4_Harvar_set1.shtml.

The Harvard Pilgrim 10K raised funds for two official charities – the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation and the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Initiative.

The Harvard Pilgrim 10K Road Race is the result of a collaboration between DMSE Sports, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and LOCO Sports.

“A lot of work went into turning this dream into a reality and I feel confident in saying it was a great success by all accounts, even given the heat and humidity,” said McGillivray of DMSE Sports, who also directs the BAA Boston Marathon and the TD Bank Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
“We all saw how special this race can and will become. I’m looking forward to the future,” added Mike St. Laurent, President of LOCO Sports (www.locorunning.com).

The race finish at the 50-yard line in Gillette Stadium, with friends and family able to watch from the stands, makes the event a special one for fans of the New England Patriots, McGillivray said.

In fact, this is the third event so far this year managed by DMSE Sports that ended in a professional sports stadium. (The Run to Home Base 9K in April ended at home plate in Fenway Park and the Spring Training Classic 10K Road Race in March ended in Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla.)

McGillivray said race organizers plan to continue to “raise the bar” with the ultimate goal of making the Harvard Pilgrim 10K among the largest and most prestigious road races in the nation. He had been working on the concept for the race for more than six years and, with the help of St. Laurent, finally was able to pull it off.

North Andover 3rd of July Road Race

A new-look North Andover road race (www.najuly3.com) returned the same results: a family-friendly day of fun for all involved.

Race organizers moved the event up a day to July 3, moved to a new location at Drummond Field and infused a “festival” approach to an event that featured a Kids Mini-Olympics as well as the traditional Kids 2K and the evening 5K & 10K races. More than 1,000 children and runners participated in the events.

Top place winners included:

Men’s 5K

1. Kevin Alliette, 29, of Methuen, Mass. 16:15
2. Brendan Trombly, 32, of Cambridge, Mass. 17:12
3. Sean Tombley 18:07

Women’s 5K

1. Melissa Donaus, 26, of Andover, Mass. 19:48
2. Lori McInerny, 36, of Westford, Mass. 20:13
3. Tracy Breen, 39, of Windham, N.H. 21:28

Men’s 10K

1. Alex Kramer, 18 of Shrewsbury, Mass. 34:48
2. Casey Carroll 38 of Dover, NH 35:18
3. James Primes, 23, Andover, Mass 36:03

Women’s 10K

1. Melissa Perkins-Banas, 39, of Danielson, Conn. 40:47
2. Katelynn Slyvester, 27 of Medford, Mass 46:25
3. Olivia Marshall, 17, North Andover, Mass. 46:26

Complete race results and photos can be found on the race website, www.najuly3.com.

The event kicked off with the Kids Mini-Olympics. More than 200 children as young as one year old to age 12 opened the Games with an Olympic Torch lighting and Parade of Athletes. The little athletes then participated in Olympic events such as track & field, gymnastics, soccer, and a “mini-marathon.”

Following the evening races, the event ended with a BBQ for all the athletes followed by the annual fireworks display.

DMSE teamed with the Merrimack Valley Striders, one of the largest amateur running clubs in New England, and the Town of North Andover to institute the changes to the popular event this year.

"With all the changes this year, we need to analyze the event and determine what is best for the future,” McGillivray said.

Founded by McGillivray in 1981, DMSE Sports, Inc. is a leader in sports event management, specializing in creating, marketing and producing mass participatory athletic events throughout the U.S. and abroad. McGillivray has produced or consulted on more than 900 mass-participatory athletic events throughout the world, including 23 Boston Marathons; the 2004 and 2008 USA Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials, the 1990 Triathlon World Championship, the 1998 Goodwill Games Triathlon, and the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. For more info, visit www.dmsesports.com.

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Photo caption: The DMSE team gathers inside Gillette Stadium at the inaugural Harvard Pilgrim 10K in Foxborough, Mass.