Northfield, N.H. – Spaulding Academy & Family Services in Northfield, New Hampshire partnered with Race Away Events to host both organizations’ first ultra marathon. The race, named the Spaulding Woods 50K, featured a loop style course that 37 runners took to in hopes of completing this technically challenging race on a single-track trail consisting of six 5.6-mile loops with a 4,200-foot elevation gain through Spaulding Woods in Northwood.
Ari Silverfine, of Somerville, Massachusetts, won the men’s division with a time of 6:02:17 and Eunice Foss, of Fruitland, Idaho, won the women’s division with a time of 9:24:16. Silverfine is a long-time runner who successfully took his first attempt at an ultramarathon and Foss is actively working towards completing her goal of running 50 races in 50 states. Of the 37 participants, 18 runners passed the finish line, with at least three of them completing their first ultra marathon.
Funds raised through race registration fees were donated to Spaulding Academy to support the students after the Race Away Events founder, Aaron Sylvain, was inspired to organize the event in an effort to support the school’s mission. It took Sylvain nearly a year to plan and organize the race.
“As ultrarunners, we have the choice to wake up every day and grind through our training, we choose to go on to 100-mile runs,” said Sylvain when asked what inspired him to host the event at Spaulding. “The children at Spaulding Academy don’t have that choice, they must wake up every day grinding to make the best of their unique situation. The toughness that those kids have resembles the toughness of an ultrarunner, that’s what inspires me the most about the Spaulding Woods 50K.”
The parallel between both Sylvain’s values and Spaulding’s allowed for the perfect race day partnership, that not only provided an ideal setting for runners, but also worked to assist Spaulding’s mission to support exceptional children and families toward a successful future. Plans are already in the works for the 2025 Spaulding Woods 50K, after the success of both organization’s first ultra marathon venture.
Sylvain credited much of the race’s success to the phenomenal staff at Spaulding Academy and the selfless volunteers who helped with pre-race trail maintenance and day of event execution. However, anyone who attended the event and had the chance of meeting the Race Away Event’s founder immediately knew that a great amount of the event’s success was due to Sylvain’s dedicated and passionate vision behind the event. For more information, visit https://raceawayevents.com.
Spaulding Academy & Family Services was established in 1871 in Northfield, NH. Formerly known as Spaulding Youth Center, today the organization serves youth from ages 4 through 21 at its 500-acre Northfield campus and offers services such as foster family licensing, Individual Service Option (ISO) foster care, ISO in-home services, child health support services, and more.
