Marathons raise funds for five nonprofits

The Oct. 11 Newport Marathon and Half-marathon for 2015 in Newport and Middletown served as a fundraiser for five nonprofits.
A donation of $50,000 from the local firm Gray Matter Marketing will be split equally among five nonprofits. Beneficiaries of the event are the Ronald McDonald House of Providence, the Aquidneck Land Trust, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, Boys Town New England and the Newport County YMCA.
In addition, participants raised more than $15,000 for their own charitable causes and initiatives, or donated funds to existing campaigns on the Newport Marathon Crowdrise page.
More than 2,000 runners from across the country ran or walked 26.2 or 13.1 miles.
Ryan Woolley of Westerly won the marathon with a time of 2:33:51. Spencer Mannion came in second place with a time of 2:48:28, and in third place was Jon Lawson at 2:53:52.
The top female runner was Cooper Browning with a time of 3:20:51, followed by Sonya Conley, 3:23:33, and Anna Sofia, 3:26:49.
Daniel Delaney won the half-marathon with a time of 1:16:28. The second and third place finishers were Nicholas Cunkelman and Jared Dealmo, respectively. The top female half-marathon finisher was Kathryn Claiborn, 1:28:08, and the second and third place finishers were Corinne Sejourne and Cassandra Olson, respectively.
“Newport is a treasured destination, and runners and visitors alike are astounded by the natural and historic beauty of these courses,” said Matthew Gray, president of Gray Matter Marketing, the event organizer. “As a Newport native, it was a dream come true to share this event with so many runners, and to give back to the local community at the same time.”
Participants received technical shirts, race-specific finisher’s medals, race photographs, pacing teams and goody bags with samples from sponsors such as Polar Seltzer. Additional sponsors included Brick Alley Pub, Bohdi Spa, Bridge to Fitness, Studio Barre and Run Newport.