LETTER: NRPA Road Race A Success This Year

To the Editor:

Many thanks to all who made the 25th Narrow River Road Race on Saturday, May 19, a complete success, one beyond my expectation given the economic conditions and overload in everyone’s schedule.

The race went off without a hitch thanks to the many volunteers, including students from the Rocky Hill School and Bishop Hendricken High School, and the cooperation of the towns of Narragansett and South Kingstown.

The annual 5K Walk, 5K Run and the 10K Run has a delightful course. The 10K starts at the Narragansett Beach, turns at Treaty Rock Park in South Kingstown and finishes at the starting point.

The 5K runners and walkers are bused to their starting line at Treaty Rock Park and finish at the Narragansett Beach.

It is a great course as it crosses Narrow River at both Sprague Bridge and Middle Bridge and provides a grand view of the Chafee Wildlife Refuge.

This year, as in the recent past, the lead sponsor was Citizens Bank.

Other sponsors and donors include: A Quick Tire, AAA of Southern New England, All That Matters, Bagelz the Bagel Bakery, Bart's Flooring & Carpet Center, Basil's of Narragansett, Belmont Market, Bess Eaton Coffee Shop, Brickley's Ice Cream, Buckley Heating & Cooling, Camire's Athletic Soles, China Garden, Crazy Burger Cafe and Juice Bar, Damon's Hardware, DB's Pizza, Dunkin' Donuts, Fat Belly’s Pub, Feet First, Italian Village Restaurant, Laurel Lane Country Club, Lawrence L. Goldberg, Law Associates, Rob and Peggy Leeson, Martha Day Attorney at Law, Mews Tavern, Nardolillo Funeral Home, Narragansett Pest Control, New England Runner, Northup's Imported Car Service, Old Mountain Lanes, PD's Pizza, Pick Pockets Deli, Picture This Framing Center & Gallery, PJ's Pub, Purple Cow, Rawlings Floor Coverings, REMAX/Flagship, Rhody Joe’s Saloon, Roch's Fresh Foods, South County Hospital, South County Orthopedics, Starbucks, Sweenor's Chocolates, The Kingston Hill Bookstore, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Wakefield Shoe Repair, and the Wickford Factory Outlet.

The funds raised at the road race are used for educational and environmental programs that protect and improve the environment for all communities of life within the Narrow River Watershed.

The graphic theme this year was a photograph of the Saltmarsh Sparrow by Wolfgang Wander. The photo was printed on t-shirts that are given to participants, and a framed picture of the sparrow was presented to the 36 winners of the specific age categories in each of the three events 10K run, 5K run and 5K walk.

The Saltmarsh Sparrow was chosen because of the unique and interesting gestation cycle that, in layman’s terms, takes place just between the high tide of one month and the high tide of the following month. This 28-day cycle is pertinent because if the timing is not on target, the nest in many cases gets washed away.

Thank you to everyone who made it happen!

Richard Grant, President

Narrow River Preservation Association