Hingham Fourth of July Road Race 2021 Recap
Fast Racing and Hometown Vibes on America’s Birthday!
This post was written by Coach Erica Knighton.
On Sunday July 4, 2021, Coach Chris and I made a last-minute decision to run the 62nd annual Hingham Fourth of July Road Race in Hingham, Massachusetts. We are so happy we did. Hingham’s 4th of July Road race is one of the best local races we have ever participated in! Chris even got to help the women’s winner break the course record!
The Hingham 4th of July Road Race is organized by the Hingham Recreation Commission and is one of the oldest in the region. The race was first held in 1959 and now attracts well over a thousand local runners each year. The course is a unique 4.47-mile point-to-point route. It runs down the historic Hingham Main Street, passed beautiful centuries-old homes, and ends beneath a giant American flag in a crowd of enthusiastic spectators.
I didn’t know much about the race prior to signing up, but Chris, having grown up in nearby South Weymouth, insisted it was a beautiful course with a competitive field. He wasn’t wrong!
The course was very fast, downhill-dipped, with just a few gradual uphill climbs. The weather certainly helped for a fast race too. July racing typically brings thoughts of brutally humid roads and sweat-drenched singlets. Thankfully for 2021 we were rewarded with ideal racing conditions. America’s birthday in Hingham brought a temperature of just 61 degrees with overcast skies for the 7:00am start!
The race starts outside of the Hingham Middle School. The event began with the national anthem. Then, three musketeers shot off blanks to commence the race. At least they tried too. After a couple of misfires, one of the old-timey dressed men shouted “go!” and we were off!
Coach Chris Knighton from Providence, Rhode Island ran very evenly paced over the four-and-a-half-mile race. Chris started the race with a training partner and fellow Providence runner, Regan Rome. The duo shared the work for much of the race as they passed by historic and pristine homes from 1700’s and 1800’s. Local Hingham residents lined the streets offering cheers of encouragement throughout the race. After four steady miles, Chris Knighton was able to use his height to his advantage and surge in the final downhill to finish 7th overall in a time of 24:20. Regan Rome finished moments behind, winning the women’s race in 24:33!
Regan Rome’s incredible run awarded her not just 1st overall in the women’s race and also a course record! Rome’s finishing time of 24:33 beat the previous course record of 25:15 set by Romalda Clark in 1992. Did we mention this race has been happening since 1959?!
The men’s race was won by Zachary Prescott of North Weymouth, MA. The Boston University graduate easily won the race in a time of 22:31. We had the opportunity to run our cooldown with Zach and talk about all things running. He even knew our fellow Heartbreak teammate Rosa Moriello. Running is a small world!
Coach Erica Knighton from Providence, Rhode Islans also ran an exceptional race, crossing the finish line as the 5th overall woman and winner of the F30-39 age group! This was her first race since her Providence Half Marathon and a significant leap forward in performance! Erica is on fire!
The Hingham Fourth of July 2021 Road Race was a fantastic way to spend America’s birthday. The race was extremely well run, the course was beautiful, and the spectator encouragement was tremendous! Even the post-race atmosphere was fun! I walked away with some cool freebie shades and always love a cut orange and banana!
We highly recommend you save the 4th of July in 2022 for this race!
Continue the conversation in the comments below
Have you run the Hingham Fourth of July Road Race?
What year did you run and what was your experience like?
Do you have any questions about the race?
Let us know in the comments below!
1 Comment
Derek M Cerjanec · July 7, 2021 at 11:31 AM
You guys are like animals! Nice job, both.
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