Forty-four brave “Bolters” beat Braman Hill this Labor Day weekend at Northport’s 5th annual 1.1-mile footrace, The Bay to Braman Bolt.
The race to Braman Hill from Northport Marina featured a rematch between Quenton Buss, 33, and Quinn Sanderson, 15. Buss won the event by 17 second (6:38), after beating the teenager but only three seconds last year. He was unable to break his course record time of 6:25 set last year.
Race Director Sawyer Scott attributes the Buss win to his seasoned experience on the course.
“Quinn was nipping at Quenton’s heels in the trails last year,” said Scott. “But Buss reached the Nagonaba Footpath so quickly this time that Sanderson couldn’t even see him.”
The course, divided by a trail called Naganoba Footpath, separates the first stretch of the race from the infamous Braman Hill climb. Buss revealed that his aggressive early pace came at a cost.
Last year, Buss’s first words after crossing the finish line were, “That was too easy.” But this year, after securing his first-place finish, he was humbled by the challenge, describing the climb as “hell” while catching his breath on the ground.
With this victory, Buss becomes the first repeat champion in the history of The Bolt. “It’s an honor to be the back-toback champion and course record holder,” Buss said. “Being from Northport, there’s an extra sense of pride in winning such an incredible local event.”
Rounding out the top five were Wisconsin cousins Teddy Danaher, 17, and Spencer Godbout, 13, with impressive times of 7:31 and 7:37, respectively. Northport native Pohai Müller, 32, secured fifth place with a time of 7:56.
The stellar performances of the top five contributed an additional $800 to the Northport Museum (NAHA). Quenton and Quinn each contributed $250 for finishing under 7 minutes, a feat only they have accomplished— and now twice.
These contributions helped The Bolt 5 raise a record-breaking $3,150, with donations still coming in through the Local Riff Raff Co. Facebook page.
Race Director Sawyer Scott extended congratulations to all the “Bolters” for their victory over Braman Hill and thanked the sponsors and donors who supported The Bolt’s mission to fund the Northport Museum’s documentary project, “New Missions.”
For full race results, visit the Local Riff Raff Co. Facebook page.
