34th Annual Spooner 10K & 
Race History
The first Spooner 10K was held in 1979 in honor of O. Gardner Spooner.
O. Gardner Spooner, New Bedford premier distance runner, ran his first Boston Marathon in 1943 at the age of 55, finishing 53rd in a field of only 156. An avid cyclist, Spooner turned to running when cycling competitions dwindled during World War II. He finished 12 Boston Marathons in all, and could be spotted training for those and other races along New Bedford's streets. He continued running into his 80's, until he suffered a fatal heart attack in 1969 while running on Shawmut Avenue.
The Greater New Bedford Track Club's first annual O. Gardner Spooner Memorial Road Race, held on August 12, 1979, had four age divisions for men and women and cost $2 for pre-entries and $3 for post-entries. Medals went to the first hundred finishers and all finishers received certificates. Trophies were presented by Spooner's wife Ruth. Despite the rainy weather, 120 runners completed the race. The winning time was 33:28 and Larry Finnerty was the first GNBTC member to finish with a time of 33:36. The first two female finishers both had times of 44:48.
In 1981, the event, held on November 22nd, was a Silver Championship race for the New England Athletics Congress, the predecessor to the USATF-New England. The silver title was to go to the first finisher who had never won the silver title before. Team awards were added - with the first five finishers in each team figuring into the scoring. The Ruth Spooner Memorial Cup was awarded to the first female finisher.
In 2009, the 5K distance and Halloween theme were added to the event. The event was also moved to Halloween weekend. A short kids' run was held prior to the races. Results
In 2010, the 10K course was modified to improve runner safety. The 10K had a record number of finishers (151) and the 5K field (361) more than doubled since the year before. The event was officially named the Spooner 10K & Spooky 5K Run/Walk. Runners came not only to honor the 10K's namesake, but also to enjoy the costumed festivities. Results
Results
2011
2010
2009
2008
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
