Green Mountain Mile 2026

Sports

Jul 3

July 3, 2026 | By Waterbury Roundabout

The finish line is set up at the corner of Main and Stowe streets. Photo by Gordon Miller

Photo by Gordon Miller

Waterbury’s Not Quite Independence Day tradition would not be complete without the annual Green Mountain Mile foot race that gets the party started.

On Saturday, June 27, Harwood Union Middle School eighth grader Sava Leitner led the pack to the finish line in 5:36 min., followed closely by Matthew Toborg (5:41) and Jacob Rye who crossed in 5:45 min.

“I was doing what I was born to do,” Sava told UVM Community News Service reporter Otis Roessler. The win was particularly sweet after Leitner finished the 2025 Green Mountain Mile in fifth place with a time of 5:51.3.

Henry Managan claimed fourth place in 5:59 min. with Sam Rost on his heels in 6:02 min. for fifth. A last-minute burst just yards from the finish line made for a battle for sixth place as Tristan Martin (bib 548) overtook Beckett McElroy (bib 540). The two finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in 6:10 and 6:11 min. (See photos.)

The one-mile run wrapped up by 4:07 p.m. as the final participants—several parents with knee-high racers—crossed the finish line. William Wright, carrying young daughter Vivienne, closed out the race.

Runners in this year’s Green Mountain Mile set a new record for participation and Brookside Primary School’s Nordic ski program will benefit. Modest entry fees will contribute over $1,300 to the program’s equipment fund. Full results are posted below, listing the 229 runners who took part, ranging in age from 2 to 71, according to race organizer Tom Thurston.

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Click on the images below by Gordon Miller to enlarge. Feel free to right-click to download and save any shots of your favorite runners. (When saving, add ‘.jpg’ to the end of the filename to save as an image.) There’s no charge, but as a virtual tip jar of sorts, consider making a tax-deductible contribution to the Waterbury Roundabout. Shooting, editing and posting takes time and effort. Thank you!