Leaf Peeper volunteers keep the race running
October 7, 2026 | By Katie Lyford
Runners start the half marathon. Photo by Gordon Miller
Last Sunday, the back streets of Waterbury and Duxbury filled with more than 400 people of all ages and abilities competing in the 42nd Leaf Peepers Half Marathon and 5K races.
Race volunteer Phyllis Arsenault-Berry cheers on runners at the start. Photo by Katie Lyford
In past years, Tim Noonan was one of those runners. But this year, Noonan, president of Central Vermont Runners, the group that organizes the Leaf Peepers race, was one of 40 volunteers needed to pull off the event.
“You know, you have these epiphanies, and I had an epiphany once when I was finishing a 10-mile race. I said, ‘You know what? I’ve been running races since 1977, and the only way these races happen is by volunteers.’ So I started volunteering,” said Noonan, who is also a cross-country coach.
Noonan said that out of all the events they organize, the Leaf Peepers has long been the biggest one. The group puts the money they make from the races back into the community by supporting high school sports programs and other events, he said.
“[Volunteering is] giving back to the sport,” said Noonan. “I think runners are generally appreciative, but some people don't get that it’s a ton of work that goes into setting these events up.”
Even though he wasn’t competing due to an injury, Noonan said he enjoyed helping herd racers at the start line, answering questions from runners, handing out prizes, and assisting race director Will Robens with last-minute things as they came up.
And most of all, he enjoyed watching many familiar faces as they competed. One was Jonnie Dunne, of Montpelier, who was the first to complete the 5K with a time of 18:41.
John Benner, Winooski, was the winner of Sunday’s half marathon with a time of 1:09:17.6, falling short of Dave Sinclair’s 2025 finish of 1:07:27.8, but landing him as the new second-fastest half-marathoner in the race record book, according to Robens.
“I was going after the course record today, but as soon as I turned around, I kind of fell off as soon as the hills started going up,” Benner said. “It was also definitely a really, really hard second half of the course, and I think I just maybe went out fast, but still always good to race.”
Half marathon winner: John Benner, 29, of Winooski, with a time of 1:09:17.6. The race's new second-fastest finish. Photo by Gordon Miller
Winner of the 5K: Jonnie Dunne, 38, Montpelier, with a time of 18:41.0. Photo by Gordon Miller
According to results posted on the race website, 276 runners completed the half marathon and 155 ran the 5k.
Noonan wasn’t the only runner helping on the sidelines. Other Central Vermont Runners members Donna Smyers, Phyllis Arsenault-Berry and Laura Medalie were also on hand to support the athletes by distributing race bibs and cleaning up the information tent once the race began.
“If you're not gonna run, for whatever reason, it's just a good way to be part of it,” Medalie said.
Arsenault-Berry agreed. “It's nice to talk to the people coming in from different states and even some from other countries,” she said.
Smyers said having participated in the race in the past makes volunteering even more fun. “You get to talk to some of the people that it’s their first time at this race and you get to encourage them, especially having run the course,” she said.
In the past, runner Bob Murphy has volunteered for the runners group by certifying race courses, which involves mapping, measuring and auditing a course to satisfy strict certification rules. As an engineer, he said it was a good task for him.
“The most exciting thing about this was being asked to certify the Boston Marathon course. We were up all hours to get it done, and it was really neat to see it all come together afterwards and be a part of that,” he said.
Murphy completed Sunday’s Leaf Peepers 5K, coming in second for his age group with a time of 35:14.2. Next time, he said he might try the half-marathon race again, but with a walk/run approach.
Asked his key to running at his age, Murphy said, “Don’t get injured.”
See complete race results for the half marathon and 5K online at leafpeepershalfmarathon.org.
Katie Lyford is a community reporting fellow receiving civic reporting training through the Journalism New England Career Lab.