As the snow flakes fell, nearly 1,200 runners made their way through parts of the Fairfield Hills campus and surrounding roads to complete the 3rd Annual Sandy Hook 5K on March 28.

Kevin Boughan edged out fellow Sandy Hook runner Nathan Steinebrey to win the morning race — both competitors had official times of 17:37, but Boughan, 39, broke the ribbon just tenths of a second before Steinebrey, 18. The top female runner, Erin Flanagan, 24, came in 13th overall in a time of 20:43. All proceeds from the event will go to the Newtown Memorial Fund.

The top dozen runners, following the winner and runner-up, are as follows: 3. William Goodman, 35, 18:56; 4. Joel Duval, 15, 19:01; 5. Ryan Escoda, 15, 19:28; 6. David Oelberg, 51, 19:33; 7. Joshua Bent, 15, 19:42; 8. Riley Rising, 16, 20:02; 9. Pedro Padilla, 37,  20:06; 10. Jeff Steinebrey, 46, 20:08; 11. Isaac Grosner, 16, 20:28; 12. Kevin Grimes, 52, 20:36.

Star 99.9 radio personality Anna Zap and Newtown teacher/baseball coach Matt Memoli announced names of runners as they crossed the finish line, and offered encouraging words for the hearty participants.

Many runners were bundled up for the chilly elements; others were in shorts and seemed unfazed by the conditions. Numerous participants wore green and white to honor the Sandy Hook school colors.

“I think it was a good showing given the weather,” Newtown’s Paul Gordon said. “There’s a lot of heart in this town and it shows today.”

The snow made for some unusual running conditions for many of those on hand.

“It was a cool experience but it was cold because the snow was coming right in your face, so that was a little challenging,” Christina Caron said. “Now I’m officially ready for spring.”

“It was tough but it was fun. It just added to the overall atmosphere of the race, the cause, and everything we stand for in Newtown — the resiliency,” Newtown’s Scott Marcum added.

Donations to support the Newtown Memorial Fund may be made at http://bit.ly/1CKu2fP. Checks may be made out to the Newtown Memorial Fund and sent to Newtown Memorial Fund, Inc, PO Box 596, Botsford CT 06404. Donors are asked to add “Sandy Hook 5K” in the memo line. For information about opportunities to volunteer at the 5K next year, e-mail volunteersh5k@gmail.com. Those interested in becoming a sponsor should send an e-mail to sponsorsh5k@gmail.com.

For race results, click here, and for more coverage, check out the April 3 print edition of The Bee.