The Arnold Mills Road Race in Cumberland, held annually during the Fourth of July holiday, has long been known for attracting many of Rhode Island’s top current and former high school distance runners.
It will be no different on Saturday.
Held in conjunction with the town’s Fourth of July Parade, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, the popular four-mile race will once again feature an impressive field of elite open and collegiate runners. As always, it will also showcase several familiar faces from the local high school running scene – both past and present – with a number of them expected to contend for top finishes in what could be one of the deepest fields in race history.
Defending champions and husband-and-wife duo Colin Bennie and Abby (McNulty) Bennie return with hopes of making it two straight. Colin Bennie captured last year’s men’s title in a course-record 18:47.3. The former Wachusett Regional standout and 2:09 marathoner led four runners under 19 minutes. Abby Bennie, a Cumberland native and former Bishop Feehan star, won the women’s race in 21:58.3, finishing nearly two minutes ahead of her closest challenger.
Cumberland’s Ben Drezek, a three-time champion and third-place finisher a year ago, will miss this year’s event after suffering a hip labral tear during the Ottawa Marathon last fall. Even without Drezek, the field features a who’s who of local distance-running talent.
Cranston’s Chris Collet and Smithfield native and La Salle Academy graduate Joseph dos Reis, who finished second and fourth, respectively, in 2025, are entered. They will be joined by two-time champion Bronson Venable and three-time winner Brian Doyle, both of whom have also committed to the race.
Several of the state’s top recent high school graduates will also be on the starting line, including multiple All-Staters Sean Gray of Portsmouth and Marshall Vernoin of La Salle Academy.
On the women’s side, Abby Bennie will face strong competition from recent Bryant University graduate Jasmine Trott, a multiple NCAA Division I East Regional qualifier who owns a personal best of 33:35.17 for 10,000 meters. Also entered is 2023 champion Rory Sullivan, the former St. Raphael Academy standout who is now competing at Furman University.
