Sam Parsons, a professional runner from Newark, Del., and son of CRR Christina Parsons and CRR George Parsons, won the 3,000m indoor German National Championship in Leipzig on Saturday. Parsons, who has dual citizenship because of his German-born mother, made the decision last year to compete for her homeland.
The 25-year-old Parsons and another German-American runner, Amos Bartelsmeyer, finished 1-2 and were the only competitors to break eight minutes, Parsons clocking in at 7:53.71.
In a post-race interview, an ecstatic Parsons said, “It was amazing to compete here today. This is something special for me to start for the first time at the German Championships. The people here are so much cooler than in the U.S. The audience loves athletics. Now I am looking forward to running at the European Championships, and I hope to bring home a medal for Germany.”
He later posted, “I wanted to win so badly. I was willing to pour out whatever was necessary to win. It’s a moment I’ll cherish forever.”
A Tatnall School and North Carolina State University graduate, Parsons will be off to represent Germany in the European Championships on March 2–3 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Will he be ready? With two Creek Road Runners forming his direct bloodline, we bet he will be. “I’m not afraid of opponents,” he declared.
> See post-race video interview (in German)
> Also see Parsons breaks four-minute mile.
Editor’s Note: Parsons took 12th place in the Euro Championships on March 2.
On the track, it’s about time—typically all about time. But this is not so true when it comes to CRR Jim Fischer, who has put more time (and love) into the sport of running and racing—as competitor, coach, and community mentor—than anyone else in Delaware. For his latest honor, all we can say here at 
In CRR lore, Fischer was one of the five scoring members on the second-place-finishing Creek Road Runners team in the 1988 Caesar Rodney Half Marathon’s corporate team competition, clocking a 1:19:05. Other scorers that day were CRR Martin Wolfer, CRR Bob Taggart, CRR Mark Deshon, and CRR Steve Cottrell.
The Annual Scott Mackler 5K was contested on October 21. This race continues in memory of CRR Scott Mackler who had battled ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) for years before his death and added significantly to the quest to find a cure, not only through his own research, but through the proceeds from this race—the toughest road 5K in Delaware.
In the men’s field, CRR Ryan German won the 40-49 age group, placing 10th overall in 22:38.
Noah Olson, son of CRR Tom Olson, recently completed the Ironman Maryland competition on Sept. 29. His official time was 13 hours, 6 minutes, 23 seconds, including transition times. He finished in the top half (31st) in his age group (25-29), gender grouping, and overall.
Olson had a plan for the day, which unfolded pretty much like he had hoped it would. His time for the 2.4-mile swim was 1:21:22. Then he hit the bike for the long and draining 112-mile distance. His bike time was 6:28:20, an overall average of 17.38 mph, which is super. The challenge was for him to keep the bike leg within reason so as to have enough left in the tank for the marathon. He did so, completing the marathon distance (26.2 miles) in 4:50:02.