Today’s Five & Wine 5 Mile Run in Newark produced five age-group winners among Creek Road Runners and one new state age-group record.
The most notable age-group winner on the day was CRR Diane Kukich (60-69), who took 77 seconds off the old 65-69 state record by posting a time of 39:41. Just last weekend in Virginia Beach, she came in second in the USATF National Masters 8K Championship race in her age group, which earned her a silver medal, and took away an additional silver for her second-place age-grading score of 85.4 in that same race. (Age grades in the 80-89 range are considered “national class.”) There were 69 women in her age group on the course that day.
Among the other age-group winners were CRR Andrew Weber (30-39), who finished second overall to national-class runner Steve Sinko in 30:06; CRR Dan Weile (40-49), who placed 9th overall in 34:25; CRR Mark Deshon (60-69), who finished 11th overall in 34:47 while competing in his first race in this age group; and 
CRR Theresa Kauffman (50-59), who ran 43:54.
The only other podium finisher among the group was CRR Ryan German, who posted a 35:06 while finishing 3rd in the 30-39 age group.
Note: Unlike most CRR postings, these are all chip times, because gun times were not made available.
Other award winners in the 10K included CRR Doug Repetti, who won his age group (65-69) in 53:20, and CRR Teresa Kauffman, who placed 2nd in her age group (50-54) in 53:58.
Coming off heart surgery early this year, CRR Bob Taggart won his age group (75-79) in the 5K in 30:03. A 5K footnote—had CRR Mark Deshon actually registered for the race (he only did three of the 3.1 miles), he would have won his age group (60-64) by about three minutes.
After several years effectively out of competition due to medical issues (including one serious bike accident), CRR Steve Tague is unequivocally back! Yesterday, he led the way for the other eight Creek Road Runners at the Top of Delaware Sprint Triathlon, placing 14th overall out of 271 finishers. He won the men’s 55-59 age group in 1:04:54, placing 17th in the quarter-mile swim, 12th in the 11.4-mile bike (averaging just over 20 mph on the hilly course!), and 32nd in the 2.6-mile run at the Newark Reservoir and Mayor Redd Park trails, which includes a final 30-yard incline straight up the side of the reservoir hill (that’s serious theater).
CRR Bob Opila finished 12th among the 60-64s with a 4:06:09 in his first marathon since returning from Australia and Turkey. New CRR Michelle Parent finished her marathon in 5:06:34. Congratulations, you three!