Chilly, but calm, conditions provided a near ideal day for the 47th Annual Turkey Trot 10K and 5K races here in Newark. There were several notables among the Creek Road Runners, as several took age-group awards.
In the 10K, CRR Clark Ridge of College Park, Md., placed 4th overall (out of the 195 finishers) and took 1st among the 35-39 men in a fast 36:38. (Yes, the photo at left is one from his college days.)
Competing in his first open 10K ever, CRR Kyle Chappell, of Landenberg, Pa., placed 20th overall and 1st among the 55-59s, clocking in at 43:52. Super debut at this distance! CRR Dan Simmons, visiting from Atascadera, Calif., won the 70-74 age group in 52:43. Coming in just ahead of Simmons was CRR Doug Repetti with a 52:04, taking 3rd among the 65-69s.
In the 5K, CRR Mark Deshon led the Creek Road Runners, placing 39th overall (out of 541 finishers) and turning in an inspired 7-min./mile pacing at 21:42, taking 1st place in the 60-64 age group. This is Deshon’s 10th consecutive age-group win, dating back four years to the 2015 Turkey Trot. OK, the jinx is now on!
Remarkably, CRR Doug Repetti doubled his pleasure by exactly halving his 10K time, finishing in 26:02 and taking 2nd place in his age group! Also competing in both races was CRR Dan Simmons (hey, if you’re coming all the way across the country, you might as well run twice), taking 3rd place among the 70-74s with a 38:33.
On the female side, CRR Christine Schultz took third in the 45-49 age group, posting a 28:25 for her 5K.
A word of note here—reminder that, whenever possible, CreekRoadRunners.org displays gun time, not chip time, traditionalists as we may be. So, occasionally explanations like the following are necessary.
In the case of CRR Doug Ridge (father of Clark), who took 2nd among the 75-79s in 34:05 while running with his grandson, he crossed the line six seconds ahead of CRR Paul Amer, who finished 3rd in the 65-69 age group with a 34:11. However, Amer actually ran the course seven seconds faster than did Ridge, based on their respective chip times.
Anyway, congratulations to all. Now, go have some turkey.
CRR Dan Simmons (right in photo) was spotted by CRR Bill Rose (left in photo) working out in the Carpenter Sports Building gym at the University of Delaware on Sept 4.
CRR Jay Coughenour ran the Philadelphia Half Marathon in a splendid time of 1:18:53. His chip time of 1:18:34 put him just a fraction of a second under a six-minute-per-mile pace for the 13.1-mile distance. Coughenour was the second finisher in the 45-49 age group and placed 85th the among men and 91st overall. Excellent at age 49!
In the Reindeeer Run & Romp 5K, held here in Newark on Friday night, CRR Keith Crispin placed 10th overall out of 406 finishers, winning the 45-49 age group in 18:52. CRR Dan Simmons, just coming off an injury, won the 65-69 age group in 23:53, and CRR Diane Kukich won her age group (60-64) in 24:11. Other age-group awardees included CRR Bill Rose, who took second place among the 55-59s in a very respectable 19:58, and CRR Sue Barton, who placed third among the 55-59s in 28:06.
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).
CreekRoadRunners.org 