You’ve never
seen such a gathering of SuperHero characters as that at the Enterprise South
Nature Park Saturday morning.
Oh, they
came for a good cause as they were participating in the Third Annual SuperHero
5K and 10K races in a highly-energized event that benefitted the Make-A-Wish
Foundation. The race was sponsored by Affordable Botox.
John Sillery
and Emily Bell were the overall winners in the 3.1-mile race while Geno
Phillips and Jessica Marlier were the fastest in the 6.2-mile event.
There were
116 finishers in the short race and 89 in the longer one. Yet another hundred or so took part in the
one-mile Fun Run/Walk that concluded the day.
Ironically,
both Sillery and Marlier are 42 years old and both are outstanding
runners. They totally dominated their
respective races.
Sillery
crossed the line in 17 minutes, 40 seconds while Bell was the first female and
second overall finisher in 20:47.
Phillips
posted a time of 35 minutes, 26 seconds in winning the 10K while Marlier was
the first female and fifth overall in 39:52.
Jon Melanson
was the 5K male runner-up and third overall in 23:07 while Ashley Humble was 10th
overall and the female runner-up in 25:44.
Andy
Highlander was second overall in the 10K race with a time of 36:44 while
Jennifer Curtis was eighth overall and the second lady with a time of 43:39.
But on a hot
and muggy morning when characters ranged from Superman to Wonder Woman and
everything in between, these folks appeared to be having a good time and they
got a good workout in the process.
“That was
tough,” Phillips said while dripping with sweat shortly after finishing the 10K.
“We were
climbing between the fourth and fifth mile, but there was a fast downhill
finish. It was about what I figured with
the heat and the hills, but this was my first time on this course and it was
brutal.
“I’m just
glad that I was by myself from about the first mile on,” the Red Bank Middle
School teacher nodded.
For the
first time in recent memory, Marlier didn’t record a personal best, but she
still had a pretty good race as she averaged 6:25 per mile.
“I really
had to work and it was a little warm this morning,” she said after her winning
performance ended.
“It was
challenging and I knew it would be hilly, but I just wanted to take advantage
of my opportunity to dress up for a race.
My legs are a little tired, but it was a good workout,” the 28-year-old
assistant cross country coach at GPS smiled.
Highlander
is currently training for a fall marathon, one in which he hopes to average
six-minute miles and to get a sub-2:40 or better. Saturday’s race was just another training run
for the civil engineer who just turned 27 last Saturday.
“I had a
good run as I started out with a conservative first mile, but my pace slowed
when we went up that hill that was at least a half-mile up. I cruised back down and saw Geno with about a
half-mile to go, but knew it would be virtually impossible to catch him.
“My goal was
to stick by my marathon race pace and then go hard in the last mile. Now I’m headed to the Front Runner to work
the rest of the day,” he smiled.
Ryan Shrum
finished fourth overall behind Phillips, Highlander and Daniel McGinley, who
was third in 38:01. Shrum was right
behind in 38:03 after winning last year’s race.
“At least I
knew what was coming today after I won last year, but the course was about six
and a half miles last year,” Shrum, an ice machine salesman who will be 47 on
Sept.
10, explained.
“I went out
easy and picked up the pace from there, but I was ready for that hill in the
fifth mile. The best part was a nice
downhill finish. But this was the first
time I’ve beaten her in a while,” he said, pointing to Marlier, a good friend
and training partner.
Sillery is
an emergency room doctor who can run fast as well.
“I didn’t
decide until about 7 this morning to do this race and I didn’t bring enough
money to do the 10K, but I probably couldn’t have beaten Geno anyway. Downhills never make up for uphills, but it
was a pretty good run anyway,” he added.
THE NEXT
RACE in Chattanooga will be the 26th Annual FCA 5K and 10K races,
which will again be held at Chattanooga State on Labor Day. Be assured that those courses are both flat
as a pancake compared to Saturday’s route.
(Email John
Hunt at nomarathonmoose@comcast.net)