A weekend’s worth of Jekyll and Hyde weather vacillating between, sun, clouds, drizzle and storms, did naught to deter nearly five thousand athletes, in addition to countless volunteers, friends and family members, from coming together for the 43rd running of the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run, June 4th – 5th.
Saturday’s Kid’s Run, held on Ann Arbor Skyline’s High School track, “went perfectly,” surmised race director, Doug Goodhue, crediting its success to Brian Harreld, now in his fifth year as event coordinator.
Under Harreld’s professionally calm, gentle direction keeping the focus on fun, nearly two hundred youth competed in the long jump and running events ranging from 70m to 1 mile.
Akin to his young competitors, Harreld is all heart, noting, “It is such a privilege to fill this role for the Ann Arbor Track Club’s Dexter-Ann Arbor race weekend.”
Sunday’s kickoff of the 10K in the heart of downtown Ann Arbor where all the day’s events would culminate began with a heartwarming rendition of our national anthem by the vocally and athletically talented “Nasty Boys” including AATC President, Mitch Garner.
Hunor Taitas Csutak, 33:06 and Alison Ludzki, 38:58 led the charge while Ken Richendollar, 33:59 and Nancy Munson, 50:06 represented the masters proud.
This year’s 5K featured a new course, sans the bus ride, which was inundated with challenging hills and turns.
“It’s a runner’s course,” surmised veteran runner, Rick Harrington.
“You have to know how to run it,” Harrington continued, alluding to working the angles efficiently so as not to run any further than necessary.
Matt Melvin, 15:40 and Zuzana Tomas, 19:32 did just that along with masters champions, Steve Sorkin, 18:26 and Jill Stockford, 21:43.
Rounding out the morning beginning in Dexter and finishing in Ann Arbor was the always scenic, always a challenge, signature half marathon, led by Julius Koskei, 1:05:57 and Eunice Mumbua Kioko, 1:17:39 and masters greats, Eric Green, 1:20:31 and Lisa Veneziano, 1:26:09.
Kioko communicated that she is enjoying her first experience in the USA and her first Dexter-Ann Arbor half marathon, but “the hills – so hard, so steep.”
“This race,” Garner stressed, “exemplifies the spirit of Ann Arbor and its support for runners. I am so proud of this city’s 2015 Road Runner Club of America Outstanding Running Community election.”
Three race courses; untold gallons of water; endless volunteers; extraordinary logistical detail; runners ranging from novice to elite celebrating victory, love and friendship demands outstanding city support and an outstanding team under the leadership of an outstanding race director – the very fibers of the AATC Dexter-Ann Arbor Run.
For complete results and information on the 44th Dexter-Ann Arbor Run anniversary, please visit http://www.dxa2.com
