Mail Tribune – Leonard Hill took advantage of Sunday’s cool weather to out-distance the field by more than a minute and break the course record by the same margin in the Ashland Fourth of July Run.
The 29 year old
Sally Swartz repeated as women’s champion, finishing in 37:00, slightly ahead of her winning time last year.
Hill ran the first mile with Ric Sayre, winner of this years Pear Blossom and Providence Hospital-Mail Tribune runs, but left him in the dust at the first hill. Sayre finished behind Hill, but his time was unofficial because he had not registered for the run.
“Ric and I ran together the first mile, but he faded on that first hill. I guess the Cascade Run Off (in
Sayre admitted that the Run Off contributed to his fatigue, but said his workouts this week were a major factor. “I didn’t do that well at the Run Off, so that didn’t hurt too much, but I ran 30 miles yesterday,” he said.
Most times in the 500-plus field were lower than last year’s marks, which the entrants attributed to the cooler weather.
“The weather was just super,” said Swartz. “The first part of the race everyone was moving.” Hill agreed that the weather helped, but added that “near the end it seemed hot to me.”
“I went out too quickly and got too tired at the end,” he added. “I thought I was going to get sick at the end.”
The six mile course is called a fun run, but Hill says the terrain is anything but fun. “It’s tough,” he said, “Especially when you have that hill on
Daily Tidings – Sometime in September a lucky boy or girl will arrive to win a special award for Best Performance by a Supporting Passenger in Sunday’s Ashland Fourth of July
Run.
The recipient-to-be is currently enjoying a solo engagement in the womb of Mary Van Wesep, who
finished 46th in the hill-fraught, six mile jaunt through the city’s eastern back roads. “I’ve been in this race the past three years,” Van Wesep said. “I couldn’t bear the thought of not doing it today.”
About 500 others had the same feeling, as relatively cool temperatures yielded pleasing times for most of the 451 finishers. The thermometer might have been pushing 70 by the race’s end, which is practically arctic compared to the usual 90-100 degree fare.
Using the climate to his best advantage was Leonard Hill, who won the race in 29:30. He broke his own course record of 30:33, set in 1980. It was Hill’s fourth win in five years. Bill Yoeman was second with a personal Fourth of July best of 30:38.
Sally Swartz of
Hill, a former
The top trio, including Sayre, had trained and competed right through Sunday’s run. All three had competed in
But the winners were barely half the story. First, there was Doug Hoxmeier, who donned an official’s shirt and dribbled a basketball all the way. He finished 200th. Not bad. There were Shaun Swartz and Erik Bergstrom, the youngest finisher at nine years of age. And there was 61 year old Ken Morrison, the oldest finisher.
“I wasn’t getting much exercise in my job, Morrison said, describing why he started running at age 57.
“My kids were running and I thought I needed the conditioning.”
And of course there’s Van Wesep. She had had some long, long discussions with her doctor before deciding to run. A competitive runner since 1975, she knew how to take care of herself during the run – a smooth pace and lots of water. “About a mile into the run I had some leg aches because of the extra weight,” she admitted. Obviously, our award winning passenger earned his/her keep. But the child will have to share the glory – Van Wesep also ran during her first pregnancy.
“Born to run”? Hummm…
Men’s Results:
1. Leonard Hill 29:30
2. Bill Yeoman 30:38
3. Bob Smith 31:54
4. Jim Hogue 32:41
5. Kenny White 32:49
6. Jan Remach 33:29
7. Earl Showerman 33:32
8. Doug Madsen 33:41
9. Mark Maffett 34:04
10. Tom Mann 34:05
11. Kevin Long 34:13
12. Dave Beck 34:23
13. Walter Radloff 34:44
14. Williams Evans 35:07
15. Damien Ranger 35;31
16. Tom Frantz 35:35
17. Doyle Pewell 35:47
18. Brian Evans 35:52
19. Rory Curtis 35:53
20. Brian Shue 36:19
21. Jim Ashwith 36:29
22. Scott Lewis 36:31
23. Dan Miller 36:31
24. Michael Mitton 36:35
25. Harvey Van Patton 36:38
26. Rich Van Neinweahuyae 36:55
27. Rick Morris 36:56
28. Jeff Hayes 37:04
29. Dan Bubb 37:06
30. Sterling Furmen 37:17
n/a Ken Oliver 38:54
n/a Dave Compton 39:19
n/a Norman Misek 39:37
n/a Jack Dumas 43:52
n/a Ken Morrison 45:19
n/a Bill Mansfield 46:37
n/a Nick Nichols 47:23
Women’s Results:
1. Sally Swartz,
2. Alli Ray 39:12
3. Julia Barnett 40:11
4. Sally Holmes 40:18
5. Elaine Delsman,
Christi Hoekstra 40:58
6. Heather Sullivan 43:38
7. Shirey Pribble 43:38
8. Bonnie Cox 43:44
9. Julie Cartwright 43:45
10. Doris Segner 43:59
11. Jennifer Carey 44:01
12. Cindy Hill 44:03
13.
14. Dylan Sullivan 44:43
15. Dianne Goodreau 44:48
16. Leslie Bechuler 45:14
17. K Hitchko 45:25
18. Rachel Sullivan 45:47
19. Dyan Cartwright 46:33
20. Laurie Macgraw 46:49
21. Catherine Wolfe 46:54
22. Annie Walker 47:01
23. Helen Norris 47:03
24. Tricia Zupan 47:22
25. Pamula Vollutini 47:38
26. Alma Alfaro 47:51
27. Lauretta Sabritta 48:02
28. Diane Murphy 48:56
29. Helen Suriano Williams 49:08
30. Kathy Congogue 49:17
n/a
n/a Molly Gibson 52:39
n/a Marilyn Bubb 57:16
n/a Marathas Grebner 58:19
n/a Joan McNash 59:33
n/a Tricia Ranak 1:00:50
n/a Jonelle Petermeyer 1:01:40
n/a Jackie Wobbe 1:03:55
n/a Peggy Yandell 1:07:06
These results are incomplete; the above represent all the results which are available in found records.
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