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A record number of participants braved cold weather to take part in the ninth annual Chessie Trail running races on Saturday, Nov. 4, raising money for improvements to the Chessie Nature Trail.
With sunny weather and temperatures starting in the low 30s before warming up some, there were 663 registered runners and walkers, breaking the previous record of 494, set last year. Those participants were from 25 states, with 75 percent from outside of the area, and 21 percent of them students. There were 557 finishers, from ages 5 to 80. The day’s schedule, starting at 8 a.m., consisted of a marathon, a marathon relay, a half marathon, a 10-kilometer race and a 5K.
The race income was more than $35,000, with net proceeds of more than $15,000 for trail improvements. In addition, more than $10,000 was spent directly with local vendors providing services and products for the races. Race director Eric Sheffield said the Friends of the Chessie Trail “especially grateful to Parkhurst Dining Services for donating most of the food.”
The endurance runners took advantage of the cool temperatures, with full course records set and 30 age group records broken. Several marathoners qualified for next year’s Boston Marathon.
In the marathon, which had 88 runners, Ryan Foster, 41, set a new course record with his victory in 2 hours, 46 minutes, 12.9 seconds. The top female finisher was Sydney Vokus, 20, placing third in 3:18:40.3, a female course record by more than eight minutes.
There were eight teams in the marathon relay, with some runners running more than one relay section. For the third year in a row, the winning team was Still Got It, finishing in 2:51:50.58. Team members were Laurel Sheffield, MacKeynzye Leroy and Phillip Harmon. They also won the coed division for the third consecutive year. Placing second and winning the men’s division was the team Staunton Run Crew, finishing in 3:00:33.87 with team members John Giegel, Paul Shifflett, Jimmy Atkins and Timothy Smelser. Winning the women’s division and placing fourth was the team Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, finishing in 3:53:57.41 with team members Jennifer Cary, Celia Kovac and Amanda Zipf.
The largest race of the day was the half marathon, which welcomed 206 runners. Brutus Clay, 22, won in 1:18.:46.96, and Parry McCluer High School head cross country coach Chris Poluikis, 45, placed second in 1:21:02.83. The top female finisher was Lucy Albright, 21, placing sixth in 1:28:19.41.
Eric Sheffield said he and his team of organizers and volunteers were “pleasantly surprised” by the growth of the 10K, which was the second biggest race, only behind the half marathon. The 10K, which had 66 runners last year, grew to 124 runners this year. Peyton Hoyal, 34, won in 34:57.73, a course record by about two-and-a-half minutes. The top female finisher was Kennedy Wisner, 27, placing fourth in 37:45.92, a female course record by more than five minutes.
The 5K welcomed 95 participants, with Colin Munsey, 58, winning in 19:19.24. The top female finisher was Sara Kate Durkee, 22, placing seventh in 25:06.38.
For full results and a gallery of photos visit www. runthechessie.org. Photos can also be found at the event’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/profile. php?id=100064535807785. The 10th annual Chessie Trail running races are planned for next fall, with the date yet to be determined.
