The 197 runners in Monday night's Centurylink-Prism TV Freedom 5k hosted by Red, White and Boom raced across the Cape Coral Parkway Bridge, through the toll plaza, turned around and ran back to the finish line.
And when it was done, familiar faces were the first to cross.
Ryan Stafford, 18, placed first overall with a time of 17:08. Stafford, a recent Fort Myers High School graduate who will run cross country for FGCU, trains six days a week.
"It was tiring on the way back but I pushed through it," said Stafford.
Fort Myers' Marcus Dumas, 36, was in second place with a time of 17:57, while Bishop Verot's John Gargano, 16, was third at 18:53.
The first place overall female winner was 16-year-old Kacy Smith, Estero High' Class 2A state cross country champ, with a time of 19:47.
Canterbury's Emily Edwards, 15, was second with 20:26. Long-time Fort Myers coach Kelly Britton, 33, was third at 20:55.
The run, sanctioned by the Fort Myers Track Club, was a new event for the Red, White & Boom, which was sponsored by the Re/Max Realty Team.
"It was a great success," said Ed Ramos, Race Director of the Freedom 5k.
"As a first time race, there is always a learning curve," said Ramos.
He thanked the volunteers for helping the event run smoothly.
"It's a fun challenge," said Charlotte Edwards, 42, masters overall female winner. "It's a beautiful run."
Edwards' three daughters also ran the race with her.
"It's something we all can do together," Edwards said.
Charles Martinesi of Cape Coral was going to try and keep his breathing on pace.
"I'm not going to kill myself," said Martinesi. "I'm going to do what I need to do to get back."
Overall, there were 92 awards handed out in 14 age categories.
"After the event, the chamber is going to sit down and see if it's something to continue," said Ramos.
He said the outlook is looked favorable.
No comments:
Post a Comment