By Rick Platt
Bryce Ruiz and Kristine Wilson won Thursday's Yorktown Freedom Run 5K for the second time, both having won initially two years ago. There were a record 766 entries in the 14th annual race, held to kick off the Yorktown 4th of July Celebration. Jamestown High grad Ruiz, 18, outkicked Michael Mann, 33, of Hampton in the final 50 meters, both timed in 15:35 (5:01 pace per mile). It was the second time Ruiz outkicked one of the Peninsula's premier roadracers at Yorktown. Two years ago, after his sophomore year at Jamestown, Ruiz ran a 15:33 to finish four seconds ahead of Rob Hinkle. Mann improved substantially over his fourth-place 16:11 from last year. Despite his high school credentials (including a 9:13 for 3,200 meters), the win was no sure thing for Ruiz, in part because he took a well-deserved break from running after his high school graduation. Ruiz spent some time socializing at the beach, and started back with just 30 miles the week before Yorktown, less than half his usual mileage. At the 2 1/2-mile mark, coming up the notoriously steep Buckner Street hill from the York River, there were still six runners among the leaders, with Ruiz trailing the group. But he was strong up the hill, then moved on Mann during the final half-mile stretch to the finish line at the Yorktown Victory Monument. After Ruiz and Mann (15:35), the top five included Tommy Holland, 29, of Virginia Beach (15:42), John Piggott, 37, of Williamsburg (15:48) and Ryan Neuhart, 20, of Newport News (15:57). Only two were under 16 minutes last year. The prize money this year was increased this year from $1,000 to $2,000 total, with $200-125-75-50-25 going to the top five overall (with high school and college-eligible runners not allowed to accept the cash payments). Ruiz, one of the two Colonial Road Runners scholarship recipients for 2002 (along with Jamestown teammate Wyatt Beyer) will be going to North Carolina State this fall, and expects to compete on the collegiate level for five years, so he won't be able to accept money from the Yorktown race until 2007.
Kristine Wilson had won the 2000 Yorktown race in 18:37. This year, Wilson,
28, of Newport News won in 19:08, 13 seconds ahead of Chelliey Corder, 17, of
Billings, Mont. In May Wilson had run a fast 38:46 for 10K at the Elizabeth
River Run in Norfolk. Corder's 19:21 was only four seconds slower than the Yorktown
13-19 age group record of Rebecca Cline from 1991. Although only 17, Corder
accepted the prize money. She did not compete in high school (the school's coach
said she ran too much mileage), and she does not plan to compete in college.
Corder was in town as part of a 4H interstate exchange program, heard about
the race, and decided to race in another state. Following those two were Janet
Urbanski, 32, of Frederick, Md. (20:44), Jennifer Quarles, 30, of Williamsburg
(20:52, her first prize money ever) and Allison Smith, 19, of Williamsburg (21:07).
Besides the open money, the Yorktown Freedom Run awards prize money in both the Masters (40-and-over, $150-100-50) and Senior Masters (50 and-over, $100-75-50) categories. For the Masters men, Dai Roberts, 41, of Virginia Beach (16:04, sixth overall) won over Mark Mullady, 45, of Williamsburg (16:49, two seconds faster than the 16:51 he ran last year to win the Masters title) and Bill Bustin, 44, of Yorktown (16:55). For the Masters women, Williamsburg's Sherry Volk, 41, ran a 20:32 to edge Sharon White, 45, of Langley AFB (20:36), with Margarita Doreste, 41, of Newport News third (20:58). White set a race age group record for women 45-49 with her 20:36, with Carol Talley, 47, of Toano (the fourth Master) also under the old record of 21:30 with her 21:22. Another race record (for women 50-54) was broken by the Senior Masters winner Donna Harper, 50, of Virginia Beach (23:04). Following Harper were Joan Coven, 61, of Williamsburg (23:21, also her first prize money) and Carol Rudesill-Brantley, 50, of Williamsburg (24:03). For the men 50-and-over, the top three were Bill Alto, 51, of Newport News (19:32), Steve Tyndall, 54, of Yorktown (19:51) and Dennis Manske, 56, of Hampton (20:02).
There were 693 finishers this year, the second highest ever (trailing only the 719 from 2001), with the weather oppressive (hot, hazy, humid, little breeze, and temperatures rising through the 80's during race time). The race started at the National Park Service Visitors Center, and passed the Yorktown Victory Center, before finishing at the Victory Monument.
Besides White and Harper, three other race records were set this year, with
the first runners ever in those categories--Jim Johnson, 77, of Hampton (men
75-and-over, 46:48, he was given race No. 1), Ryan Myers, 21, of Smithfield
(wheelchair, 38:23), and Miriam Tuovila, 77, of Yorktown (women 75-and-over,
45:16).