In a breakthrough performance, Williamsburg Jennifer Quarles ran a personal record 19:05, upset pre-race favorite Linda Sawvell of Newport News, and won $250 in prize money as the first woman across the finish line at Sunday's annual Yorktown Freedom Run 5K, the largest road race on the Peninsula every summer.

        There were 680 entrants and 638 official finishers in this year's 5K, down slightly since July 4th fell on Sunday this year. Due to the renovation of Water Street and the Yorktown Riverfront, a new course was necessary this year. The start was the same as before, at the National Park Service Visitors' Center parking lot, and the first half of the race was the same, down the Colonial Parkway. The change was that, instead of exiting the Parkway to Water Street along the York River, the runners made a turnaround on the Parkway, and retraced their steps back the Parkway to the five-way intersection, with the final sprint on Zweybruken Road near the Yorktown Victory Monument. While the starting and finishing elevations were the same, most runners felt this year's course was tougher, in that there was a long draining uphill from the turnaround, and the final half mile again was uphill. The traditional course has two shorter and steeper hills (including the infamous Buckner Street hill), but there was a long flat stretch to the finish. Compounding the difficulty was extremely humid conditions, with temperatures in the upper 70s, even at the 8:30 a.m. starting time, although overcast conditions kept it from being brutal.

        Sawvell, along with three-time Freedom Run winner Kris Wilson (2000, 2002 and 2003), have been the premier non-William and Mary roadracers the past two years, with Quarles, the 2003 Colonial Road Runners Grand Prix women's champion, a level below. She bridged that gap Sunday with a surprisingly-fast race. Hoping just to run in the mid-19s, Quarles said, "I focused on [training partner] George Neil, keeping him pretty close."

        Two years ago, Quarles won her first prize money ($50) at Yorktown with a fourth-place 20:52. Last year she was outkicked for second by Bridget Keenan of Newport News, 19:17 to 19:26, earning $100. This year she passed Keenan, the early leader, by the Colonial Parkway, with Sawvell trailing throughout. The final margin was 13 seconds, with Quarles winning in her PR 19:05. "I did not think I was going to run that fast, especially on that course," said Quarles, who runs over 50 miles per week, much of it with the 6 a.m. downtown Williamsburg training group (keeping pace with Tom Gillman, George Neil and Steve Flanary on 15-22 mile Saturday runs). Already this year Quarles has PR'd at the marathon (3:19:46) and half marathon (1:29:12). Sawvell was second in 19:18, with Christopher Newport University runner Emily Low, 19, of Blacksburg (20:00) outkicking Keenan (20:04) for third. Lynn Hurd, 23, of Williamsburg won the final open prize money with a fifth-place 21:25.

        Prize money went five deep for the open men and women ($250-150-100-50-25), five deep for Masters (ages 40-and-over) men and women ($150-100-75-50-25) and three deep for Senior Masters (ages 50-and-over) men and women ($100-75-50). Isaiah Sanga, 26, a Kenyan based out of Durham, NC easily won the men's title in 14:58, but well off the course record of 14:34 by Gavin Gaynor in 1996. Kevin Rhue, 23, of Virginia Beach, a recent University of Richmond grad, was runnerup in 15:31, followed by Guy Alton, 20, of New Kent (15:52), CNU grad Matt Sinclair, 22, of Glen Allen (15:59), and Hampton's Michael Mann (16:05).

        For the Masters, Rob Hinkle, 40, of Newport News won his first prize money in his new age group, his 16:40 well ahead of Hampton's Jim Bates, 48 (17:21), Williamsburg's Steve Chantry, 49 (17:29), Yorktown's Henry Gleisberg (17:52) and Hampton's Mark Hollingsworth (17:55). The women's Masters had Pamela Lovett, 41, of Newport News winning in 20:51 over Williamsburg's Carol Talley, 49 (21:27), Leslie Jones (23:12), Williamsburg's Grace Cunningham (23:56) and Richmond's Lorraine Moore (24:28).

        Williamsburg runners dominated the 50 prize money, as Brenda Mitchell, 53 (24:24) led a 1-2-3 sweep with Helene Price, 59 (24:34) and Lindy Warrick, 51 (25:06), while Rick Platt, 53, took the men's title in 17:58 over Seaford's Jim Thornton (18:18) and Bob Welby of Northumberland, Pa. (18:36).

        There were three new race records set this year. Williamsburg's George Neil, 56, broke Robert Wright's record for men 55-59 by ten seconds with his 19:08 (finishing three seconds behind Quarles). Williamsburg's Pat Ewell, 70, again almost broke the 30-minute barrier for the first time as a 70-year-old (she was 30:13 at the Warhill 5K in early June), but settled for a 30:04, almost 12 minutes better than the previous mark. Scott Pinto, 39, of Yorktown smashed the wheelchair record with his 16:34.

        Men's winner Sanga has been in the U.S. for just over a month, and has PRs of 29:23 for the 10K, and 2:15 for the marathon. He went out fast Sunday, with his opening mile of 4:34 over 20 seconds ahead of the next pack. He had won a 10K in North Carolina the previous week.

        The 5K race is the opening act for Yorktown's 4th of July Celebration (this year was the 25th anniversary), with race organization by the Yorktown Rotary Club and race director Hal Herdey. The day includes an arts and crafts festival, performances by the Yorktown Fife and Drum Corps, a parade, and finally fireworks.