3rd Annual Jamestown High School Swamp Run
Saturday, March 13, 2004
By Rick Platt
Rob Hinkle, 39, of Newport News upset two-time defending champion Michael Mann, 35, of Hampton Saturday morning in the third annual Jamestown High School Swamp Run 5K, held on the scenic, wooded Greensprings Trail and the high school grounds. Hinkle was timed in 16:27 (five seconds off Mann's 16:22 course record from the inaugural 2002 race), with Mann runnerup in 16:39.
Mann, the CRR Grand Prix champion for both 2002 and 2003, had won five of his eight CRR races last year, getting outkicked by younger (teens or twenties) runners in three races to place second. At Jamestown, however, it was an older Hinkle (who will become a Masters, age 40-and-over, runner in late May), that had more speed. Hinkle pulled away from Mann midway through the race, and extended his lead to 17 seconds by the finish on the Jamestown High track.
Mann and Hinkle met in CRR races three times in 2003, with Mann faster each time, including wins at the Ford's Colony 5K and William and Mary Homecoming 5K, with Hinkle runnerup both times. However, in the final CRR race of 2003 (with Mann in Alabama), Hinkle won the Governor's Land 5K in 16:07.
Andre Smith, the CRR Grand Prix champion from 2001, ran his first CRR race since 2002, and placed third overall at Jamestown with a 17:04.
For the women, Jennifer Quarles, 32, of Williamsburg, won for the second straight year, improving her 2003 time (20:43) to a 20:25. Jamestown High School senior Elizabeth Winthrop was runnerup for the second straight year with her 20:58, six seconds better than 2003. Third overall was over a minute back, Lynn Hurd, 22, of Williamsburg (22:13).
Quarles was the women's 2003 CRR Grand Prix champion. The Jamestown Swamp Run was the first race of the 2004 CRR Grand Prix series, with the next race, the Queens Lake 5K Run, on April 3.
Age group records this year were broken by Andrew Mearns (boys 14-and under, 18:42), Rob Hinkle (men 35-39, 16:27), Steve Menzies (men 40-44, 18:03), Rick Platt (men 50-54, 18:08), Larry Coley (men 55-59, 19:51), Dick Pierce (men 65-69, 22:37), Tom Ray (men 70-74, 23:38), Ray Funkhouser (men's walk, 27:09), Elizabeth Winthrop (women 15-19, 20:58), Jennifer Quarles (women 30-34, 20:25), and Nancy Patron (women 65-69, 28:49).
There was a huge increase in the number of finishers in the Jamestown Swamp Run 5K this year, going from 138 in 2002, to 147 in 2003, and 217 this year. There were an additional 31 finishers in the one mile fun run/walk. Jim Goggin, the physical education teacher at Clara Byrd Baker Elementary School (and whose daughter Brady is a senior at Jamestown High Schoool), has been the race director all three years. Also helping were many students from Jamestown High School. The race benefited the Jamestown High School Athletic Boosters Club.
In contrast to the quagmire last year for the Swamp Run, where a very wet
winter left dozens of muddy areas with water sometimes ankle deep, this year's
race had relatively dry conditions. Only in the final mile were there several
muddy sections.