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The top three finishers in the women's field--from right, Debi Bernardes, Ruth Olson and Cathy Fridel--push on. |
By KURT NICOLL
Officially, there were five no-shows for the running of the Snowden Downtown Mile for Mental Health yesterday, but it seemed like the number should have been much higher.
Despite chilly temperatures and the absence of many of the area's top high school and college runners (many of whom are competing at their respective schools at present), the seven-heat event produced a fair share of thrills and tight finishes among the 226 runners who did compete.
With the memory of his late father still fresh in his mind, Bert Jacoby of Stafford held off a spirited challenge by long-time rival Mike Porter Jr. to win the men's title in a lackluster four minutes, 37 seconds.
And Debi Bernardes won her first Fredericksburg Area Running Club event in two years, huffing and puffing at the end to successfully hold off both Ruth Olson and Cathy Friedel in the end. While happy with her 5:41 finish, the veteran runner estimated she would have finished roughly 30 seconds behind Grand Prix leader Johanna Allen of Woodbridge if she had entered.
"The last half mile, I felt more relaxed and stronger," said Bernardes, who captured first place in the Riverbank 12-k two seasons ago. "I felt kind of out of control the first quarter of the mile and then thought, 'I don't know if I can keep this up anymore.' You have to give this race 100 percent as much as you can, compared with most distance races where you can parcel it out."
Jacoby twice finished behind three-time Downtown Mile kingpin Porter (2002-04) and admitted he was afraid to look over his shoulder and give his opponent cause for optimism.
"Mike's extremely talented and you can never discount him in any situation," he commented. "He's going to push me to do well. I was running harder knowing Mike was behind me, thinking, 'I have to run faster to beat Mike.'"
Further incentive came from his father, Albert "Buck" Jacoby, one of four men who died in a local plane crash in February.
"He's watching me today," the former Stafford High School standout related. "The last time I heard his voice, he was calling me to say, 'I'll see you at the race [a half-marathon in Williamsburg].'"
At the beginning, no one seemed interested in taking the lead. Jacoby picked up the pace around 800 meters and Matt Boyd of Fredericksburg and Sean Killeen of Richmond took off after him.
By the end, there were only two runners out in front.
"At about three-quarters of a mile, we got to an uphill. When Bert got to the top, he took off and pulled away," said Porter, who resumes his collegiate track career this fall at Western State College of Colorado.
Porter appeared to be in fairly good shape despite taking nearly an 18-month break from competition. The former Colonial Forge High School standout plans to enter the upcoming Grace Oughton and Rescue Run 5-k races (May 13 and June 11) prior to heading off to college.
Boyd, who won the opening two FARC races, held his own and placed fourth overall in 4:45.
Porter was not the only area resident to be resurrecting his running career.
Ethan Erebia competed in his first competitive race in over a year and enjoyed the experience. And while his 5:55 clocking didn't win any prizes, he received a nice round of applause after being recognized for submitting the winning design for the race T-shirts.
"Physiologically, running gets those hormones going. And besides that, running is sort of a way to vent--whenever you're upset about something, you go for a run," the 17-year-old Brooke Point High senior said. "My father [Victor] and I love to run and it is something we can bond over."
MEET RESULTS
Heat 1 (men's masters, 40-above): 1. Wayne Hugar (Woodbridge) 5:02, 2. Adam Clevas (El Dorado Hill, Calif.) 5:12, 3. Terry McLaughlin (Spotsylvania) 5:13.
Heat 2 (men's overall): 1. Bert Jacoby (Fredericksburg) 4:37, 2. Mike Porter Jr. (Fredericksburg) 4:42 3. Sean Killeen (Richmond) 4:43.
Heat 3 (women's overall): 1. Debi Bernardes (King George) 5:41, 2. Ruth Olson (Spotsylvania) 5:45, 3. Cathy Friedel (Solomons, Md.) 5:49.
Heat 4 (boys 12-18): 1. Trevor Daniel Mathews (Spotsylvania) 4:50, 2. Brandon Clodius (Fredericksburg) 5:20, 3. Shane Quinn (Stafford) 5:37.
Heat 5 (girls 12-18): 1. Leah Schubel (Fredericksburg) 5:38, 2. Samantha Morrison (Fredericksburg) 5:50, 3. Dayna Tomayko (Hartwood) 6:14.
Heat 6 (boys 11-under): 1. Garrett Horne (Fredericksburg) 6:20, 2. Nathan Lasker (Fredericksburg) and David Fletcher (Fredericksburg) 6:32.
Heat 7 (girls 11-under): 1. Peyton Curry (Stafford) 6:52, 2. Jenna Tomayko (Hartwood) 6:55, 3. Alexis Blais (Fredericksburg) 6:59.
To reach KURT NICOLL:
Email: knicoll@freelancestar.com
Snowden Downtown Mile |
