The Bucks 5K Series kicked off the 2006 season on March 19th at
Central Bucks Family YMCA in Doylestown. The YMCA festivities began
early in the morning with a well-choreographed registration and check-
in process for runners, volunteers and families along for the fun. In
spite of the chilly weather, 487 runners registered for the 5K race,
58 for the first-ever 2 mile Health Walk and 60 runners competed in
the 1 mile Fun Run. The 5K race featured spirited competition,
outstanding performances, personal records, and satisfying finishes
by many first-time runners. Pre and post race festivities revolved
around a St. Patrick's Day theme with a bagpiper, face painting,
blarney stone painting, and lots of good food.

Kyle Murray, 19, of Jamison, won the race in 15:57. The first female
to finish was Alex Brasington, 15, of Dresher, with a time of 19:50.
Chris Ganter (Doylestown) was second overall in 16:52, followed by
Brian Gould (Langhorne) in 16:58. The second woman was Laura Fanelli
(Chalfont). She was just 6 seconds behind Alex. Suzanne Day
(Houston TX) was third with a time of 20:10.

Suzanne Day was also the first Masters Age-Graded Female with a
rating of 82.9%. Nancy Smith (New Britain) was second at 82.3%,
followed by Gert Freas (North Wales) at 78.4%. John King-Marino
(Chalfont) was the first Masters Age-Graded Male. He scored an
82.7%. Second was Art Burger (Doylestown) at 80.2%, while Warren
Taylor (Telford) was third at 76.4%.

The YMCA conducted its first Pump and Run this year. In this event,
runners can reduce their overall times based on the number of bench
presses they perform. The "pumping" occurred prior to the 5K race.
The weight to be lifted was based on their body weight and age.
Thirty-six runners registered to compete in this event.

Among the women, Susan Pajer (Doylestown) was first with an adjusted
time of 15:21. Sharon Wilusz (Southampton) was second in 18:33 and
Diane Joganich (Chalfont) was third in 19:32. On the men's side,
David Phillipes (Emmaus) won with an adjusted time of -:09 (yes,
that's correct!). Thomas Brown (Jamison) was second in 2:19 and
James McNamara (Fanwood NJ) was third in 7:37.

The most competitive age group was M15-19. The first 10 runners
finished under 19:19 and were all in the overall top 30. For the
females, only 25 seconds separated the top 3 in the F45-49 bracket.

Barbara Lyons, Doylestown Township Supervisor, started both the 5K
and the 1 Mile Fun Run, following Skip Schanbacker's trumpet
rendition of the Star
Spangled Banner.

Complete race results are posted at www.bucks5kseries.com.

The next race in the Bucks 5K Series will be on April 2nd at New Hope-
Solebury High School. There will be team competition, music,
giveaways, and good food. This year's 5K race will be run on the
original New Hope course, which has recently been certified by USA
Track and Field, # PA06002LMB. For more information, or to register,
log on to www.bucks5kseries.com. If you register before March 26,
you can score a lower price than on race day.

You can also learn more about the Bucks 5k Series by watching Comcast
Newsmakers on CNN Headline News in late March and early April.
Comcast Newsmakers segments are shown at :25 and :55 after the hour
on CNN Headline News.