WETZEL BREAKS COURSE RECORD

For the second year in a row, a course record was set at the New Hope-
Solebury Spirit Run. Last year it was Laura Fanelli who broke the
women's record. Last Sunday, it was Greg Wetzel (Doylestown) who ran
the fastest 5K in the race's history. His time of 15:45 beat Dan
McKay's 2003 record by 11 seconds. Greg is now 2 for 2 in the Bucks
5K Series, having won the first race, the Central Bucks Family YMCA
5K in a time of 16:02.

Sarah Simonetti (Perkasie) took the women's crown in a time of
19:23. Nancy Smith (New Britain) and Tammy Smith (Dublin) battled it
out for second place. Nancy prevailed, with a time of 20:12, while
Tammy finished close behind in 20:16.

On the men's side, Thomas Hedges (Lambertville NJ) completed the
course in 16:37. Third place went to Matt Chylak (Newtown). His
time was 16:58.

A total of 572 runners registered for the race. This was 23% more
than last year. Thirty runners beat the 20 minute mark. Fourteen
year-old Austin Gregor (Chalfont) was the youngest, finishing in
19:56.

Antonio De Vido (Doylestown) was the male Masters champion, followed
by Johnny King-Marino (Doylestown) and Jim Barger (Bensalem). Their
times were 17:13, 17:27 and 18:14, respectively. King-Marino turned
in the male best age-graded rating, 82.5%

Nancy Smith was the top female Masters runner. Deena Andrus
(Reading) was second and Marian McCouch (Hatboro) was third. Their
times were 20:12, 20:43 and 21:35, respectively. Nancy's age-graded
rating was tops among the women at 84.8%.

There were many extremely close age-group competitions. The closest
was male 55-59. Only 11 seconds separated Phil Davies (Doylestown –
20:34), Terry Territo (Newtown – 20:36) and Tom Brown (Jamison –
20:46). On the women's side, girls 12-14 took the honors. Here, 33
seconds separated Rebecca Hendricks (Stockton NJ – 21:37), Riley Renn
(Horsham – 21:56) and Hannah Lindgren (Doylestown – 22:10).

Visit www.bucks5kseries.com for complete results and a video of the
race.

In addition to the 5K race, 125 runners enjoyed the 1-mile run and 45
walkers completed the 2-mile fitness walk.

The third race in the Bucks 5K Series, The Lab Fitness + Spa 5K will
take place on April 26 at Doylestown Hospital's Health and Wellness
Center in Warrington. The morning's events include the 5K race, 1-
mile fun run, 2-mile fitness walk, and a pump and run competition.
The race proceeds will benefit CancerFit, which is a therapeutic
exercise and wellness program designed specifically to assist
individuals in achieving the best possible function during or after
cancer treatment. For runners without a sitter, the Little Lab will
be open during the race.

Register before April 19 and save $5. For more race information and
to register, go to www.bucks5kseries.com.


Dick Patterson