DeWitt, Parks lead Lisa Wade 5K field

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DeWitt, Parks lead Lisa Wade 5K field
Results Video Photos Set 1 Set 2 By Cindy Whiteman

WESTERNPORT, July 9 – Heather Parks made it three-for-three in area 5K road races this summer. Only this time, she was even faster.

Parks, 36, led all female runners to the finish line on Saturday in the 11th annual Lisa Wade 5K run in southwest Allegany County. The Bruceton Mills, W.Va., resident clocked a time of 19 minutes and 33 seconds – 35 seconds faster than her win July 2 in the Independence 5K run in Keyser, W.Va., and 32 seconds faster than her Iron Furnace 5K win the week before.

Amy Rowan, 31, of Cumberland, was second in 20:37. Jennah Altobello, 26, of Ridgeley, W.Va., was third in 21:55. It was Rowan’s first race after her June 11 Nick Adenhart Memorial 5K victory in Williamsport. There, Rowan caught fire – and the first-place woman – in the final 400 meters but tweaked a hamstring muscle in the effort.

Dan DeWitt, 23, of Frostburg, showed he is quite capable of combined speed and distance. DeWitt made his ultramarathon debut on June 18 in the Highlands Sky 40-mile trail run (19th, 7 hours and 50 minutes).

On Saturday, he returned to short-course form in fine fashion. DeWitt dominated from the start – and by the time the runners made their way across the old Waverly Street Bridge south of Creekside Park, DeWitt held a seven-second lead before the field reached the half-mile point.

At that point, Jeremy Rice, 29, of Frostburg, was second followed closely by Robbie Jenkins (27, Ridgeley) and Luke Smith (17, Frostburg) while Ian MacFawn (18, LaVale) brought up the chase pack behind DeWitt. Those positions changed over the next two miles, though.

DeWitt finished in 16:14 to lead a field of 169 runners. MacFawn seemingly coasted the long downhill before the u-turn to the finish to place second overall in 17:20. Smith held off Rice on the descent by three seconds (17:28 to 17:31) while Jenkins rounded out the top five in the field.

Tom Ruckert, 58, of Grantsville, was the first masters (40-and-over) finisher with a time of 19:00 and Paula Bridges, 45, of Cumberland, won the women’s masters crown in 23:55. Both runners repeated their 2010 performances that earned them the same titles.