By Rick Platt
Andre Smith and Sherry Volk lost the battle again Saturday morning at the eighth
annual 5K Run for Mental Health in Williamsburg, but are decisively winning
the war (the 2002 Colonial Road Runners Grand Prix series overall titles). (final
Grand Prix standings)
Neither Smith nor Volk have won a CRR race this year (there have been four in
March and April), but a combination of seconds and thirds have given each commanding
leads in the CRR standings. Smith, 29, of Hayes has a 34-19 lead over Hampton's
Michael Mann, while Volk, 41, of Williamsburg has a 35-20 lead over Alison Holinka
and Aurora Scott.
At Saturday's Mental Health 5K on the Eastern State Hospital road course, Rob
Hinkle, 37, of Newport News (and a William and Mary chemistry professor) won
in 16:10, with Smith second (16:34) and Ned Berg third (17:36). It was Berg's
47th consecutive CRR Grand Prix race.
Smith had run faster (16:04 for third) at the previous CRR race, the Queens
Lake 5K April 6, but five days off due to injury left him subpar. In the other
two CRR events this year he was second to Mann at the Jamestown Swamp Run, and
third behind Bryce Ruiz and Mann at the Ford's Colony 8K.
Aurora Scott, 12, of Portsmouth won her second consecutive CRR race over Volk
Saturday, running an 18:35, well off her superb 18:12 at the Queens Lake race.
Volk had a PR 19:58 at Queens Lake, then was just three seconds slower at Mental
Health with her 20:01. Sharon White, 45, of Langley AFB was third Saturday in
20:20.
Volk has yet to win, but has three seconds (Mental Health, Queens Lake, Ford's
Colony) and one third (Jamestown Swamp Run, just one second behind Jamestown
freshman Erin Mearns. Holinka won the first two CRR races, but was running major
out-of-town prize-money races the weekends of the other two CRR events. She
is running her debut marathon this Sunday at the Pittsburgh Marathon (with a
goal of sub-2:40).
There were 140 finishers in the 5K and 15 finishers in the one mile. The race
was organized by Trish Stulb and the Colonial Services Board and benefited WAAMI
(the Williamsburg Alliance for the Mentally Ill).
Age group race records were set by Aurora Scott (girls 14-and-under, 18:35),
Sharon White (women 45-49, 20:20), Nancy Patron (women 65-and-over, 26:49) and
Tom Ray (men 65-69, 21:18).