The first Colonial Road Runners race ever held at Jamestown High School featured a multi-colored T-shirt with the slimy green hand and head of the "Swamp Thing" emerging from the murky waters of the swamp. The back of the shirt read, "I Survived...This Time" in Halloween-style lettering. Actually conditions were far from nightmarish. Instead, they were ideal for a run, with sunny skies, temperatures in the 60's and a cooling breeze. Since all the starters finished, creatures from the swamp apparently did not drag any victims into the water this year. Plans are already under way for a return to the swamps next year. The "Swamp Thing" is waiting.
Michael Mann, 33, of Hampton (16:22) and Alison Holinka, 23, of Williamsburg (18:24) were the overall winners of the Swamp Run. Mann finished a half minute ahead of 2001 CRR Grand Prix champion Andre Smith, 29, of Hayes (16:50), with Jamestown High junior Jonna Reinhardt, 17, third (17:16).
For the women Holinka won by over 2 1/2 minutes. Jamestown High freshman Erin Mearns, 14, outkicked Sherry Volk, 40, of Williamsburg down the final stretch of the track to take runnerup honors, 20:57 to 20:58.
Most of the 5K was on the scenic Greensprings Trail. The race started on the Jamestown High School soccer field, had a short stretch on school roads, then entered the Greensprings Trail less than a half mile into the race. The Greensprings Trail was mostly flat on a soft mulched surface, with numerous turns (some runners estimated that the course was 20-30 seconds slower than a standard flat and fast 5K road course). The final quarter mile was back on the school grounds, with the finish on the Jamestown High track. There were 138 finishers in the 5K, 50 finishers in the 1 mile fun run, and 10 finishers in the 1/4-mile run.
For Mann it was a successful return to CRR races. He started strong last year in spring CRR races (and was an early leader in the Grand Prix), but had successive stress fractures of the tibia (first the left, then the right) that kept him out of CRR races for the remainder of the year. A winter of distance training led to a ninth-place 1:13:13 at the Anheuser-Busch Colonial Half Marathon two weeks ago (the top local finisher), and he just resumed speed training. Saturday after high school runners set the early pace, Mann took the lead before entering the woods. His first mile was 5:06, then he coasted in with 5:23 and 5:21 miles.
Appropriately for a race that benefited the Jamestown High SchoolAthletic Boosters Club, two of the top overall runners were Jamestown High students--Jonna Reinhardt and Erin Mearns. Also, Jamestown captured the trophy for the local school with the most participants, and the Jamestown softball team won the plaque for the school team with the most entrants.
Both Reinhardt and Mearns have excelled this past year in their first years competing for Jamestown. Reinhardt was usually the No. 2 runner for the Eagles boys' team that won the AA state cross country championship. In indoor track he won both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters at the Bay Rivers District and AA regional meets (with best times of 4:25 for 1,600 and 9:54 for 3,200). Reinhardt started out fast Saturday, still in contact with Mann through the mile mark, but than backed off the pace. Smith caught and passed him by the two mile mark, but Reinhardt made sure he held off Walsingham's Tony Brickhouse for third (Brickhouse was fourth in 17:25). Reinhardt was a Williamsburg Christian Academy student his sophomore year, but transfered to Jamestown this year, where he has benefited from the intense cross country and track team competition. In February, Reinhardt set a 3,200-meter PR in a team time trial, running a 9:48 (behind Bryce Ruiz's 9:32, and ahead of Tony Davila's 10:00). Reinhardt hopes to go under 4:20 (1,600) and 9:30 (3,200) this outdoor track season.
Erin Mearns has only been running for one year, and the Swamp Run was her first open race ever. She trained with the Team Flash youth track team as an eighth grader, then was the No. 1 runner for the Jamestown High cross country team that won the Bay Rivers District championship last fall, and was named to the first-team all-Peninsula squad. In indoor track this winter she won the 1,000 meters in the district meet (with a state-qualifying 3:15), then was first in the regional in both the 3,200 meters and the 4 x 800-meter relay (with a 2:32 split). Her PRs this indoor season were 11:57 for the 3,200 and 5:42 for the 1,600. Erin's younger brother Colin, age nine, won the one mile fun run Saturday.
The CRR Grand Prix event had organizing help from many Jamestown High parents. Jim Goggin was the race director, and Brent Ruiz, Hector Davila and Jim Winthrop were key helpers. Track coach Ed Boyd ran the one mile, and athletic director Tom Dolan helped hand out the awards.