BRITTANY EISENGART sprints to the finish line with Joe Woods close behind Wednesday morning during the Ashtabula YMCA 5K. WARREN DILLAWAY / The Star Beacon
MORIAH SLOAN competes in the Ashtabula YMCA July 4 5K on Wednesday.
WARREN DILLAWAY / The Star Beacon
JESIKA BURNHAM completes the Ashtabula YMCA 5K Wednesday on Park Avenue in Ashtabula.
WARREN DILLAWAY / The Star Beacon
KAILEY JOHNSON (white shirt) starts her watch before racing to victory in the Ashtabula YMCA July 4 5K on Wednesday.
WARREN DILLAWAY / The Star Beacon
JASON HEADMAN (hat backward) checks out the rest of the field before racing to a two-minute victory in the Ashtabula YMCA July 4 5K Wednesday.
WARREN DILLAWAY / The Star Beacon
Published July 05, 2007 07:23 am - ASHTABULA - Many area runners expressed their connection with the Ashtabula YMCA 5k, annually held on the Fourth of July, as a special traditio ...
Running for tradition Sense of history fuels YMCA 5K
Star Beacon
By WARREN DILLAWAY
Staff Writer
ASHTABULA - Many area runners expressed their connection with the Ashtabula YMCA 5k, annually held on the Fourth of July, as a special tradition.
Josh Wilks, a recent graduate of Geneva High School, said he forgot about the race until Tuesday.
"I've been doing it since my freshman year. I almost forgot but I had to come," said Wilks who finished second in a time of 17:31. Wilks is training for cross country at Seton Hill College in Pennsylvania.
He recently competed in the Midwest Meet of Champions with athletes from Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. He finished third in the high jump with a leap of 6' 5" and said he had a great experience meeting great athletes from all over the region.
The race winner, Jason Headman, also said he loves to come back and compete in the race that he started running when he was in seventh grade.
"I like to say I remember where I've come from," said Headman who presently runs for Akron University after graduating from Edgewood High School in 2004.
Headman ran away from the field of 45 runners in a time of 15:34 Wednesday morning under gray but dry skies.
Kailey Johnson, a Lakeside High School graduate and soon to be freshman at Akron University, won the ladies division in a time of 19:44.
She said she was happy with her time that was faster than her junior year of high school when she was in really good shape.
"The training for Akron is going well. I'm up to 40 miles a week," Johnson said.
"I feel really confident now," she said.
Lara Heinz, a graduate of Geneva High School and a soon to be freshman at Seton Hill College in Pennsylvania, feels a sense of tradition about the race but kicked it into high gear and second place overall for the women.
"When I got up this morning I didn't want to run (but). I do this every year and I wanted to keep the tradition," she said.
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