Thousands Compete, Shay, Rhines Win 2005 River Run
UPDATED: 1:04 pm EST March 12,
2005
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- More than 9,000 runners -- a field that includes some of the world's finest runners and seven Olympians -- hit the pavement this morning in the 28th annual Gate River Run and related events.
Ryan Shay, 25, of East Jordan, Mich., crossed the finish line at 43:27, to win the race. Although seeded 16th, he beat last year's runner-up and this year's favorite, Alan Culpepper, 32, of Lafayette, Colo., by about six seconds."I wanted to keep pushing the pace up front, and mile by mile, start separating people out," Shay said. "I was hoping it was going to be just me and Alan and someone else at the top of the bridge, and then let it all go down the hill. It all paid off."
Jen Rhines, of Ardmore, Penn., was the first woman across the finish line. But despite the top women getting a five-minute "equalizer" head start, she could not hold on to beat the top men in the field."We had a really tight pack until around 10K, we started to pick it up and I was able to break it open," Rhines said. "We have, you know, really strong American women runners, so it was an exciting race out there."
Rhines, a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic marathon team, was the top woman in the 1998 River Run, but had not run the race the last couple of years.The race is the national 15K championship, but it's also Jacksonville's largest participatory sporting event, with thousands of recreational runners on the same course.But beyond the top athletes who travel to Jacksonville to compete for $58,000 in prize money, the vast majority of the runners are out for a sense of camaraderie and personal accomplishment.
Thousands of spectators lined the streets to cheer on the runners, ranging in age from 5 to 84. Organizers estimate that 50 of the 9,269 who registered for the race have completed in all 28 River Runs.
A River Run special will broadcast the first two hours of finishers on race Saturday night from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., and the same video is online at News4Jax.com. Complete race results will be posted online this evening.The run is sponsored by the Jacksonville Track Club, corporate sponsors, and the local station.
Copyright 2006 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Ryan Shay, 25, of East Jordan, Mich., crossed the finish line at 43:27, to win the race. Although seeded 16th, he beat last year's runner-up and this year's favorite, Alan Culpepper, 32, of Lafayette, Colo., by about six seconds."I wanted to keep pushing the pace up front, and mile by mile, start separating people out," Shay said. "I was hoping it was going to be just me and Alan and someone else at the top of the bridge, and then let it all go down the hill. It all paid off."Jen Rhines, of Ardmore, Penn., was the first woman across the finish line. But despite the top women getting a five-minute "equalizer" head start, she could not hold on to beat the top men in the field."We had a really tight pack until around 10K, we started to pick it up and I was able to break it open," Rhines said. "We have, you know, really strong American women runners, so it was an exciting race out there."Rhines, a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic marathon team, was the top woman in the 1998 River Run, but had not run the race the last couple of years.The race is the national 15K championship, but it's also Jacksonville's largest participatory sporting event, with thousands of recreational runners on the same course.But beyond the top athletes who travel to Jacksonville to compete for $58,000 in prize money, the vast majority of the runners are out for a sense of camaraderie and personal accomplishment.| Video |
First Hour Of Finishers
Images Of 28th Gate River RunA River Run special will broadcast the first two hours of finishers on race Saturday night from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., and the same video is online at News4Jax.com. Complete race results will be posted online this evening.The run is sponsored by the Jacksonville Track Club, corporate sponsors, and the local station.Copyright 2006 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
