Although he was donning Central Michigan University shorts Kyle Stacks was right at home Saturday, winning the Concord Classic 5k on a course he’s been running since third-grade.
With familiar faces cheering him on, the 2010 Concord High School graduate ran the fastest road race of his life — 15 minutes, 27 seconds — 18 seconds ahead of runner-up Brendan Martin.
“It feels pretty good, it’s kind of like a homecoming for me since I haven’t raced anywhere close to home for a while,” said Stacks who ran for CMU as a freshman during the 2010-11 season. “I’ve never won it and I was hoping I could come and do it.”
Stack was part of Concord state championship teams in cross county in 2009 and track and field in 2010.
He said because he had run the course so many times he knew where to kick it into high gear, right around the two-mile marker where he distanced himself from the pack.
Stacks’ high school coach and race director David Jordon thought the course record of 14:49 might be in jeopardy with the ideal conditions Saturday, but Stacks said that might be a task for another year.
“I think someone like me or Josh McAlary from Lumen Christi (who now runs for Michigan State University) could definitely do that, but I think I need someone pushing me, like in front of me, in order to do that,” he said.
Martin, a sophomore at Jackson Community College, was pleased that he cut 40 seconds off his time from the 2010 Concord Classic.
“I had no idea what I could run today,” he said. “I figured it would be between me and Kyle and I wasn’t sure what he was capable of, but he got me that last mile.”
In the women’s 5k run Lindsey Burdette of Hanover-Horton won her second straight Citizen Patriot Run/Walk Series race by finishing in a time of 18 minutes, 46 seconds.
She had a healthy lead over runner-up Cayla Nousain of Concord (19:00) throughout the race.
Burdette said a win was “nice” but she entered mainly to figure out where she was at the beginning of a long summer of training.
She runs 50-65 miles a week and is currently focused more on pacing than trying to set personal records.
She said running with a field of fast young guys did provide a little motivation though.
“If I see some guys ahead of me I try to stay up with them and just pace off of them,” she said.
David Swarts of Jackson repeated as the winner of the men’s 5k walk with a time of 25 minutes, 31 seconds and Janet Scott of Horton was victorious in the women’s walk with a time of 33 minutes, 59 seconds.
For complete results click here.
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As published in the Jackson Citizen Patriot on June 26, 2011
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