Sunshine and mild temperatures greeted the participants of Merrill’s first Summer Stride Run-Walk event Saturday, Aug. 17. The event was hosted by the Merrill Park and Recreation Dept. and the Rotary Club.
In all, 75 athletes ran 5 kilometer and 10 kilometer routes that started and finished at the MARC. The 5K route took the participants through Council Grounds State Park, while the 16 that ran the 10K headed south along Grand Ave., up Champagne St., west on Taylor and then back to Grand Ave. and through the park.
Dave Dalman, 32, Merrill, was the first finisher of the 5K event with a time of 21:28.70. Dale Eaton, 48, Wausau finished second and Corey Appril, 43, Merrill, was third in the male division.
Olivia Eaton, 15, Wausau, was the first female to cross the 5K line with a time of 00:22.54.05. She was followed by Lauren Tubbs, 20, Wausau, and Katie VanDerGeest, 28, also of Wausau.
The 10K division was paced by Matt Radtke, 41, Merrill who crossed the line in 00:37:46.12. He was followed by Sean Schmidt, 23, Wausau, and Jim Litschauer, 53, Merrill, who finished just over 3 minutes later.
Jennifer Nash, 31, Appleton, was the fastest female in the 10K run with a time of 00:52:34.34. About a minute later, Tessa Newberg, 30, Brooklyn, MI, crossed the line. She was followed, less than a second later, by Tara Marciniak, 35, Wausau.
Rotarians assisted the Park and Rec. Dept. by directing runners along their routes and providing refreshments. Traffic control and safety was conducted by the Merrill Police Dept.