A very tight women��s finish and a slight temperature break highlighted the second annual Shiloh 5K Mission Run early Saturday morning.
A cooler overnight low than forecast made race day a tad more tolerable.
Shiloh Reformed Church of Faith was the headquarters for the event.
Cal Meyers won the 5K with a time of 18 minutes and 14 seconds on a challenging course around downtown Faith. Josh Readling was second in 18:35 and was followed by Bobby Aswell in 19:30.
Maleah Pinyan beat Melissa Orr by just two seconds for the women’s title. Pinyan ran 21:53 with Orr close behind at 21:55. Third was Ruth Voorhis in 22:24.
Oren Bost won another close battle in the fun run with a time of 3:40, followed by Brayden Peeler in 3:42 and Ashley Barnhardt in 3:44.
“This is my training course and I knew it very well,” said Susan Geisler of Faith. She won her age group with a time of 27:19. “We finished it all ahead of the heat, and now I can enjoy the rest of the day.”
John Attaway from State Road came to compete in the race and was impressed with the organization.
“This was a great race, very well organized, and I certainly had an enjoyable time,” Attaway, a Baptist minister, said “I used to run a lot, then took up cycling, and now I am race walking. I will be back next year for sure.” Attaway also won his age group.
Race director Luann Fesperman thanked participants and said, “Your support goes a long way in spreading the word of Jesus Christ through our Adult and Youth Mission Teams.”
She also thanked sponsors, JLH Professional Staffing and SALCOA Contracting Inc., police from Faith and surrounding towns, and all the volunteers.
Results are at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org