Run For The Hills Update

By Rick Platt
The combined ages of the men’s and women’s overall winners in Saturday’s third annual Run for the Hills 10K—Steve Chantry of Williamsburg and Mercedes Castillo-D’Amico of Newport News—was 112 years, both setting all-time records for the oldest runners ever to win a Colonial Road Runners Grand Prix race. In contrast, the combined ages of the women’s runner-up finisher and the men’s fifth-place overall finisher, twins Grace Carlson and John Carlson of Signal Mountain , TN , was an equally remarkable 28 years.

In between those extremes, there were many excellent performances at the race, known in its first two years as the Run for Breast Health 10K, and which had 310 finishers in the 10K on Saturday. There were an additional 52 finishers in the one mile fun run/walk. The races were organized by, and benefited, Beyond Boobs, Inc. of Williamsburg , the women’s breast cancer awareness organization.

Chantry, 57, won his second consecutive Grand Prix race, extending his all-time record as the oldest male runner to win a CRR Grand Prix race. Chantry was timed in 37:37 to best Craig Connors, 39, of Williamsburg by six seconds (37:43) with Greg Dawson, 47, of Williamsburg third overall (38:01). Chantry had also won the Sept. 15 Salute to the Military “Red, White and Blue 5K” at Cheatham Annex, by 11 seconds. In that race Dawson also had placed third overall.

Castillo-D’Amico, who celebrated her 55th birthday on Sept. 24th to move into a new age group, similarly broke the CRR record for the oldest female runner ever to win a Grand Prix race, but in her case, it was her first-ever win in a CRR event. In 2011 and 2012, the CRR Grand Prix has been dominated by the battle between Karen Terry (2011 champion) and Jennifer Quarles (six-time champion) for the overall title, those two having won every 2011 or ‘12 race except for two by Renee High, and one each by Laura Shannon and Heidi Peterson. Castillo-D'Amico ran a 43:13 to best precocious 14-year-old Grace Carlson, of Signal Mountain, TN by 40 seconds (43:53), with Debbie McLaughlin, 46, of Williamsburg third overall (44:31).

The twin brother of Grace Carlson—John Carlson, 14, of Signal Mountain —was fifth overall for the men with a remarkable time of 39:30. The siblings both run varsity cross country for Baylor School in Chattanooga . John (fourth on his high school varsity cross country team) has a 5K best of 17:58, while Grace (1st on her girls' varsity team) has a PR of 19:41. John bettered his previous 10K best by 45 seconds, while Grace bettered her 10K PR by three minutes. Their family, including parents Gary and Mary, were on fall break, and were visiting Busch Gardens and Williamsburg .

Race five-year age-group records were broken by Chantry (men 55-59), Connors (men 35-39), John Carlson (men 14-and-under), Castillo-D’Amico (women 55-59), Grace Carlson (women 14-and-under), McLaughlin (women 45-49), along with Tim Collins, 51, of Williamsburg (men 50-54, 41:51), Robert Wright, 71, of Hampton (men 70-and-over, 53:04), Tom Gerhardt, 61, of Chesapeake (men’s race walk, 1:02:10), and Louise Sharer, 60, of Williamsburg (women 60-64, 56:59).

The race course started on the service road next to the Sanford B. Wanner Stadium in the Warhill Sports Complex, had an out-and-back portion to Warhill High School, then a second out-and-back portion on the service road and sports complex bike path, with a complete counterclockwise loop of the scenic, gravel-and-dirt, but hilly Warhill Nature Trail. Both the 10K and the accompanying one mile fun run finished on the 20-yard line of the James City County Stadium.