First annual Firefly 5K… Large field makes for fast times in Firefly 5K
Published 5:36 pm Tuesday, July 6, 2021
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders And they are off! Runners kick off the First Annual Firefly 5K in downtown Elizabethton.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders While many elected to run the Firefly 5K, several walked the course in the first annual event.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Participants in the Firefly 5K make their way around the corner from Elk Avenue to Riverside Drive.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A mother and daughter enjoy running the Firefly 5K course together on a beautiful evening in downtown Elizabethton.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A runner pushes her baby who is all decked out for the Fourth of July in the Firefly 5K.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Carson Walls crosses the finish line ahead of all runners to claim the top male finisher as well as the overall Firefly 5K winner.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Katie Zink crosses the finish line as the overall top female winner in the Firefly 5K.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Sarah Presnell crosses the finish line with a buddy in tow.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Jonathan Street and his son complete the Firefly 5K with identical times.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders These two runners have a little fun as they complete the Firefly 5K in a full-out foot race to the finish line after coming through the Covered Bridge.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders This mother ran the complete Firefly 5K while pushing her daughter in a stroller. The pair complete what they started as they cross the finish line.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders There is no better way to finish a race than with one's best friend.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A runner flashes a big grin after completing the Firefly 5K course.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A runner raises his hands to signify finishing the Firefly 5K.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders These runners finish strong as they cross the finish line in the Firefly 5K.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders These runners cross the finish line hand in hand.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Wei Hu looks at the clock as he gets ready to cross the finish line in the Firefly 5K.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A father and daughter cross the finish line hand in hand.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A pair of runners share a hug after completing the Firefly 5K.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A group of runners crosses the finish line almost simultaneously.
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BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
Main Street Elizabethton hosted the First Annual Firefly 5K as a way to support the program in downtown Elizabethton and while the organization was only expecting about 150 runners for the event, Main Street Elizabethton’s Director Courtney Bean said 287 participants registered and ran in the event.
The Firefly 5K was a part of the July First Friday held in downtown Elizabethton.
Carson Walls finished as the top overall male with a time of 17:21 while Katie Zink was the top female with a time of 19:46.
In the female category, in the age 0-14 race, Elizabethton’s 12-year-old Adrian Heading took the win with a finishing time of 29:42. Savannah Smith, also of Elizabethton, finished second while Johnson City’s Makenna Everhardt completed the top three.
There were four contestants in the 15-19 category as Ada Ritchie of Bristol crossed the finished line first with a time of 30:25. Elizabethton’s Kaylee Cranford and Sophia James took second and third respectively.
Lexi Lopez finished in fourth.
Lindsey Trotter claimed the Female 20-29 race as the Elizabethton runner crossed the finish line in a time of 20:44. Johnson City runners Grace Murray and Evan Meeuwenburg wrapped up the top three runners for the age group.
In the 30-39 age group, there were 49 entries vying for the top spot but it was Katie Zink of Johnson City who came out on top with a finishing time of 19:46.
Johnson City’s Jamie Mains finished in second place while Elizabethton’s Sarah Presnell rounded out the top three in the category.
Cassi Lane of Johnson City took the Female 40-49 age category with a time of 22:32. Amy Bradley of Bristol and Lynne Smith from Elizabethton took second and third respectively.
There were 26 entries in the Female 50-59 category as Bristol’s Michelle Gray crossed the finish line first with a time of 26:50. Mona Hylton of Castlewood, Virginia took second place while Jonesborough’s Patsy Cantor finished third with a time of 31:05.
Sharon Bumgardner of Kingsport claimed the top spot in Female 60-69 with a time of 28:16. Rebecca Daly and Patricia Marlow of Elizabethton took second and third place behind Bumgardner.
The final category on the female side was the 70-99 group which had 11 entries for the race.
Crossing the line in first place was Cassandra Bainbridge of Bristol with a finishing time of 33:44. Elizabethton’s Barbara Bogart claimed second place while Margaret Moses of Elizabethton claimed third place.
Swapping lanes to the male side, Reece Vernon of Bristol was the winner in the Male 1-14 category in a finishing time of 21:03. Elizabethton’s Cooper Jack took second place in the event while Bluff City’s Braxton Cross claimed third place.
In the Male 15-19 category, Adam Gibson of Castlewood, Virginia took the top spot with a time of 18:11. Bristol’s Riley Vernon crossed the line in second place while Kingsport’s Parker Cowden took the third spot.
There were 11 entries in the Male 20-29 category as Carson Walls of Johnson City proved to be the fastest in the category with a finishing time of 17:21.
Steven Hensley of Bristol, Virginia was close behind with a time of 17:53 to take second place with Andrew Campbell of Bristol, Virginia crossing in third place.
Corey Henson of Glade Spring, Virginia took first place in the Male 30-39 category in a winning time of 19:04. Elizabethton’s Curtis Brumit crossed in second place while James Bittinger from Bristol finished third.
In a very close finish, Wei Hu from Johnson City narrowly defeated Limestone’s Eric Janne by :01 of a second as Hu clocked a time of 20:15 to Janne’s 20:16 in the 40-49 age division.
Jonathan Minton claimed the third spot with a time of 22:49.
Erwin’s Jeff King took top honors in the Male 50-59 race finishing in a time of 18:28. Jason McKinney of Elizabethton finished second with Mark Grenti from Jonesborough taking third place.
In the 60-69 age division, Doug Strickland from Johnson City crossed the line in 22:49 to win the division. Kingsport’s Clyde Kidd finished in second place while Michael Pope from Bristol finished in third place.
Finally, in the Male 70-99 category, Bristol’s Tom Deaderick crossed the line ahead of Elizabethton’s Robert Hardin for first place. Joe Bainbridge of Bristol finished third.
