OCEAN CITY — For those who walked, it took more than an hour to finish the First Day 5K Run/Walk Jan. 1 on the Ocean City Boardwalk. For the fastest, it was a quarter of that time.
Just more than 700 people who registered completed the 5K on New Year’s Day, running or walking in below-freezing temperatures that brought the wind chill to about 14 degrees.
Eighteen-year-old Jack Brannon won the race comfortably in 16 minutes and 23 seconds, exactly a half-minute ahead of the next finisher, Dominic DiTanna, 37. Another teenager, Sean Donohue of Red Hill, Pa., was third overall in a time of 17:14.
Angela Reckot, 40, wasn’t far off the overall finishers’ pace, with her time of 17:36, making her the fastest female. Ryann Hall, 38, of Downingtown, Pa., was second in 19:10 and Corinne Bednarik, 25, of Glenmore, Pa., was third in 20 minutes flat.
An 8-year-old, J. Roeder, was the fastest in the 9-and-under male category, which also saw a 5-year-old, D. Staiano, complete the boardwalk course in 52:18.
A 6-year-old girl, J. Barker, also completed the course, coming in at 53:24. The fastest girl 9 and under was I. Walchak, who clocked in at 31:55, eight seconds ahead of 7-year-old O. Walchak.
On the other end of the age spectrum, Ken Perry of Millville, a 70-year-old, won the 70-79 age class for men, which featured 11 runners.
Barbara Moyer of Harleysville, Pa., was in a category by herself. The 85-year-old won the 80-89 women’s division. Her time was 51.47.
Unlike most races in Ocean City, those registering did not get a T-shirt. Instead, they received a colorful beach towel with drawings of Martin Z. and Molly Mollusk, the resort’s mascots, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the nation, which takes place this year.
– STORY and PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
