Yvonne Keenan Cross Country 5K

Burlington, VT, August 14, 1999

Complete Results

Results courtesy of the Yvonne Keenan Cross Country 5K.

On a Rain-threatening Saturday, August 14, 1999, 32 runners arrived to race the Yvonne Keenan Cross Country 5K.

by Mark Renkert, Race Director and Robert G. Keenan, Co-Race Director

Less than an hour before the run started, another race unfolded. Marcey Howerter, an IBM Engineer, from Rochester, MN arrived in Burlington Internatinal Airport to discover her baggage with her running gear had been lost. In a fight for time, she sped to Ames, a department store 6 miles away, which opened early for this Saturday morning and there she purchased running top and shorts and running shoes an appeared at the starting line to finish 3rd in her age group and 22nd overall. Asked if she felt stressed -- she smiled and said, "I work best under pressure."

As the Starting Horn sounded --

The first two miles of this challenging cross country race was dominated by #2 finisher, Joshua Brown, of Burlingtton, as he and Falmouth, ME's top ranked and #1 finisher, Mike Payson leap-frogged across the mowed hayfields under threatening skies. Just before mile 2, Payson made a strong surge on a 10 yard downhill and slingshotted past Brown who hung on tight.

Was he thinking Payson's surge would stall and he'd catch him in the uphill ?? That is not known, but Brown attacked again on the winding woodline trail, but Payson reached deep inside and surged again and broke Brown's concentration and Brown who courageously held the lead for so long was tiring and he let his concentration fall to "another race on another day."

Brown later commented that his unfamiliarity with the course and it's uphill finish contributed to his hard charge during the downhill first mile and then ultimately deciding to not go for the win.

Another drama happened just after the winners crossed the line. Fighting for position on the uphill finish, three runners sprinted the last half mile -- shoulder to shoulder -- with the crowd lining both sides of the last 1/4 mile cheering wildly. Number 4 Finisher, Larry O'Toole, Warren, VT, 35, 17:27 outsprinted Number 5 finisher, Robert Perkins, Essex Junction, VT, 20, 17:29 and 6, and Dan Licata, South Royalton, VT, 23, 17:31 with the last 200 yards to go, uphill, running wildly into the finishing tape. All three of these men smiled widely afterward obviously happy with the effort. It was Licata who started the charge closing from a 30 second deficit to just 2 at the tape. One spectator, Julie Fitzgerald, of South Burlington said, "Had the race been just 10 meters longer Licata would have overtaken Perkins and O'Toole."

In the female race, Christin Lacey Krietz, a Senior at Stanford, and Karen Alence of Charlotte pressed hard against one another during the 1st downhill mile, it was then that Krietz used her honed speed to surge for 3/4 of mile to force Alence in surrendering to second place.

Later Payson, Brown, and the Keenan 5K's first female finisher, Christin Lacey Krietz of Portland, Oregon were seen laughing and running a cool downlap of the course just as the skies let loose a blanket of warm summer rain.

1, Michael Payson, Falmouth, ME, 36, 15:47
2, Joshua Brown, Burlington, VT, 31, 16:26
3, Matt Manfred, Pittsburg, PA, 18, 17:20
4, Larry O'Toole, Warren, VT, 35, 17:27
5, Robert Perkins, Essex Junction, VT, 20, 17:29
6, Dan Licata, South Royalton, VT, 23, 17:31
7, Doug Gary, Essex Junction, VT, 33, 18:08
8, Sandford Hendrickson, Burlington, VT, 33, 18:25
9, Stephen Ball, Warren, VT, 14, 18:55
10, Dave Ginepra, Stowe,VT, 31, 19:28
11, Christin Lacey Krietz, Portland, OR, 20, 19:47 ---(*** First Woman 
****)
12, Forest LeMoine, Shelburne, VT, 44, 20:12  (VT's Fastest Policeman)
13, Will McNeil, South Burlington, VT, 16, 20:38
14, Dennis Parker, Shelburne, VT, 35, 21:02
15, Jill Hendrickson, Burlington, VT, 33, 22:35
16, Rob Eldred, Williston, VT, 35, 22:43  -- (**VT's Fastest Financial 
Advisor ***)
17, Glenn Gaetano, Barre, VT, 46, 23:01
18, Dave Henderson, Essex Junction, VT, 37, 23:14
19, Karen Alence, Charlotte, VT, 32, 23:41    --- (*** 2nd  Woman ****)
20, Mathew Fillion, South Burlington, VT, 14, 23:54
21, Bill Lorenz, Richmond, VT, 51, 24:57  -- (**** Most Races in 1999 
*****)
22, Marcey Howerter, Rochester, MN, 21, 25:36
23, Jackie Fillion, South Burlington, VT, 19, 25:36
24, Hilary Hurt, South Royalton, VT, 23, 25:58
25, David Hershberg, Burlington, VT, 66, 26:59  ---***Age Category Winner 
****)
26, Tina Tremblay, South Burlington, VT, 15, 27:00
27, Tom Hallee, Montpelier, VT, 56, 28:36
28, Will Hemingway, South Burlington, VT, 10, 32:20
29, Eileen Hallee, Montpelier, VT, 55, 33:36
30, Lucas Tremblay, South Burlington, VT, 12, 34:44
31, Shawn Nerey, South Burlington, VT, 11,  34:58
32, Mark Kramer, Colchester, VT, 45, 34:50 (*** 2nd PR in a Row *****)