New champs
Melillo, Farrah claim first victories at Woodruff 5K
CONNELLSVILLE 鈥� Brandon Melillo had been very competitive in the John Woodruff 5K Run & Walk before but the top prize had eluded him in his first three attempts.
So Melillo made it a point to push even harder and focus even more on the race he so badly wanted to win.
Success finally came to the 30-year-old Southmoreland graduate on Wednesday in Connellsville when he hit the finish line inside Falcon Stadium as the overall run winner in the 43rd edition of the event.
Melillo鈥檚 time of 17:00 was 57 seconds better than second-place Jesse Irwin of Morgantown, W.Va., and also ended the three-year reign of Laurel Highlands graduate Matt Schwertfeger who fell short in his attempt at a four-peat.
鈥淚 worked so hard for it,鈥� Melillo said. 鈥淚 really wanted it this year. It means a lot to me. I always wanted to win the Woodruff because it鈥檚 been around for years. It鈥檚 a part of Connellsville. I always wanted to be part of that history.鈥�
Melillo was one of two first-time champions in the run along with 16-year-old Addie Farrah of Irwin who was the top female runner with a time of 20:42.
Two familiar faces claimed victory in the walk.
Carl Kondrach of Barnesville, Ohio, was the overall winner for the seventh time in the last nine years and Jacynth Drumhiller of Mount Pleasant, was the No.1 female walker for the third consecutive year.
Temperatures gave competitors a bit of a break Wednesday on what usually is an excruciatingly hot and humid event, thanks to an earlier rain and cloudy conditions. The thermometer never did reach 80.
That was fine with Melillo.
鈥淚 just love it, how it鈥檚 nice and cool,鈥� said the Scottdale resident. 鈥淚t rained a little bit before.
鈥淭his is my fourth time running in it. I made the top 10 each time but this is my first year winning it. I鈥檝e been training all year around. This has been my best year, running-wise. This is my 10th race and seventh win. I was 59th overall in the Pittsburgh Half-Marathon this year, too.鈥�
Following Melillo and Irwin in the run were the Mount Pleasant duo of 14-year-old Ellic Pritts (18:05) and 15-year-old Jake Pritts (18:22), while Schwertfeger barely edged out Austin Molinaro of Connellsville for fifth place with both turning in times of 18:41.
Schwertfeger pushed Melillo for a while and likely would鈥檝e finished higher if he hadn鈥檛 made a navigational error.
鈥淢e and him (Schwertfeger) were neck and neck for most of the race, then he died off a little bit,鈥� Melillo explained. 鈥淥nce I overcame the hills I kind of knew I had it then. After that I knew I could push myself even harder now down hills.鈥�
Schwertfeger, who will be a freshman at West Virginia University this fall, is the youngest three-time winner of the Woodruff after claiming his third title as a 17-year-old last year.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 feel tuned up real good like I usually do for this but I felt alright,鈥� Schwertfeger said. 鈥淎 little before the last hill, around the halfway mark, he pulled away. He had me by about 200 yards and I missed a turn with like .6 to go so that cost me a few places. But he would鈥檝e had me either way.鈥�
Farrah, a junior-to-be at Norwin High School, was running in her seventh Woodruff 5K.
鈥淚鈥檝e run it every year since I was nine years old except for last year because I was at cross country camp in North Carolina,鈥� said Farrah, whose time was 20:42. 鈥淭his has been on my list of races I wanted to win.
鈥淚 got out front and was in the lead the whole time. There are lots of hills here but cross country gets me in shape for hills so it鈥檚 nothing I鈥檓 not used to. It was cooler than most years so that was good.鈥�
Farrah made sure after she finished to rush over with her father Steve Farrah to cheer on her mother, Ashleigh Grimaldi Farrah, who also ran the race.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fun and exciting to see her run, too,鈥� Addie Farrah said.
Rounding out the top five female runners were Amy O鈥橠onnell (21:19), former champion Chloe Kalp of Melcroft (21:22) and Jillian Najewicz (21:48) and Addison Lane (22:01), both of Connellsville.
The 53-year-old Kondrach bounced back after finishing second to Lee Stough last year to claim his seventh Woodruff 5K walk win with a time of 30:29.
鈥淭his is probably the 15th time I鈥檝e done this race and maybe the ninth or 10th as a race walker,鈥� Kondrach said. 鈥淚鈥檝e always gotten first or second depending on if Lee Stough is here or not and he鈥檚 not here again. He鈥檚 out of my league but when he鈥檚 not here I have a good chance at winning.鈥�
Kondrach pointed out the race was his 71st of the year and sixth in seven days.
鈥淚 just love running and walking,鈥� Kondrach said. 鈥淧robably half my races are done walking. We (Kondrach and running partner Sarah Donley) drove almost two hours to get here. This is probably the coolest it鈥檚 been. The humidity kills you but the heat wasn鈥檛 too bad, considering.
鈥淚 really like the course. I love the people, the atmosphere, the awards, Bud Murphy鈥檚.鈥�
Jason Lohr of Youngwood claimed second place in the male walk with a time of 34:24 with his uncle Jim Downey of Connellsville placing third (35:26). It鈥檚 the sixth consecutive year Downey has placed in the top five.
Tim Frazier of Monroeville (36:20) and Jack Crislip of White (37:52) were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the male walk.
The 33-year-old Drumhiller of Mount Pleasant, who is a graduate of Chestnut Ridge Christian Academy in Uniontown, used her usual tactic of pacing herself well to finish with a time of 35:44 in winning the female walk, holding off former champion Donley of Bethesda, Ohio (37:06).
The pair placed fourth and sixth overall. In fact, female walkers secured four of the top nine spots. Cathy Brown of Uniontown (37:47) was third among females and seventh overall while former champion Tina Woodruff of Waltersburg (37:56) was fourth among females and ninth overall. Alexandra Huffman of Mount Pleasant (39:36) was fifth among females and 14th overall.
鈥淎t the starting line everyone goes out pretty fast so I wasn鈥檛 in the lead at the beginning,鈥� said Drumhiller who has made a habit of come-from-behind victories at the Woodruff 5K.
鈥淎 lot of people from my church were there so I get distracted talking and stuff. The lead went back and forth a few times but then I got ahead (of Donley) and was trying to but couldn鈥檛 catch the top three men (Kondrach, Lohr and Downey).鈥�
While most competitors dread the hills and the usual heat at the Woodruff 5K, Drumhiller is just the opposite.
鈥淗ills were great,鈥� she said. 鈥淎lso I tend to do better when it鈥檚 a little hotter, which it really wasn鈥檛 today. That鈥檚 just more my style.鈥�
Drumhiller gave a plug to the Woodruff 5K and competitive running and walking in general.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of fun,鈥� she said. 鈥淩acing in general is really awesome. It鈥檚 kind of an extension of life for me, especially since I鈥檓 a Christian and I view walking with God as similar to a race. It鈥檚 like a parable.
鈥淚 encourage a lot of people to get involved in racing. I love the atmosphere. It鈥檚 fun, it鈥檚 upbeat, there鈥檚 a lot of competition here, and it鈥檚 very encouraging, everybody tends to keep a very, very good attitude. That鈥檚 why this type of sport is awesome.
鈥淭his race in particular is great because the spectators are really encouraging, and it鈥檚 very well run, very well put together.鈥�
Firing the starter pistol as this year鈥檚 honorary race starter was Vernon Ohler.
For the 30th year in a row SERJ Racing Services provided results for the event.
There were 377 participants (275 runners and 102 walkers) in this year鈥檚 event, down slightly from last year鈥檚 391.
Melillo summed up why he loves running in the Woodruff 5K.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a fun race,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 like it because it鈥檚 a challenging race. The more challenging, the better, the more fun it is. You push yourself and you feel a little bit better about yourself when it鈥檚 over because you overcame those obstacles.鈥�