Auburn’s Flannery scoots to victory in festival 5K race | PHOTOS

Tyler Flannery was the top finisher in the Kent Cornucopia Days 5K last Saturday, his second victory in a Kent race in the past year.

The 22-year-old Auburn man also won the Christmas Rush 5K last December.

The Cornucopia 5K, which is part of the city’s annual Cornucopia Days festival, drew 520 participants, ranging from age 2 to 88. The out-and-back course began at the Three Friends Fishing Hole on Russell Road, following a trail along the Green River.

Flannery, an Auburn High School graduate who has one year of eligibility remaining to run at Seattle University, said the 5K was a way to get back in shape for track and cross country.

“I just wanted to see where my fitness was because it is the middle of the summer,” he said. “It gives me a good starting point. I can build on this for the next few months.”

Flannery finished the race in 16 minutes, 10.7 seconds, more than a minute ahead of the second-place finisher, Edson Zaldivar, 22, of Kent, (17:26.7). Joe Sheeran, 59, of Ellensburg, took third place (17:29.2).

Flannery wished his time was a little faster but was pleased with the outcome of the morning race.

“I usually don’t get my run in until the evening,” he said. “I’m not one of those 5 a.m., let’s go knock out those miles. It’s like let’s wait until 8 at night, and then let’s go start.”

Sam Kelderman, 18, of Issaquah, was the fastest female finisher.

The recent Liberty High School graduate, who plans to attend Montana State University in the fall and run track and cross country, finished the 5K in 17:59.6, besting her previous personal record of 19:13.

“It was a huge improvement,” she said. “It just shows my training is paying off. I’m just really happy, and winning is just icing on the cake.”

Kelderman said she enjoyed the race and plans to participate again next year.

Brenda Stamper, 19, of Covington, finished second for the women (18:47.6), and Lisa Knoblich, 53, of Issaquah, took third (20:07).

Race within the race

This year’s Cornucopia 5K featured more than 50 runners age 50 and above competing in the Battle of the Boomers – the culmination of a series of races sponsored by Tab Wizard.

“You see these lists of the top runners in your age group all the time,” said Dennis Zaborac, of Kent, who organized the Battle of the Boomers. “I would be on top one week and then somebody in another race would top me. It kept changing. You don’t know these faces. I came up with this idea. … The whole thing backfired on me because I finished fourth. I brought in all this tough competition.”

The top men and women in the various age groups were invited to compete. Each age group competed in a different 5K over the past two years.

About 50 of the 80 people who raced during the past two years took part in the final battle last Saturday.

All the age groups were combined for the age-graded finale.

“It is basically a handicap system,” Zaborac said. “The 88-year-old could beat the 50-year-old even though he (the 50-year-old) finishes five minutes faster. It is a computerized system.”

Sheeran, who took third overall in the 5K, was the winner of the Battle of the Boomers. He won $500 and a trophy. Jane Treleven, 68, of Gig Harbor took second (22:51) and got $300 and a trophy. Pat Warner, 71, of Allyn, took third place (23:49). She received $200 and a trophy. The 10th-, 20th-, 30th-, 40th-, 50th-place finishers each won $100. Those finishers were, 10th place, John O’Hearn, 55, of Redmond (18:18); 20th place, Keith Lerew, 59, of Fox Island (19:51); 30th place, Dave Sherman, 63, of Edgewood (21:39); 40th place, Louise Mihay, 76, of Olympia (32:57); 50th place, Chloe Parr, 88, of Bremerton (53:24).

Jerry Dietrich, 83, of Gig Harbor, was the second to the last finisher in the Battle of the Boomers (41:09) and got a $50 cash prize.

For complete results of the 5K, visit buduracing.com.