39th Firecracker Fast 5K

Times get slower, attendance grows

Jesse Duvall's winning time in Saturday's Firecracker Fast 5k was the slowest since race founder Gary Smith moved the race to its current course in 1988, and women's winner Lauren Paquette's time was well off the women's course record of 15:23 set by Colette Murphy.

But the race was completed by the third-most racers, topped only by the fields of 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Perhaps it is more than a coincidence that in 2013 Sean and Noelle Coughlan bought Smith's running shoe store, took over and decided to move the emphasis of the race away from elite runners. They quit offering cash prizes, and faster times were immediately replaced by larger attendance. They also began to offer age-division awards, which Smith credited for the larger crowds. "I think that's really made a difference," he said.

Sean Coughlan said that next year, for the 40th Firecracker, there's a chance that prize money will be awarded to anyone who breaks the men's and women's course records. Reuben Reina set the men's record of 13:26.

"If we do that, I think we'll see a few more of the elite runners here," Coughlan said.

Sports on 07/05/2015

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