The winner entered as an afterthought, perhaps a first for the series of Firecracker road races run in Little Rock since 1977.
Clint Bell of Dallas flew into Little Rock with his wife for the Fourth of July holiday. They planned on touring the city and visiting the Clinton presidential library, but as he arranged their trip, he decided to research the availability of nearby road races.
He found an entry form for the Firecracker Fast 5K on the internet.
"I just searched online," Bell said. "We were planning on coming up here anyway to see the library, and the race just hit at the right time."
Bell, 38, got an early start to his holiday celebration with a Firecracker victory in 15:56.93. Shaun Koehn, 25, of Little Rock, last year's winner, finished second in 16:28.60. Dylan Douglas, 17, of Maumelle was third in 16:30.31.
Cheryl Nolan entered the Firecracker with an eye on the Irish National Track and Field Championships, scheduled for July 22-23 in Dublin. The 27-year-old Irish native, who ran as a middle-distance specialist for Arkansas Tech University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, won the Firecracker women's division in 16:58.69. Elizabeth Gillette, 19, of Texarkana, Texas, was second in 17:41.80. Melissa Hambuchen, 22, 0f Conway, finished third in 18:13.42.
"This is kind of a steppingstone for me for the Irish nationals," said Nolan, who lives and works in Jonesboro as an evaluator for Arkansas State's center for community engagement. "It was also kind of a rust-buster for me."
Nolan said she didn't know she had won until she crossed the finish line.
"There were a lot of guys all around me, so I just tried to hang with them and see how many I could beat," she said. "I didn't know if there were any women in front of me, but I heard a few people on the course yell, 'First female,' and that gave me an idea."
Bell, a mechanical engineer, followed an early pace set by Garrett Shadwick, but he took the lead four minutes into the race -- shortly after the group of six front-runners crossed Cantrell Road headed downhill on Kavanaugh Road. He quickly pulled away from the other contenders and led by five seconds through the first mile, which was completed in 5:01.
Shadwick, an employee at Fleet Feet Sports Easy Runner in Little Rock, said his shoestring came untied before Bell took command. He kicked the shoe off as the downhill stretch began.
"I'd like to say I could've run under 16, but just because I could go under 16 doesn't mean he couldn't have run any faster than his 15:56," Shadwick said. "He didn't have anyone pushing him. I can probably run that time, but I don't know if I could've beaten him."
The Firecracker course descends from Little Rock's Heights neighborhood to its finish near War Memorial Stadium and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The second mile is its steepest downhill section, and the long descent levels off for three blocks as entrants race past Mount St. Mary Academy. By that point, halfway through the event, Bell led by 11 seconds.
He would pull away throughout. Bell's lead through 2 miles, which he passed in 10:05, had extended to 20 seconds. As he crossed Markham Street, the remainder of the field was far behind. Bell's lead continued to build as he ran past War Memorial Golf Course.
As he glanced back while turning left onto Zoo Drive, he was able to exhale.
"That was a relief," Bell said. "This is definitely a good win for me, based on who's won it previously and the times. I mean, it's a very fast course with a rich history."
The result of the Firecracker is frequently decided on the steep quarter-mile uphill that divides the golf course from the Little Rock Zoo, but Bell raced up it unconcerned. Koehn said he knew it likely would distinguish the order of finish behind Bell, and it did. Koehn caught and passed three runners, including Douglas, in the final half-mile.
"I didn't know how much [Douglas] had in his kick," Koehn said. "I knew he looked a little younger than me, so maybe he would have a little more spring in his step, but as I gained on him, I was kind of gauging his stride and seeing how it looked compared to how I felt.
"By the time we got to the last quarter-mile, I kind of figured I might have him."
Sports on 07/05/2017
