ALLENTOWN – A field of 63 runners enjoyed a perfect day of early fall weather when they participated in the second annual Historic Allentown 5K race in Heritage Park on Sept. 25.
The race debuted in 2019 and was not held in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Craig Rondinone, who chairs the Allentown Recreation Commission, said, “The Allentown Recreation Commission was so thrilled to bring back our 5K after not being able to have it in 2020 due to the pandemic.
“Mother Nature blessed us with the perfect weather and the runners really enjoyed the new race course that (Borough Councilman) Mike Drennan designed.
“The race was a great success and we plan to make it an annual event. We will see you in 2022,” Rondinone said.
The winner of the 5-kilometer race (3.1 miles) was Dan McNeely in a time of 18:45, followed in second place by Rob Saldino in a time of 20:34. Diana Bamford was first among the women’s participants in a time of 25:11.
The age bracket winners were as follows: 14-and-under female, Ella Sluder; 14-and-under male, John O’ Leary; 15-19 male, John Grimes; 20-29 female, Michelle Wroblewski; 20-29 male, Casey O’Neill; 30-39 female, Lauren Salge; 30-39 male, Dan McNeely; 40-49 female, Angela Cahill; 40-49 male, Rob Saldino; 50-59 female, Diana Bamford; 50-59 male, Michael Foy; 60-and-over female, Eileen Kuzma; and 60-and-over male, James Stein.
The entire race took place in Heritage Park and the runners were able to test their abilities on different terrains, according to Rondinone.
The Allentown Recreation Commission, which sponsored the race, is committed to improving recreational resources and activities in the community, acquiring property for recreational purposes, maintaining parkland and equipment, and improving current public playgrounds, recreation places and the approach to those properties, according to a press release.