Perfect Weather, Worthy Cause Help Make 5K A Success

OCEAN CITY – Nearly picture perfect weather and about 200 participants conspired to make the 3rd Annual Greene Turtle West 5K, benefiting the Ocean City Paramedics and EMTs, a huge success again this year.

With plenty of sunshine and the race time temperature hovering around 72 degrees with low humidity, conditions could not have been much better for the 3rd Annual Greene Turtle West 5K early last Sunday morning. The nice weather and the inviting course, which started and finished at the Greene Turtle West and meandered down Route 611 to the Mystic Harbor community and back, attracted nearly 200 runners from all over the country.

The nice conditions also led to some exceptional times for many of the top racers. For the record, the overall winner was Tony Damato, of Derby, Kansas, who finished the course in 15:58. Second place went to Mark Gilmore of Columbia, who finished in 17:26, while third place went to Tyler Gehrs of Alexandria, Va., who finished in 18:18. Fourth place overall went to the top female racer in the field, Cara Wettlaufer of Bel Air, who finished in 18:21.

Among the top local finishers were Brian Mullaney of Berlin, who came in 19th with a time of 20:55; Albert Zimbro of Ocean City, who finished in 32nd place with a time of 22:15; Leigh Biggerman of Ocean City, who came in 38th overall with a time of 23:06; and Michael Costanzo of Snow Hill, who finished 39th overall with a time of 23:06.

Dozens of other local runners from all over the area including Ocean City, Berlin, Ocean Pines and West Ocean City participated in the race and acquitted themselves well. Complete results can be viewed at www.races2run.com.

Following the race, there was an awards ceremony and party at the host Greene Turtle West, making the event a great combination of competition and camaraderie all for the benefit of a worthy cause.