By Ben CoxPhotos/Submitted to The Source
Runners from all walks of life and abilities lined up for a hot Fourth of July 5K in Nichols Park hosted by CNB Bank & Trust. It was a humid 75 degrees at the starting line, with the temperature jumping nearly 15 degrees by the finish line for the 209 registered runners. The runners not only came from the local area but there were others registered from Florida, California, Iowa, Colorado and Missouri.
The overall women’s winner on the full course was local cross country and track athlete Millie Schumacher, 15, of Jacksonville, with a time of 20:32. Second place finisher Amber Kleckler, 36, of Rochester, finished with a time of 22:03. In the men’s overall division, Daniel Giacomini, 20, of Springfield, took home the gold with a time of 16:07 followed by Chaz Oberkfell, 17, of Gillespie, with a time of 16:10. Winners were chosen in 28 categories overall for the hot race to kick off the Fourth of July festivities in Jacksonville.
