Friday, November 26, 1999
Thanksgiving Race crowns new champs
Tranter, Read win 10K event
BY JOHN FAY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Jill Tranter and Fitz Read knew early on Thursday that they had a chance to win the Thanksgiving Day Race. That's because the defending champions, Kelly Keeler and John Sence, weren't competing.
So into the void ran Tranter and Read.
Tranter, a 29-year-old from Florence, won the women's division in 35:51, and Read, a senior at Miami University, took the men's in 31:24. It was easily the biggest win for both.
“This is huge,” Tranter said. “I'm so excited.”
Both times were well off the records for the 10-kilometer course.
The 90th running of the race was by far the biggest: 6,189 ran, nearly 900 more than last year's record field of 5,307.
Great weather for running helped push race-day registration to about 700.
Some of the buses taking runners from downtown to the start at Latonia Shopping Plaza didn't make it in time for the starting gun because of the large crowd.
“Probably 99 percent made it,” said Don Connolly, the race director.
The absence of Keeler, who moved to Minneapolis, and an injury to Sence (he ran but not competitively) guaranteed new champions.
“This is John Sence's race,” said Read, who ran at Lakota High School. “If he ran, I wouldn't have had a chance.”
High school rivalry remains afoot
New mom Tranter credits delivery for boost in speed
Thanksgiving Day Race results
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