The finale! What a night with warm temps and muggy conditions.
In the women’s race, Jackie Hill performed well, although the night was dramatically changed by the fast arrival of Meredith Beaton and Lauren Jones. Both athletes collected significant points, which reduced the margins between the runners to as little as one point. This situation worked to Hill’s advantage, as she needed to maintain her lead over Harrington but could not afford to drop too many places. Jones made a notable jump from her previous week’s position, rising five spots to finish in third place, which pushed Sue Connolly, Hill, and Harrington down in the rankings. Kristen Roosa-Beck and Rhiannon Davis each held their ground, finishing first and second, respectively.
The Fast Boiz™️ dominated the last race, leaving many of the regular competitors in disarray. Johnny Hodges was determined to secure 5th place and made a strong sprint toward the finish to overtake Marcus Dietz. However, Hodges ultimately needed a few racers between himself and Dietz to clinch 5th, and Dietz successfully defended his position. Greg Jaindl and Shane Houghton maintained a strategic pace, knowing it would create chaos among those behind them in the standings, which they found to be a humorous way to disrupt the battle for 5th from up front. Jeffrey James, who is relatively new to our group, managed to keep his pace while racing alongside our veteran fastman, Dan Findlay. Although Findlay slipped one position on the final evening, he still held his ground against both Fast Boiz.A shoutout goes to Kevin Anderson, who also came out strong, attempting to compete for a podium finish with double points on the line. Unfortunately, after missing a week and missing out on some bonus points along the way, he couldn’t secure that top step in his final full season with us before relocating to State College.
