Nearly every one of the 5,420 participants at the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run on Saturday had a look of accomplishment when crossing the finish line on Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor on Sunday. The cheers along the home-stretch and at the finish line certainly added to the enthusiasm of the runners.
But there was one 10K runner whose race was a subtle reminder to everyone around him that no matter how spectacular your accomplishment, there’s someone out there doing something more.
Complete race results: Half marathon | 10K | 5K
Riley McLincha.
Pete Cunningham | AnnArbor.com
“It’s called drubbling because it combines juggling, dribbling and jogging,” said McLincha.
McLincha, 62, finished the race in one hour, seven minutes and 36 seconds, which is a 10:52 pace. McLincha said without the basketballs he could run at about an 8:30 pace.
But why would anyone who can juggle three basketballs while running want to jog without juggling three basketballs?
McLincha, who is from Clio, said he started drubbling about 20 years ago and has drubbled in five marathons. He is the world record holder for the fastest mile while drubbling.
Half marathon winners
Lake Orion’s Clint Verran, 38, won the half-marathon for the second straight year, as well as the fourth time overall. Pushing the pace with Verran for the entire race was 24-year-old Alex Russeau, from La Salle, who was making his half marathon debut. Verran finished in one hour, seven minutes and 50 seconds, 30 seconds ahead of Russeau
Dexter-Ann Arbor half marathon runners Alex Russeau, left, and Clint Verran lead the pack on Sunday, June 2. Verran won the race for the second year in a row.
Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com
“I had a little surge and that was enough to get ahead. It was a great race and I love coming down here,” Verran said. “The course was in perfect condition, we even had a little tail wind.”
Russeau - who used to run at Michigan State - may be 14 years Varren’s junior, but the veteran won the mental game to pull ahead at the end.
“I kept trying to break him and those little surges, you only get so many in a race and I think I ate them all up (too early),” Russeau said. “I knew it might come down to a kick and I think it just played in my mind too much, I was just waiting for it.
2013 DEXTER-ANN ARBOR RUN
HALF MARATHON
Top 10 men
1. Clint Verran Lake Orion MI 38 1:07:50
2. Alex Russeau Dundee MI 24 1:08:20
3. Jeffrey Hicks Harrison Twp MI 28 1:15:41
4. Charlie Mouch Ann Arbor MI 23 1:15:49
5. William Kane Bloomfield Hills MI 22 1:16:02
6. Josh Partridge Brighton MI 20 1:16:42
7. Josh White Ann Arbor MI 25 1:17:17
8. Burkland David Almont MI 18 1:17:50
9. Sean Dew Saline MI 17 1:18:00
10. Paul Aufdemberge Redford MI 48 1:18:03
Top 10 women
1. Molly Watcke New Bremen OH 42 1:18:07
2. Erin Heenan Ann Arbor MI 31 1:18:18
3. Rachel Kinsman Archbold OH 39 1:21:34
4. Megan Smallwood Milan MI 28 1:24:06
5. Stephanie Smith Detroit MI 31 1:26:14
6. Lisa Veneziano Fenton MI 48 1:27:15
7. Josephine Weeden Saline MI 44 1:27:25
8. Lillie Romeiser Lake Forest IL 28 1:28:46
9. Shea Wickland Ann Arbor MI 23 1:28:48
10. Nicole Sifuentes Plymouth MI 26 1:29:24
10-KILOMETER
Top 10 men
1. Brendan Martin Rochester MI 24 30:54:00
2. Zachary Ornelus Ann Arbor MI 21 31:55:00
3. Kreg Hatfield Flint MI 35 33:32:00
4. Andrew Porinsky Dexter MI 28 35:36:00
5. David Burkhart Brighton MI 59 35:50:00
6. David Burke Irvine CA 34 36:32:00
7. Tyler Watts Commerce Twp MI 20 37:03:00
8. Scott Lieberman Ann Arbor MI 17 37:06:00
9. Peter Hamp Ann Arbor MI 25 37:15:00
10. Hamshivraj Dhamrat Milan MI M 37:25:00
Top 10 women
1. Lavenna Kubatzky Lake Orion MI 25 36:38:00
2. Elizabeth Feenstra Ann Arbor MI 24 40:23:00
3. Helen Fuller Ann Arbor MI 31 43:24:00
4. Ana Dora Saline MI 35 43:49:00
5. Elise Dombkowski Dexter MI 16 44:32:00
6. Lizette Solis Ann Arbor MI 32 45:29:00
7. Elizabeth Robert Ann Arbor MI 33 45:29:00
7. Desi O'Brien Saline MI 20 45:30:00
8. Nancy Fulcher Ann Arbor MI 44 45:50:00
9. Kris Kotula Swartz Creek MI 42 46:08:00
10. Elizabeth Collins Ann Arbor MI 25 46:15
5-KILOMETER
Top 10 men
1. Phil Stead Ann Arbor MI 31 15:33
2. Josiah Swanson Fond Du Lac WI 20 15:49
3. Brett Burdick Lansing MI 22 16:02
4. Kendall Maddox Southfield MI 20 16:20
5. John Holmes West Bloomfield MI 18 16:33
6. Kevin Hall Ann Arbor MI 16 17:15
7. Don Strite Ann Arbor MI 20 17:23
8. Patrick Beardslee Fenton MI 23 17:34
9. Alex Advey Ypsilanti MI 36 17:45
10. Andrew Weber Ann Arbor MI 33 17:56
Top 10 women
1. Erin Webster Dearborn MI 27 17:49
2. Courtney Clancy Ann Arbor MI 21 19:25
3. Mayce Varacalli Linden MI 19 20:07
4. Alexa Dorsey Ann Arbor MI 26 20:43
5. Alison Torreano Ann Arbor MI 33 21:16
6. Rachel Hollinger-Janzen Dearborn MI 22 21:19
7. Nicole Reames Richland MI 26 21:29
8. Karen Vetor Ypsilanti MI 43 21:30
9. Kelly Hall Ann Arbor MI 17 21:46
10. Andrea Blake Dearborn MI 34 22:06
Molly Watcke, 42, of New Bremen, Ohio, won the women’s division with a time of 1:18:07. A former runner for Michigan, it was Watcke’s first Dexter-Ann Arbor Run.
“These are my old stomping grounds. Any excuse to come back to Ann Arbor I’ll take,” Watcke said. “Beautiful day, beautiful course.”
Strolling along
Joaquim Martins, 41, has lived in Ann Arbor for three-and-a-half years, but Sunday was his first time participating in the Dexter-Ann Arbor run. He finished in 23:26, which is a 7:32.5 mile pace.
Not bad considering he was pushing a stroller containing his 3-year-old daughter, Yara.
“My daughter, when I push her she kept saying ‘daddy faster, daddy faster.’ I thought that’d be good (motivation),” said Martins, whose wife, Sandra Martins also motivated him as she ran in the 10K with a time of 1:06.13. She is training for a 20K.
The motivation of his wife and daughter worked and hurt Martins at the same time. He was the first person pushing a stroller to finish the 5K, but he also threw-up immediately after crossing the finish line.
Running for two
Martins wasn’t the only one running for two on Sunday. Fifteen members of the Michigan Running Club, also known as M Run, didn’t push themselves for personal bests on Sunday. They pushed others instead.
Working with myTEAM TRIUMPH, the MRun members pushed carts for five special needs children.
“It’s an organization that aims to help disabled people participate in events, like 5Ks, that they otherwise could not,” Stephanie Resis. “It’s a really fun experience for everyone.”
Resis ran the 5K pushing Alex Darr. Normally the club has three runners per cart, but Resis and fellow Michigan student Michelle Lapin manned Darr’s by themselves.
“Usually we have more people switching off, so it was a challenge this year,” Lapin said. “It’s always been a great experience. It’s very fulfilling.”
40-for-40
The Dexter-Ann Arbor Run saw 5,420 participants on Sunday, June 2.
Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com
Several members of the fitness class Gamble has taught at the YMCA for 42 years were at the finish line to cheer him on, including Donald Proud, who ran in the first Dexter-Ann Arbor run with Gamble.
“It was really nice,” Gamble said.
Peter Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at petercunningham@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.