More Than 600 Runners Race in the Fourth Annual Corners to Crossing Races

Runners in today's Corners to Crossing Races had a clear, crisp morning for the 4th annual event. There was plenty of excitement in the air as more than 600 gathered for the early morning start.

The first runners to cross the finish line this morning at Thrasher Park were the some of the youngest. Charlie Davis won the men’s 1 Mile, while Charlotte Whitmer took home the women’s victory. Both local elementary school students raced past the adults and down a hill to the home stretch.

The winner of the 10K women’s race, Katie Gissell, and the 10K men’s race, Ryan McClay, are pretty familiar with running together. In fact, they are engaged and plan to get married on June 4th. “We like to run together, but, yeah, sometimes it gets a little competitive,” McClay joked after the race.  

Rusty Shelton, winner of the 5K men’s race, works in Norcross. At 57, he’s been running since the early '80s. “I really love the running community here in Norcross,” he said.  Shelton said the course was great, but pretty typical from his experience: “It always seems like the second and third miles are uphill,” he said.

The event includes four separate races: the 10K, which started at The Forum in Peachtree Corners, the 5K, 1-mile and a Tot Trot, which was held—very informally--at Thrasher Park. Rumor has it that the kids didn’t know where to stop, so they kept running circles around the park, at least one grandma chasing behind said.

The event draws people from all around the metro Atlanta to participate. Though only in its fourth year, the Corners to Crossing Races has begun to draw a larger group of runners each year. The 10K and 5K races are qualifiers for the Peachtree Road Race, which runs each year on the 4th of July in Atlanta.

"We had 325 runners sign up for the 10K, 200 for the 5K and 50 for the 1 Mile run," said Gary Jenkins, race organizer and the official starter for the 10K.

Racers of all stripes show up each year, from the serious training for a marathon, to those new to the sport.

For Alex Bardi, 52, who lives in the Linfield subdivision in Peachtree Corners, it was an opportunity to run with his son Adam, 28, who lives in Berkeley Lake and was running with his dad in the 10K.

The elder Bardi admitted he had no ambitions of finishing in the top group. "I'm not really a runner," he said. "I'm a cyclist and a swimmer." He was running in the race to train for an upcoming triathlon he and his son were planning on participate in.

The race also drew Humera Savaja from Lilburn who just started running last year and was participating in only her second 10K. She had only two goals. "I just want to finish, and run non-stop," said the 36-year-old who said she hoped to cross the finish line in 65 minutes.

Volunteer coach Kim Hartselle ran the 5K with the Peachtree Corners' Girls on the Run. The group of 3rd to 5th grade students get together to run to promote a healthy lifestyle and self-esteem. “We’re teaching them to be healthy, to have a strong, positive attitude,” said Hartselle. At last Thursday’s practice the girls braved their first 5K, so they were well prepared.

“It was shorter than we thought,” said Erica Gatti, one of the students. Another Girls on the Run participant, Sarah Schnur, said she likes running because “if we’re stressed, it gives us time to de-stress."

After the final count, the 2011 Corners to Crossing winners were:

Men’s 1 Mile

Charlie Davis

Women’s 1 Mile

Charlotte Whitmer

Men’s 10K

Overall: Ryan McClay (36:09)

Masters (over 40): Scott Ortwein (42:00)

Women’s 10K

Overall: Katie Gissel (41:13)

Masters: Jill Loach (45:54)

Men’s 5K

Overall: Rusty Shelton (20:41)

Masters: Roland Birom (21:49) 

Women’s 5K

Overall: Jesseca Kepper (20:31)

Masters: Crystal Klimaricke (24:40)