Syracuse Festival of Races Record Parade
Continues
Harvey, Holmquist, and McCormack Surpass
National Marks

Syracuse, NY‰ÛÓ The annual rewriting of U.S. masters (40+) long distance
running records continued at the Syracuse Festival of Races (SFoR) on Sunday,
October 5, with three athletes improving upon current age-group marks.

Tom McCormack, 61, of Jonesborough, TN, covered the Bankers Healthcare Group
Men‰Ûªs 5K course in 16:58, improving by two seconds the men‰Ûªs 60-64 5K record
that was set by Jim O‰ÛªNeill in 1986 and has stood for 28 years.

Sabra Harvey, 65, of Houston, TX, ran the MVP Health Care® Women‰Ûªs 5K in
20:27, dramatically lowering the previous record of 21:16, which was set by
Margret Betz at the Syracuse Festival of Races in 2001.

Jan Holmquist, 70, of Burlington, MA, also racing in the MVP Health Care®
Women‰Ûªs 5K, crossed the line in 22:16, clipping 61 seconds from the previous
record, set by Marie-Louise Michelsohn at the Syracuse Festival of Races two
years ago.  Holmquist‰Ûªs mark is actually a “third-generation” U.S. women‰Ûªs
70-74 age group 5K record for the SFoR, as Michelsohn‰Ûªs record had been preceded
by Margret Betz‰Ûªs having set the prior record of 24:02 at the 2007 SFoR.

Falling slightly short in her attempt to break the 5K record for women over
40 was Jennifer Rhines, of Boston, MA, who finished second overall in the MVP
Health Care® Women‰Ûªs 5K in 15:58.  Running with her Boston Athletic
Association teammate for much of the race, Rhines passed the halfway point in
7:48, well under Colleen DeReuck‰Ûªs masters women‰Ûªs 5K record of 15:48.  A
headwind for much of the final two kilometers slowed the pace, but Rhines‰Ûª time
of 15:58 ranks as the third fastest 5K in history by a woman age 40 or
older.

This was the first year in which both 5K races at the Syracuse Festival of
Races were won by former Syracuse University distance stars.  Joe Whalen,
23, of Syracuse, won the Banker‰Ûªs Healthcare Group Men‰Ûªs 5K in 14:56. Sarah
Pagano, 23, of Brighton, MA, whose wining time in the MVP Health Care® Women‰Ûªs
5K was 15:54, is also a former Orange star in cross country and track.  The
SFoR starts and finishes outside Manley Field House, and S.U.‰Ûªs distance runners
log many of their training miles on or near the SFoR‰Ûªs nationally renowned 5K
course.

Along with the two 5K races, the Syracuse Festival of Races included its
enormously popular 3K Fun & Fitness Run, and the non-profit-centered Tops
Friendly Markets Community Walk, both of which enjoyed the sunny skies and brisk
temperatures.

Complete results for the 2014 Syracuse Festival of Races are available at:
http://www.festivalofraces.com/results.html.

Major support for the 2014 Syracuse Festival of Races is provided by: Bankers
Healthcare Group; MVP Health Care; Tops Friendly Markets; Nationwide Insurance;
USA Track & Field; the Syracuse Chargers Track Club, Inc.; Dick‰Ûªs Sporting
Goods; Time Warner Cable News; and Cumulus Media of Syracuse.