In the women's 5K, Jackie Reder, 16, of Bay City, finished first in 20:03.
BAY CITY (3/20/05) -- With four inches of snow on the ground and flurries in the air, it looked more like Christmas than the first day of spring at the 32nd annual Al Kayner/St. Patrick's Day 8K Run and 5K Run/Walk.

But that didn't impede the quest for speed among 1,614 who took part in the Bay Area Runners Club-sponsored races.

James Gale, 19, of Westland, entered the 8K -- kickoff event for this year's Michigan Runner Race Series -- as defending champion, having coasted to victory in 25:30 last year. Gale, a sophomore at Saginaw Valley State University, needed to run a lot faster this year.

"There was a lot more competition this year," he said. "(Mike) Scannell, (Robert) Mitchell and that guy who came in second (Nick Stanko). He was awesome!"

Gale won in 24:26. Stanko, 24, of Ann Arbor, finished in 24:28. "With about a mile to go, he (Stanko) surged into the lead by about five meters," Gale said. "I caught back up with him, then, with a half-mile to go, I surged.

"My hamstrings were locking up big time, but I gave everything I had. And I pulled it out."

Mitchell, 25, of Jackson, came in third in 24:54. Scannell, 42, of Grand Blanc, was fourth overall and top master in 25:05.

Morgan Royal, 17, of Hemlock, was the women's 8K champ in 33:36. Next came Sarah Peterson, 24, of Midland (34:00), and masters champ Wanda Gunderson, 46, of Whitmore Lake (34:05).

Royal, a Hemlock High School junior, dramatically improved on the 36:39 she ran last year. "I loved the temperature," she said. "I run well in the cold. But I'm glad it stopped snowing; the flakes hurt my eyes."

James Gale, 19, won the 8K for the second time-- this year in 24:26.
Gale's Saginaw Valley teammate, Pedro Ortega, 24, won his third- straight 5K here in 15:53. Next came SVSU's Nick Krus, 19, of St. Clair Shores (16:01).

Krus led briefly during the last mile, but Ortega passed him. "I tried to stay with Pedro on the last mile, but it wasn't happening for me," Krus said.

Patrick Grosskopf, 17, of Corunna, took third (16:05). Bob Niven, 41, of Saginaw, led the masters (19:01).

In the women's 5K, Jackie Reder, 16, of Bay City, finished first in 20:03.

"I wanted to run under 20 minutes, but couldn't quite get there," Reder said. She did, however, improve on her performance in 2004, when she finished ninth in 21:49.

Kristen Nickel, 39, of Caro, who wore a long green ribbon in her hair and green socks, finished second to Reder (20:49). Mary Przepiora, 30, of Bay City, came in third (21:05). The masters queen was Ann Gasta, 40, of Bay City (23:44).

Claiming the 5K walk were Rod Craig, 46, of Bad Axe (26:16) and Liz Schwedler, 54, of Bay City (32:30).

Race director Michelle Siniff competed in the St. Patrick's Day Run. "We had a great turnout despite the weather. It went fantastic today," she said.

For complete results, visit http://www.michiganrunner.net/results/ searchable.html. MR