Photo: Mary Beth Reader won the Grosse Ile 8K in 31:57 on a sizzling Memorial Day.

GROSSE ILE (5/29/06) - So how hot was it at the 25th annual Memorial Day 8K Run?

"I feel like a hot dog that has spent too much time on the grill," said Marybeth Reader, 37, of West Bloomfield, after winning the women's 8K.

With the temperature climbing toward 90-plus degrees, Reader was among 400 runners and walkers who sweated through the 8K.

"I had three aid stations out there with 2,300 cups and we went through all 2,300 of them," race director Greg Everal said. "It's probably safe to say that this was the hottest race in our history."

"We've had such cool weather so far this year," Reader added. "It's difficult to get acclimated to this kind of heat."

Reader finished in 31:57. Emily Masters, 21, of Dearborn, was second in 33:15. Reader's training partner, Julie Winter, 45, of Bloomfield Hills, placed third overall and was the first masters finisher (34:10).

"Marybeth goes out hard no matter how hot it is," Winter said. "And she holds her pace to the finish line."

Watching her husband, Bill Reader, finish, the women's winner expressed remorse. "I got my husband up at 6:30 a.m. on his day off and made him run 8K in 90-degree heat. I'm sure he's thrilled with me right now."

Photo: Brian Sell maintained his lead over Josh Eberly to win the Grosse Ile 8K.

"Race organizers did everything they could to cool off the sizzling 8K," said Josh Eberly, who finished second to his Hansons-Brooks teammate Brian Sell in the men's race.

"The water stations were exceptional. There were people with hoses out there too," he said.

Eberly, 25, battled Sell, 28, for the title. "I figured to beat this guy (indicating Sell) I had to go hard from the gun," he said.

Though Eberly pressed the pace early, Sell stayed on his heels. "The two of us were about 4:38 for the first mile," Sell recalled. "Then I stayed between 4:45 (per mile) and 4:50 the rest of the way, which is about what I wanted."

Sell took over the lead midway through the third mile and held it from there on. "From four miles on, there's a little hill," he said. "It's nothing major. But at that point in the race on a hot day, a speed bump can feel like a mountain."

Sell finished in 23:47, followed by Eberly in 24:19, and three other Hansons-Brooks stars. Chad Johnson, 30, was third (24:29); Marty Rosendahl, 27, fourth (24:30); and Luke Humphrey, 25, fifth (25:02).

Gary Brimme, 41, of Swartz Creek, was the top masters finisher (29:39).

The Memorial Day 8K always has quite a few veterans enter. "We enjoyed having the veterans run with us again this year," Everal said. "And we're remembering the troops that are over in Iraq and Afghanistan."

For more information, go to www.islandroadrunners.net. MR