UTICA (3/26/05) -- Men's and women's course records took a beating at the 14th annual Hansons 5K Run/Walk and 1-Mile Fun Run.

On a brisk but not bitterly cold morning, Clint Verran, 29, of Rochester Hills, shattered the men's standard by nine seconds with a winning time of 14:27. Laurel Park, 42, of Ann Arbor, sheared six seconds from her own women's record en route to a 17:11 victory.

Verran, a member of the Hanson-Brooks Distance Project, finished one minute, 29 seconds ahead of his closest rival, Nick Krus, 15, of St. Clair Shores (15:56).

"The course is very flat," Verran said. "But it has 17 90-degree turns, so it's tough to run a lightning-fast time on it. I wanted to get the course record and go under 14:30, and I did."

Verran has run a 13:51 5K on the track, but has concentrated on longer races in recent years. He ran a 2:14:17 marathon PR in Chicago in 2002, and took fifth in the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon with a 2:14:36.

"I rarely run 5Ks anymore," Verran said. "What helped me in this race was a new pair of Brooks T3 Racers. They're so light, they felt like feathers on my feet."

Park's 17:11 broke her 17:17 standard set in 1998. (That year the 5K moved from Macomb Community College to its current location at Flickinger Elementary School in Utica.) The master blaster, who won here last year in 17:23, finished well ahead of runnerup Danielle Hobbs, 22, of Shelby Township (19:44).

In the men's masters competition, Stan Ford, 50, of Lake Orion (17:57) edged Kurt Schneider, 46, of Harper Woods (18:03) for first place.

Linda Ewing, 46, of Grosse Pointe (19:51) finished 38 seconds ahead of her closest rival, Robin Sarris-Hallop, 49, of Ann Arbor (20:29), to -- in lieu of Parks' overall win -- claim the women's masters crown.

The race drew close to 500 participants, one of its largest turnouts ever according to Keith Hanson, who directs the event with his brother, Kevin.

"We're proud to offer a great race for a low entry fee," said Hanson."We gave each entrant a special technical t-shirt this year."

Proceeds went to support the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project. For more information, visit www.hansons-running.com. MR