The number of entrants increased by about 25 percent this year when more than 120 participated Saturday morning in the second annual Bass Dash 5K Run/Walk with 78 females and 43 males finishing the race at Smokey Bear Park.
Two Canadian runners who have finished near the front in other races held earlier this year in northern Minnesota ended up as the top-two finishers within seconds of each other.
Dennis Ogilvie, 26, of Emo, reached the main tent at Smokey Bear Park first to set the race record in 18 minutes, 53 seconds, besting last year’s top time of Ross Dudzik of Duluth by 55 seconds.
Ogilvie, who also holds the top time in the Clover Cruise 10K, an event he won this summer at the Northern Minnesota District Fair in Littlefork for the fourth straight year, had finished runner-up July 4 in the Bronco 5K and came in fourth overall Jan. 21 in the Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run 5K.
“(The Bass Dash 5K was) pretty similar to some of the other 5Ks that I’ve done this year,” Ogilvie said. “Overall, I’m pretty happy with the way I ran (Saturday).”
Ogilvie said he found Saturday morning’s cloudy, breezy weather conditions, which were cool but a bit on the humid side, to be “pretty good” overall for running.
“The wind didn’t really bother me too much, so it was good,” he said.
Ogilvie said he took the lead about a half kilometer after the start and was running with the runner-up finisher, Victoria Alexander, 17, of Atikokan, during the middle part of the race.
“I began to pull away from her toward the last third of the race,” he said.
Alexander finished in 19:11 to set the race’s top female time. It was the third time this year she finished as the top female in a five-kilometer race in the Falls area, having also placed sixth overall in the Bronco 5K and fifth overall in the FYGBR 5K.
“It was really good weather to run (Saturday),” Alexander said. “It wasn’t as hot (as during the Bronco 5K.)”
Alexander, who is also running in cross country this fall for Lake of the Woods High School, said she didn’t try to run as hard as she could have Saturday because she had a cross country meet coming up Monday.
Only one other runner finished Saturday’s Bass Dash 5K in under 20 minutes. Matthew Zupke, 27, of Loman, came in third overall in 19:54.
Medals were awarded to the top-three male and female finishers in seven age categories.
Results:
Females 14 & Under
1 Lexi Erickson Int’l Falls 20:24
2 Jessica Steele Emo 24:18
3 Karly Swenson Littlefork 26:04
Males 14 & Under
1 Linaes Whiting Bemidji 20:57
2 Kade Peterson Bemidji 21:47
3 Evan Dahlquist Int’l Falls 22:59
Females 15-19
1 Victoria Alexander Atikokan 19:11
2 Jenna Anderson Int’l Falls 24:14
Females 20-29
1 Molly Skifstad Chisholm 21:53
2 Stephanie Johnson Livingston 23:01
3 Christine Nelson Chisholm 25:32
Males 20-29
1 Dennis Ogilvie Emo 18:53
2 Matthew Zupke Loman 19:54
3 Sam Anderson Bemidji 23:38
Females 30-39
1 Jennifer Erickson Int’l Falls 20:58
2 Amber Hardwig Duluth 21:11
3 Danni Aili Int’l Falls 21:25
Males 30-39
1 Jim Steele Emo 21:58
2 Darrick Johnson Int’l Falls 24:33
3 Chad Belanger Int’l Falls 24:48
Females 40-49
1 Linda Belanger Int’l Falls 22:44
2 Tami Dahlquist Int’l Falls 26:46
3 Wendy Etienne Int’l Falls 28:17
Males 40-49
1 Steve Olson Duluth 23:27
2 Ted Brokaw Ranier 30:09
3 Kirby Dahlquist Int’l Falls 31:10
Females 50-59
1 Julie Schumacher Int’l Falls 24:49
2 Peg Westrom Int’l Falls 24:50
3 Mary Lou Jensen Int’l Falls 24:51
Males 50-59
1 Bruce Larson Int’l Falls 21:10
2 Doug Boerboom Barnum 23:13
3 Jerry Jensen Int’l Falls 23:32
Females 60+
1 Gaydonna Baker Emo 30:01
Males 60+
1 James Palm Int’l Falls 21:54
2 Lance Hardwig Int’l Falls 26:21
3 Roger Wilson Sherwood Park 28:38
