Dennis Ogilvie has become a familiar face winning the “Clover Cruise 10K” in each of the three years it has been held in conjunction with the Northern Minnesota District Fair in Littlefork.
On Sunday, however, the 25-year-old teaching assistant from Emo, Ontario, shattered the course record he set in 2009 by 3 minutes, 40 seconds when he arrived at the finish line in 38:43.
“I knew I was in good shape, so I was shooting for a sub-40 (minutes),” Ogilvie said.
Despite the wind, Ogilvie said he found running conditions to be good along the course.
“The breeze was nice,” he said. “It really didn’t affect me too much on the second half of the course going into the wind — it’s a nice breeze, not too stiff of a wind.”
Ogilvie, who noted the running events he participates in range from 5,000 meters to a half marathon, said he has been preparing to run in a half marathon taking place in two weeks in Thunder Bay.
“This is kind of a tune-up race for that race,” he said.
Ogilvie credits doing high-altitude training this summer in California for helping him get in shape to break the Clover Cruise 10K course record.
“I went there (in California) for a running camp for three weeks, and I was with a group of collegiate runners from across the United States and Canada,” he said.
Ogilvie finished Sunday’s 10,000-meter race more than 11 minutes in front of the overall runner-up and the top women’s runner, Connie Pender, 48, of Chisholm, who completed the course in 50:09.
The women’s course record of 47:28 was set in 2009 by Dina Morrison of Thomson.
While 10 runners crossed the finish line in the Clover Cruise 10K, 34 runners and walkers preferred going half that distance in the Clover Cruise 5K as both groups left from the fairgrounds together.
A new 5K course record was also set when Caleb Schneider arrived back at the fairgrounds in 19:49. Schneider and the next four overall finishers — Andrew Hayes, Jim Schneider, Lexi Erickson and Danni Kallerman — all had faster times on Sunday than the previous course record of 22:40 set in 2009 by Tyler Vork of Littlefork.
Caleb Schneider, 16, of Northome, who noted he competes in the 800-meter run during the spring and presently is a junior on the Kelliher/Northome football team, is a 4-H member who participated in the Clover Cruise 5K for the first time.
“I’m in shape for football, so I knew I could handle the 5K,” he said.
Caleb Schneider, who finished 1:42 ahead of Hayes, 36, the overall runner-up, said he ran the first mile with his father, Jim, 44, who ended up 8 seconds behind Hayes in third overall.
“It wasn’t a blowout,” he said. “You could feel them coming. I felt them most of the way. I was nervous that they’d catch up, so it was a good push (to the finish line).”
Erickson, 12, of International Falls, set a new female course record in 22:24 with her overall fourth-place finish, breaking the previous women’s mark of 23:48 set in 2009 by Linda Belanger of International Falls.
It was the second consecutive year Erickson ended up as the top female finisher. She bested her time in 2010 by 2 minutes, 30 seconds.
Several age division records were also set in the 5K event.
“We had perfect weather for running and I think the times that people put in showed it,” said race director Jeff Eibler.
Though the combined total of 44 finishers in the 10K and 5K ended up down slightly from last year, Eibler said “the level of competition was very high (as) evident by the number of course and division records set.”
He said the biggest field of entrants was in 2009 when the Northern Minnesota District Fair took place in late August on the weekend prior to Labor Day weekend.
Eibler said the Clover Cruise is an important fund-raising event for Koochiching County’s 4-H program.
“Each year, youth from Koochiching County earn State Fair trips with projects that they enter in the county’s two fairs....,” he said. “Proceeds from the race help send the youth with the top projects down to the State Fair where they participate in conference judging with other youth from all over Minnesota.”
2011 Clover Cruise 5K Results
Place and Last Name, First Name, Age, Time
Girls 5-12
1 Erickson Lexi 12 22:24
2 Kennedy Kayle 12 25:37
3 Besch Olivia 12 33:09
4 Gouin Whitney 9 36:32
Boys 5-12
1 Besch Justin 9 23:04
2 Erickson Jake 10 23:06
3 Kennedy Matt 9 26:48
Girls 13-18
1 Klug Hannah 16 27:09
Boys 13-18
1 Schneider Caleb 16 19:49
2 Ulrich Walker 13 36:19
Women 19-29
1 Kallerman Danni 29 22:30
2 Morrison Katie 24 30:14
Women 30-39
1 Erickson Jen 38 23:08
2 Harris Stacy 32 25:48
3 Talmage Julie 38 28:04
4 Sather Tina 35 28:34
5 Vacura Joyce 34 29:07
6 Klug Tonya 39 29:15
7 Besch Tina 37 30:57
8 Kennedy Nicole 38 35:56
9 Wimmer Kim 35 44:45
10 Splett Kristi 38 52:33
Men 30-39
1 Hayes Andrew 36 21:31
2 Boelk Keith 35 25:52
Women 40-49
1 Sjoblom Tammy 49 33:28
2 Ulrich Joanne 44 35:13
Men 40-49
1 Schneider Jim 44 21:39
2 Gouin Mathew 41 36:32
Women 50-59
1 Palm Susan 52 27:45
2 Winkel Mary 58 38:19
Women 60+
1 Bergstrom Marilyn 65 52:36
Men 60+
1 Lucachick Gary 60 26:49
2 Lessard Jim 60 29:20
3 Winkel Leroy 63 30:07
Women 19-29
1 Larson Hannah 19 51:47
2 Kossow Niki 27 51:57
Men 19-29
1 Ogilvie Dennis 25 38:43
Women 30-39
1 Shack Natasha 31 54:40
2 Richardson Kendall 37 58:22
Women 40-49
1 Pender Connie 48 50:09
Women 50-59
1 Collier Bernadette 53 59:52
2 Angus Linda 52 63:47
3 Chabot Becky 51 68:11
Men 60+
1 Eberhardt Burgess 70 51:52
