By Duncan Nixon, Correspondent
The Spirit Run 5K race and the Swim across the Lake are contested each year at Lake Monticello. Both are traditional Fourth of July events. This year, with July 4 falling on a Wednesday, the Lake’s festivities were held on the holiday even though it was a non-weekend date.
Turn-out for the 5K run and the Swim across the Lake did not seem to be negatively impacted by the mid-week date. The Spirit 5K run that starts at the very early time of 7 a.m. had 272 runners start and finish. In 2017, 210 runners participated.
The 5K run starts and finishes at the Bunker ballfield and most of the run is conducted over the cart paths of the Lake Monticello golf course. The start is always a colorful spectacle, as at the front of the pack there is usually a large contingent of young runners in a variety of multi-colored t-shirts and running shoes. This year, before the start, an energetic series of calisthenics was led by Carly Bach and Jeanne Robinson from Spectrum Physical Therapy.
As has been the case for a number of years, the men’s side of the 5K run did not have a surprise finish. This was the 17th annual 5K – or three-mile – run, and Matt Barresi won the race again. He said that though he has not run every year, he has won every time he has run. This year, Barresi finished the race in an impressive time of 17:06 and once again finished far ahead of the nearest competitor. However, his time this year was actually slightly off his pace from 2017 when he completed the run in a time of 16:25. Barresi is former American University track and cross-country runner. He now runs marathons, so a 5K is not a big deal for him.
Luke Gustafson
In contrast to the men’s side of the race, the women’s side seems to come up with a new champion every year. This year’s winner was Rachel Rabbitt, who completed the distance in a time of 21:21. This was her first time running in the Spirit 5K, as she said that she was visiting her father who is a new Lake resident. She also said that when she saw that the Lake was holding a 5K race with a very low entry fee, she couldn’t resist signing up. Rabbitt is not new to distance running as she recently graduated from William and Mary, where she ran track. Last year’s winner was then Fluvanna High senior Saige Haney, who is now off to the Air Force Academy. The second finisher on the women’s side was 13-year-old Kylie Wild, from Arizona, who was visiting her grandparents, Bill and Barb Scanlon.
The 5K race was held in the morning and although it was a little muggy, the temperature was quite tolerable. In contrast, by the time the lake swim kicked off at a little after 3 p.m., it was hot. John Platt, who is the main organizer of both the run and the swim, said that 190 signed up for the swim and 180 actually competed. Naturally, the Lake police and fire and rescue made sure that all 180 who entered the water were accounted for at the finish. The swim is always conducted from Beach 3 to the main beach. It follows the patriotic water skiing exhibition. Lake boat traffic is interrupted to allow the swimmers a clear path.
Megan Pulley
As was the case in 2017, the first swimmer out of the water this year was a young woman. Megan Pulley, a high schooler from Richmond, took first place this year, winning by a comfortable margin. She is no novice at lake swimming, saying that she has completed a three-mile swim at Smith Mountain Lake. On the men’s side the fastest swimmer was also a high schooler. Luke Gustafson, who swims for the Lake Monticello Sharks and is a Covenant High School student, took home the trophy.
