Eighteen year old David Strauss of Orfield, Pa., won the annual Fourth of July five mile Murdick’s Fudge Run the Chop Challenge, Monday completing the course in 28:27, almost a full minute faster than last year’s winning pace of P.J. Martinez, 29, of Washington D.C. but nowhere near the 1009 25:49 run of Kevin Collins of Manlius, N.Y.
The race is an annual fund raiser for Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
Finishing second Monday was Falmouth’s Thomas Giardino, 37, at 29:25.
The rest of the top ten, all men, were (3) Curtis Moore, 30, Gorham, N.H. 29:48; (4) Matt Wikstrom, 32, N.Y., N.Y. 30:36; (5) Scott Bosworth, 47, Edgartown, 30:39; (6) Scott Beatty-Hicks, 36, No. Palm Beach, Fla. 31:15 (7) Lee Greathouse, 23, West Tisbury, 31:27; (8) Alfred Woods, 51, Arlington, 33:30; (9) Mark Desautelle, 44, Oak Bluffs, 33:43; (10) Jackson Parker, 29, Vineyard Haven, 31:47.
The first woman to complete the run was 36-year-old Rebecca Trachsel, of Winchester, in 34 minutes flat. She was 21st overall.
Then came (2) Colleen Hultgren, 41 of Norwood at 34:10 who was 23rd.(3) Christina Faust, 19, Macungie, Pa.34:19; 25th (4) Maureen Larkin, 47, Walpole, 34:36; 26th. (5) Jennifer Doyle, 46, Fairfield, Conn. 34:38, 27th.
A whopping 483 runners completed the race, 161 more than last year.
First females to finish in the age group were: Shannon Bradley, 12, of Charloette, N.C., Christina Faust, 19, of Macungie, Pa., Navine Nasser-Ghodsi, 24, of Hamilton. Rebecca Trachsel, 36, of Winchester, Colleen Hultgen, 41 of Norwood; Lisa Leanord, 50, Oak Bluffs, Karen Durante, 60, Newburyport;
First males in their age group were: Hunter Johnson, 4, Vineyard Haven; David Strauss, 18, Orfield, Pa. Lee Greathouse, 23, West Tisbury; Thomas Giardino, 37, Falmouth; Scott Bosworth, 47, Edgartown, Alfred Woods, 51, Arlington; Steve Katz, 60, West Tisbury; Steve Mille, 70, Edgartown; Peter Swift, 80, unattached