Fresh off his win at the Marine Corps Marathon less than a week earlier, Tamrat Ayalew smashed the previous 5K course record of 15:25 by 11 seconds with a time of 15:14. His teammate, Luel Nguru, also broke the record by 9 seconds finishing close behind in second place with a time of 15:16. Rounding out the top three was another teammate, Amrare Grure, with a time of 16:08.

All three hail from Ethiopia originally and are members of the elite Foot Solutions Road Racing Team. They are coached and managed by retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Sue Bozgoz, herself a former All Armed Forces and All Army Track and Marathon standout and Fayetteville resident.

The course record of 15:25 was set last year by yet another Foot Solutions athlete, Fikadu Deme, who broke the previous record of 15:40 set by Olympic Trials qualifier Ryan Emery in 2002. This Fayetteville, GA race started in 2001 and has grown to attract world class athletes every year and this year was obviously no exception. On a day made for breaking records, that’s exactly what Tamrat did. Gorgeous blue skies and temperatures in the upper 40’s made for ideal conditions for running and Tamrat took full advantage of the opportunity.

Ayalew, who is literally running for his life, is currently seeking political asylum in the United States. He escaped from his native Ethiopia after he was shot in the leg, imprisoned, and tortured. His time of 2:22:20 (a 5:30 per mile pace) at the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, October 28, earned him first place among over 20,000 other runners. His winning time just six days later at the New Hope Harvest Classic race was run at a pace of 4:55 per mile. The course is flat or slightly downhill for the first couple of miles but a rolling uphill for the last mile. It meanders past tranquil lakes resplendent in their surrounding fall foliage and along verdant pastures and farms through the countryside.

The first non-professional athlete, who finished fourth overall behind the elite Foot Solutions runners, was Eric Boykin, the overall winner in 2004 and 2005 with a time of 17:18. Local Fayette County High School track and cross country star Ryan Kennedy, now at Georgia Tech, was next in 18:44.

In the womens division, Teresa Winterhalter, 43, of McDonough, GA took top honors with a time of 22:10. Anna Sasser, 30, of Jonesboro was second in 23:47, and Tiffany Wade, 20, of Thomaston, FL, took third in 24:31. In the Master division (40 and over), Jan Bankieris of Fayetteville won in a time of 25:25, while Mark Hamilton, also of Fayetteville took the Men’s Masters honors in a time of 19:42.

Other notable runners included Jeanne Daprano who won the womens 70 & Over age division with a time of 27:05. Jeanne holds numerous American and World Records at various distances in Masters running and earlier this year set a world record by being the first woman over 70 to go under 7 minutes for the mile with a time of 6:47. Roger Keel and Kathy Givens, who have been the reigning champions of the Run and See Georgia Grand Prix series for most of the last decade, were also in attendance, both winning their respective age groups.

The race was part of a week long festival at New Hope that included a Trunk or Treat on Halloween night, a Wild Game dinner on Thursday evening, a day long family festival with music, food, and a car show on Saturday, culminating in a spectacular fireworks show that evening. Plans are already underway for next year’s celebration to make it even bigger and better.

by Bob Dalton