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Bessette and Hanson win Pigeon River Classic

Nearly perfect running conditions greeted 150 runners who gathered in Olen Park in Clintonville on Saturday, May 7 for the 3rd Annual Pigeon River Classic Road Race. Course records were broken for both males and females in all contested distances including the 10K, 5K, and Kid’s 1 Mile.

Participants hailed from 32 Wisconsin and Michigan cities, but two local runners captured overall titles in the 10K. Dan Bessette, 32, Clintonville, cruised through the course in 38:15 while April Hanson, 20, also of Clintonville, crossed the line in 45:09. Paul Brunette, 28, Milwaukee, finished second in the men’s 10K (38:30) while Ron Hayes of Oshkosh took third (39:13). Donna Gallardo of Milwaukee was second in the women’s 10K (45:44) while Mickey Sarto of South Milwaukee took third (46:54).

Thirty seven runners also took part in the 5K run. Vince Temu of Appleton repeated his victory from 2010, blazing through 3.1 mile course in 16:33. David Pugh of Clintonville was the second male finisher (23:43) while Clintonville’s Doug Strehlow, Jr. was third (24:06). Jennifer Chavdoir of Green Bay was the fastest woman, claiming victory with a time of 18:45. Star middle school runner Brianna Gretzinger of Clintonville finished second in 20:43 while Stacy Hohn, also of Clintonville covered the course in 21:58. The 5K Walk attracted 65 participants, including many from Creative Converting’s Wellness Program.

Joshua Schroeder of Clintonville won the Kid’s One Mile race with a superb time of 5:56. Logan Gress of Pickett was second (6:46). Clintonville’s Madison Hohn was only two seconds behind Gress, securing the girl’s overall title (6:48). She was followed by Beth Klemp of Clintonville (7:53) and Misty Luckow of Clintonville (9:01).

The event is organized by Great Lakes Endurance in conjunction with the Clintonville High School Cross Country team. In addition to fundraising, the team’s goal is to help promote running and wellness for people of all ages in the community.

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