Mike Fretz used a surge in the final quarter-mile to take the lead for good, then he held off a late challenge from Chad Sanada to capture first-place in a talented field at the Firecracker Fourth of July 10-K on Thursday morning.
Fretz, 34, of Edmonds, Okla., and formerly Reno, outleaned Sanada at the finish of the 6.2-mile run at Riverview Park, winning in a course record time of 35 minutes, 12 seconds. Sanada, a 2001 Galena High School graduate who now runs for Southern Utah, finished with an identical 35:12 time on a course run on a loop through the park and along the Mexican Ditch Trail.
"He just broke me in the final mile," Sanada said afterward. "Somehow, I had something left in the final sprint. But he got me in the end."
Fretz is a veteran who in 1989 ran 15:36 for 5 kilometers in Tulsa, a time that stands among the fastest 200 marks ever registered in an Oklahoma road race.
Another notable in the field on Thursday was Chris Clark from Salem, Ore., the 2000 national masters 10K road champion, who finished third overall with a 37:28 clocking. His son, Christopher Clark, finished as the overall winner in the 2-mile race in 13:23, three seconds faster than Carson City's Chadwick Shroy.
Janine Stone, who runs cross country and swims for Carson High, was a close third overall and finished in a women's course record time of 13:47. Her time was nearly one minute faster than the previous course record set by last year's winner, Nohemi Guzman.
Maria Perez of Carson City was the first woman to finish and 29th overall in the 10-K with a 49:34 clocking.
A total of 120 runners and walkers completed the Fourth of July event, which was co-hosted by the Sagebrush Stompers and Tahoe Mountain Milers running clubs as a fund-raiser for American Legion Capitol post No. 4. Funds raised will benefit various American Legion projects in the community, including Nevada Boys' State and middle school awards.
Contributing businesses included The Old Globe, Comstock Distributing, Daddy Dicks Saloon, Lumos & Associates, Mizuno USA and Fleet Feet Sports.
