On March 30th, a perfect day for a race, the Bookin’ for Lookin’ 5K launched its first race as part of the Bucks 5K Series. Record breaking crowds made it a very special day. The race supports an important cause: to raise awareness and funds to help individuals who are blind or visually impaired. It benefits the Bucks County Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (BCABVI) and Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

Newtown hosted the race, which began in front of the historic Newtown Theater. Unlike many of the Series races, the course was flat, with a slight downhill at the finish. As a result, the first 20 runners finished in under 20 minutes.

The race included 3 visually impaired runners who ran with their service dogs. One of these runners was Mark McCowan, the Bookin’ for Lookin’ race director.

Alex Izewski won the race with a time of 17:08. He was followed by Dan Klein and Sam Fromkin. Dan and Sam both had recorded times of 17:23, but Dan was ahead by a nose.

Melissa Palermo won her second Series race in 19:38. Megan D’archangelo was second in 20:03, with Niki Pasquarella in third at 20:09.

The top female Masters Age-Graded runner was Nancy Smith with a rating of 85.8%. Gert Freas (85.5%) was very close behind Nancy with an 85.5% rating. Anabelle Broadbent (76.6%) was third.

Jim Eder won the male Masters Age-Graded division with an 83.2% rating. Bob Boland (80.8%) and Terry Permar (80.5%) were close behind.

The most competitive age group for the men was the 55-59 group. Only 27 seconds separated Jim Maze, Joe Ciasullo, and James Larson. For the women, it was Michelle Sauvigne, Meghan Sarbanis, and Andrea Minster. The gap was 55 seconds.

For compete results and more information about the Bucks 5K Series, please go to www.bucks5kseries.com. While you are there you can learn about, and register for, the next Series race - the Cornerstone 5K in Warrington, PA on April 20th.

Dick Patterson