Day two of Ontario’s 4th of July Festival kicked off with the annual Ontario Liberty 5K this morning at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Ontario High School.
The event featured 187 registered runners, along with many other unregistered runners who also participated.
The top three male finishers were Joe Davis (16:31), Brett Cortelletti (16:39), and Joel Fox (16:51).
The top three female finishers were Emma McCarron (19:06), Anna Hairston (21:30), and Meghan Willeke (22:18).
Joe Davis reclaimed his champion title that he earned last year, breaking his time from the previous year by 28 seconds.
This was Davis’s 9th year to have participated in the Liberty 5K. He started running in seventh grade at Ontario Middle School for the cross country team and currently runs for the cross country and track program at Defiance College.
“It wasn’t too hard today,” stated Davis. “I am going to hit 80 miles this week, so I didn’t want to go too fast.”
Claire Henige, upcoming fifth-grader at Ontario Stingel Elementary, also participated with her dad, Tim Henige, Ontario High School social studies teacher.
“I felt really good,” she said. “And I’m happy to finally sit now that it’s over.”
The Ontario Warrior Run tshirts were designed the is year by Audrey Galat. The recent Ontario High School grad carried with somewhat of a family tradition, as her mother, Sarah Galat, designed for the 5k in previous years. The shirts were a big seller and fostered participation.
All of the proceeds of the race benefit the Ontario cross country program. Previous 5Ks helped the team purchase an electronic timing system for home meets.
