Under the watchful eye of Jack Mortland himself today’s 22nd Annual
Jack Mortland Race Walks was about the young walkers. Unlike most races
in this country were the majority of race participants are over 50 years
of age some of today’s winners were still in diapers when the 1st race
honoring Ohio’s 1964 Olympian was held.

Heading up that group was Notre Dame’s Mike, the Italian Stallion,
Mannozzi. The 23 year old college junior, just barely into his second
year of race walking, led the 20k from start to finish. But he had to
survive a hard crash with the 20k wall to beat women’s winner Erin
Taylor. The 29 year old New Jersey star walked 1:50:50 to capture the
first place prize money of $100. Mannozzi’s 20k winning time was
1:50:25 after a seemingly relaxed 52 minute initial 10k (The men’s $100
first place prize was donated to Notre Dame athletics for race walking).

Third overall, and second for the men, was 54 year old Chris Knotts.
The Miami Valley TC’s Knotts finished in 1:52:38. In a great battle of
62 year olds Chris Schmid of Wooster, Ohio, finished in 1:55:19 to best
the 1:57:18 of Indiana’s Max Walker.

In the 10 kilometer race 18 year old Jacob Gunderkline covered the first
of eight 1.25 kilometer laps along the shores of Dayton’ Eastwood Lake
in just 6:20 to brush back the challenge of Indiana Racewalk club’s
Damon Clements. After a 26:55 split at 5k Gunderkline achieved his
USATF Junior Nationals qualifying time of 55:00 with a win in 54:09.
Gunderkline, a sub 10 minute 2 miler in HS track, will be racing against
Mannozzi next year in the college ranks as he is headed to Indiana’s
Goshen college on a RW scholarship to continue his athletics career.

Yellow Springs HS junior Reini Brickson won the 10k walk for the women
in a personal best time.

At the 5 kilometer distance Indiana’s Theresa Amerman-Mitchell made the
team competition close by exploding off the starting line and walking at
a sub 26 pace early on. Amerman-Mitchell, 26, finished in 27:35 for
the win. Erika Shaver, in her first 5k, gamely hung with the Indiana
speedster early on, but faded to a 29:51 after flirting with mid 27 pace
for the first half of the race.

Taking the men’s 5K title was former Maine HS RW state champ Grant
Bacon. Now a college junior, the Cedarville University flash won in 26:28.

Click Here for Race Results

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