Family Tradition Continues

Family tradition continues

Despite cancer, Johnston runs with children and grandchildren

LON HORWEDEL, ANN ARBOR NEWS

Dan Gamble of Ann Arbor finished the 5K race in 27:55. He has competed in all 33 Dexter-Ann Arbor runs.

RUNNING NOTES

BY BRETT DEGROFF

News Sports Reporter

To be honest, Mary Stasiak was never that excited about running in the Dexter-Ann Arbor Run. But when her father, Don Johnston, called Saturday morning to tell her they would be participating, she was thrilled.

The run has become a tradition for the Johnston family, mostly at the behest of its patriarch. A lifelong athlete and former University of Michigan football player, Johnston insisted that his children and grandchildren participate in the race he has made a tradition for more than 20 years. But when he was recently diagnosed with cancer, it seemed like he might miss out on the tradition this year.

Nonetheless, Johnston was there Sunday morning finishing the 5K. Also in the race were his daughter, Stasiak, son Dan Johnston, and grandchildren Courtney Johnston, Alex Johnston, Connor Johnston and Sarah Stasiak.

“I hope they do it forever and their children do it,” Don Johnston said. “I hope they get involved in athletics somehow. I don’t care what it is.”

Nice weather

After several years of hot sunny race days, cool temperatures and intermittent showers cooled racers Sunday and allowed for a record in the men’s 5K and several top 10 times in other races. There were also implications for the less-than-elite runners.

“If it had been last week we would have had seen a lot of heat illness,” said EMS deputy medical director Connie Doyle.

Doyle, who has run the Dexter-Ann Arbor run approximately 15 times, helped man the first-aid tent, where dehydrated and exhausted runners get fluids and rest after the race.

“There are some people who just push until they are out of gas,” she said.

Said women’s 10K winner Kalli Williams of the weather:

“It didn’t bother me a bit. The weather was nice.”

Biggest ever

This year’s race fell short of projections but was still the largest Dexter-Ann Arbor Run by a wide margin, with 5,574 finishers. The previous high was 4,830 last year. More than 6,400 registered for the race.

The streak is alive

Ann Arbor’s Dan Gamble finished the 5K in 27 minutes, 55 seconds - good for fifth among men age 60-64. But more importantly, he finished. The Ann Arbor resident has run in all 33 Dexter-Ann Arbor runs and claims to be the only person to have done so.

Brett DeGroff can be reached at bdegroff@annarbornews.com or 734-994-6812.

See results online
To see full results of Sunday's Dexter-Ann Arbor Run, please visit the Web sites mlive.com or gaultracemanagement.com

Race winners

Steve Crane, men's 5k

Parker Roth, men's 10K

Emmanuel Kiprop Korir, men's half-marathon

Suzanne Larsen, women's 5K

Kalli Williams, women's 10K

Rachel Kinsman, women's half-marathon

PHOTOS: LON HORWEDEL, THE ANN ARBOR NEWS