Lyman wins Firecracker 5K

San Juan High School cross country and track runner Abe Lyman paced the field to win the Firecracker 5K during the Blanding Fourth of July Celebrations on Thursday, July 4 with a time of 18:47.4. He also won the men’s 15-19 division in the race.
Benjamin Eber of Oxford, MI took second in 19:13.0, Austin Pincock finished just over 1.5 seconds behind in third, Platte Lyman crossed the line in 19:39.9 to grab fourth, and Ryan McCullough rounded out the top five with a 20:06.1 finish.
Landen Pemberton of Blanding ran a 20:47.9 to win the men’s 20-29 division in seventh overall. Jeraden Hurst, also of Blanding, took first in the men’s 2-14 division with his very nice time of 21:42.0, good enough for 13th overall.
Cody Webb of Lehi, UT won the men’s 40-49 division with a time of 22:39.3 in 23rd overall. Charlotte Kowallis of Stacy, MN ran a speedy 22:44.0 to win the overall female division and the women’s 2-14 division in 24th place overall.
Though she now lives over 1,300 miles away from Blanding, Kowallis’s first exposure to cross country was at a cross country camp with the San Juan High School cross country team two summers ago.
Amanda Marchant of Logan, UT finished just seven seconds behind Kowallis to take second in the overall female division and first in the women’s 20-29 division with a time of 22:51.1.
A familiar name appears in the third spot among the ladies. San Juan High School’s Sincere Nez crossed the line with a time of 23:30.2, winning the women’s 15-19 division.
Rachael Kowallis, Charlotte’s mother, was fourth overall among the women and first in the women’s 30-39 division with her time of 24:09.1. And Brooke Webb of Lehi took fifth in 24:35.0.
Michael Lyman of Highland, UT won the men’s 30-39 division in 42nd overall with a time of 25:20.8. Klea Marchant of Saint George took the women’s 40-49 title in 44th overall with her time of 25:57.9.
Roger Merrell was the top finisher in the men’s 50-99 division, coming home 50th overall in 26:48.8. And Marci Jacobsen of Parowan won the women’s 50-99 division with her 55th-place finish in 27:26.2.