Coverage

Fab 5K: Brame 7th 15:54, Rola 8th 16:05, Gay 3rd 19:03 Aug 18, 2007

The Fab 5K held Saturday morning at Green Hill Park in Salem had a total of 141 finishers including many high school and collegiate runners in the field. Defending Group A state cross country champion Nathan Brame of Radford finished seventh overall among all males as he was not too far off his personal best time (15:49 indoors, 15:52 XC) at 15:54.39. In the next place after Brame was recent Fork Union grad Szymon Rola, who took eighth place in a personal best by 17 seconds of 16:05. Rola was in attendance with his new teammates at Concord University (WV), who had three other finishers among the top ten. Jane Gay, one of the state's top private school runners, continues to look fit this summer heading into the cross country season as she was the third finishing female in 19:03, which is 12 seconds faster than her 2006 performance at the Fab 5K. Last fall, Gay went onto win the Virginia Independent Schools Division II state cross country title. Following Gay in as the next high school runner was William Byrd's Alisha Royal as the fifth place female in 20:11. James Madison University grad Dave Baxter won the men's race in 15:34, while Rockbridge County High School cross country coach Cynthia Spangler won the women's race in 17:56.