Hard rain began to fall five minutes before the start of the Firecracker Fast 5K, a first in the 39th running of the Fourth of July race. Five minutes after the start, another first had developed.
A woman held the overall lead.
Lauren Paquette was with two men in the lead pack as the race course turned south of Kavanaugh Boulevard in Little Rock's Heights neighborhood on Saturday. Near the first mile, about a third of the way through the race, Paquette strode away from co-leader Grant Williams. She was alone in first through the first mile in 5 minutes, 5 seconds.
Paquette, a Little Rock Christian and Baylor graduate who now runs professionally out of Memphis, relinquished the lead about a quarter of mile from the finish, when Jesse Duvall, an Arkansas State track and cross country runner from Russellville, pulled beside her as the two ran up the course's only steep incline, on Zoo Drive.
Duvall passed Paquette, 29, and began to pull away shortly after they turned north between War Memorial Stadium and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He hit the 3-mile mark and dashed the final tenth of a mile to the finish to win in 16:03.67. Paquette won the women's division and finished second overall in 16:07.09. Barrett Kerth finished third overall in 16:16.08.
Cheryl Nolan finished second among women, eighth overall, in 17:04.71. Tracy Tungac was the third woman to cross the finish line, 14th overall, in 17:38.95.
Gary Smith, who founded the race and directed its first 36 runnings, rode in the pace car and watched each stride. "I have never seen anything like this," he said. "This is exciting."
"I didn't know who was going to be there, but I thought I might have a chance," Paquette said. "I wasn't really surprised. I knew there would be a lot of good college boys out there, but I wasn't surprised to be up there. I was happy. It would've been nice to get the overall win."
Paquette's final time established her personal record for a 5K. Her previous best was 16:18. She has in the last year set lifetime bests on the track of 2:02.97 for 800 meters and 4:30.75 for the mile. She also has run a 1:18 half-marathon and a 34:30 10K.
A field of 1,253 eventual finishers and hundreds of others were gathered in the Heights, near the intersection of Kavanaugh and North University, when the dark gray morning sky spewed sprinkles 30 minutes before the start, a relief from more typical July heat, which has often been a hallmark of the downhill race.
But within 20 minutes the sprinkle turned into a torrent. Spectators and volunteers, who could, ducked under awnings and carports among the houses west of the neighborhood's shopping district.
Few runners complained.
"I loved the rain," Duvall said. "It didn't bother me at all. I've been training in the heat and humidity in Jonesboro, so coming down here, that downpour was nice to be in. It cooled off quite a bit, so this is wonderful."
Paquette said she didn't mind the lower temperature, but she said the wet course compromised her traction.
"I slipped a lot," Paquette said.
Plus, one of her shoes became untied about halfway through the race.
"My heel started slipping out of it," she said. "But overall I was pretty happy with the race. I think it was an indicator that I'm going in the right direction, so I'm excited."
The rainfall's intensity diminished dramatically about a minute before the start, and by the finish, it was no more than a light drizzle. But rain fell steadily as the leaders began to separate themselves from the field on Kavanaugh. Less than a quarter of a mile from the start, Paquette, Williams, and Kerth made up the lead pack. Duvall, 21, was in a group several seconds behind.
Williams, 20, began to drop back near the first mile mark, and Kerth ran closest to Paquette for the next mile. Paquette ran through two miles in 10:11 on Van Buren Street, four downhill blocks away from Markham Street, which runners cross into War Memorial Park with War Memorial Stadium half a block away. Duvall ran 50 yards behind, with no appearance of competitive interest.
But as the course neared Zoo Drive and its hill, one which has separated more contenders than any other landmark on the route, Duvall pulled close to Kerth. He passed him shortly after their steep ascent on the Zoo Drive Hill began, and it was then apparent that his sights were on Paquette.
Kerth, 24, a former runner for UALR, said he was familiar with Paquette. He knew of her excellence in high school and college and that he would probably be no match for her on this damp day. "I knew she was going to run fast," he said.
Duvall said he "had no idea who she was. I'd never seen her before. I was impressed, and I was trying to figure out who she was. Normally I have at least heard of the top female and male athletes, but I'd never seen her."
Paquette said Duvall spoke to her as he pulled up alongside.
"He said, 'Let's get it,' '' Paquette said. "We were trying to work together, but then he passed me. He finished strong. I went out a little faster than he did, and I was paying for it in the end."
Sports on 07/05/2015