FLINT, Mich. (AP) - A U.S. Olympian from Michigan has won the HealthPlus Crim Festival of Races’ 10-mile event.
Dathan Ritzenhein of Rockford led the men’s division of the 40th annual road race in Flint on Saturday with a time of 47:23.
The Flint Journal reports Kenyan Joan Aiyabei finished in 55:37, winning the women’s division.
Ritzenhein, the first male U.S. runner to win the Crim in more than two decades, told the Journal and WJRT-TV it was meaningful to participate in the “staple for Michigan road racing.” That’s despite race officials’ decision to divert what would have been prize money to scholarships covering entrance fees for 2,000 eligible Flint residents.
He adds it’s important to return and keep the race “elevated” in a city that’s been enduring a lead-contaminated water crisis for months.
___
Information from: The Flint Journal, https://www.mlive.com/flint
Please read our comment policy before commenting.