Nathan Martin, in front, led the Concord Classic 5K Run from start to finish with an event record of 14 minutes, 32 seconds. Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports.
By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports
Those in attendance Wednesday at the Concord Classic 5K Run/Walk had an opportunity to see a potential United States Olympic competitor.
Competitors in the 5K run saw Nathan Martin for about 90 seconds.
Martin took off to start the race and set a new Concord Classic record in the process.
The Spring Arbor University graduate and Olympic hopeful ran the 5K course in 14 minutes, 32 seconds to break the longstanding record of 14:49 set by Duane Daugherty in the mid-1980s.
Martin was one of more than 210 who participated in the 30th annual event in Concord. Race organizer David Jordon said the fundraiser for the school’s cross country team had been drawing less runners each year.
The race may have found its niche as a mid-week race.
“On any given Saturday there are 60 races within the area,” Jordon said. “Our numbers have been dropping the last three or four years.
“Why drive all the way to Concord if you have a local race in your area?”
Martin will attempt to qualify for the United States Olympic team next February as a qualifier for the trials. He is getting back in the competitive mode after training hard for a few months.
“I am getting back into the racing mindset,” Martin said.
Martin recently won the Rose Run – another of the 10 Orthopaedic Rehab Specialist events scheduled in Jackson County.
He averaged 4:42 per mile and went out in the first mile in just over 4:30.
Complete results of the 30th Concord Classic 5K Run/Walk are available at https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/5717/.
More than 200 participated in the event held Wednesday starting near Concord High School. That number represented an increase of nearly 33 percent over last year, according to Jordon.