By Marc Jacobson

MADISON – “To honor the memory of Apollo 11 and everyone past, present and future involved in space exploration.”  That was the theme for the inaugural Apollo 11k race in Madison on Sunday morning, Sept. 15.

There were 276 registered participants for the 1k, 5k, and 11k races, coordinated by Scenic City Multisport, at Palmer Park.

The 11k runners ran a short loop within the park, then headed up the Bradford Creek Greenway to Heritage Elementary School and back, finishing with a challenging 1k on grass at Palmer Park. It was a beautiful morning and the course was unique and fun.

Sponsors included Fleet Feet, Buffalo Rock, the Rotary Club of Madison, Madison Family Medicine, Worthington Plant Powered X-Burger, the City of Madison, the Madison Chamber of Commerce, and Lamar Advertising.  The Rotary Club of Madison helped coordinate, and supported the event with volunteers.

The overall race winners were:

1k Male – Yudai Ozazaki, age 9, time 4:48

1k Female – Sachi Fujita, age 9, time 4:51

5k Male – Stewart Parsons, age 48, time 23:33

5k Female – Coutney Comans, age 14, time 24:39

11k Male – Kyle Miller, age 24, 29:27

11k Female – Kelsey Hodges, time 39:47

The race director said the event was a “huge success,” especially given it was a first-time race.  The organizers plan to make the race an annual event and hope to significantly grow the number of participants.

1k winner Yudai Ozazaki

11k winner Kyle Miller