The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Winners enjoy the laid-back Garfield Gallop
The Johnnycake Jog and Friday Night Lights races feature hundreds of runners in buoyant atmospheres.
The Garfield Gallop is a chill affair in comparison.
Tucked alongside Mentor Avenue with a start and finish line on the grounds of the James A. Garfield National Historic Site, the race is a breeze. A brief rain shower accompanied the race’s cool 74-degree temperature at its start, underneath ample shade provided by the verdant setting.
Likewise, the race’s winners enjoyed an easy race on July 28.
Mentor resident Kelly Bildstein won the women’s 5K in 19 minutes, 37 seconds. A former runner at Indiana University, the 35-yearold lives nearby and walked to a race that her family was able to watch her run.
“I literally warmed up here,” Bildstein said. “Five minutes, I was here, I didn’t drive a car. It was super convenient for me.”
The Garfield Gallop is in its fourth year, and second under the stewardship of Greater Cleveland XC.
Bildstein appreciated the race’s low-key vibe. She frequently runs around the area and posted one of her better times in recent memory on a familiar course.
“It’s nice to kind of revisit these things,” Bildstein said. “I think this is the first time I’ve broke 20 in, I can’t even tell you how long. I was pretty happy.”
Michael Ferro led the field of 130 runners with a first-place overall finish in 17 minutes, 29 seconds. Brian Chaffee (17:52) placed second, Dillon Miller (18:51) was third and Billy Dennison (19:28) placed fourth.
A native of Concord Township and graduate of Mentor, Ferro logged more miles in Garfield Park than he can remember while training as a member of the Cardinals’ cross country and track and field teams.
“I’ve run the course before,” Ferro said. “On the cross country team, we would run at Garfield Park and so we’d warm up in the same neighborhood. I was kind of familiar with the area.”
Ferro, 19, is a student at Miami (Ohio). Although he didn’t run as much this summer as he may have during his high school years, Ferro’s responsibilities as a counselor at the Greater Cleveland XC camp this week helped him prepare for the race July 28 — counselors participate in all runs alongside campers.
Ferro, 19, returns to Miami Aug. 24 for his sophomore year and may run in the 10K at the Rock Hall Half Marathon Aug. 18. At school, he’s continued to run as a member of a club on campus.
“It’s good,” Ferro said. “It’s a lot like here, it’s pretty competitive. There’s a lot of great people on the team.”