Runner of the Year Leaders Win in Duluth

The winners of Friday night's Park Point 5 Miler, Duluth's Jeremy Polson and Jennifer Houck, offered ample evidence of why each currently leads the Minnesota Runner of the Year standings.

Polson, who led the men's open division of the 2009 Runner of the Year standings by 21 points over Chris Erichsen going into the race, won his fifth Park Point title. He clocked 24:42 on the flat, out-and-back route on the other side of the lift-bridge from Canal Park in Duluth.

Duluth’s Eric Hartmark the 2007 race champion, finished second in 25:00; Chris Lundstrom of Minneapolis, the 2008 Minnesota Runner of the Year, placed third in 25:06.

Houck (pictured), who held a pre-race 5-point lead of Kim Magee on the open women's ROY table, won her second-straight Park Point title. Her time of 28:36 eclipsed Kari Beasley’s course record of 29:11 from 1997.

Hibbing’s Serena Sullivan placed second in 30:20 followed by Melissa Gacek of White Bear Lake in 30:59.

Kevin Pates of the Duluth News-Tribune wrote THIS in-depth story about the race.

Full results will be posted HERE later today.

Earlier this season, the Polson and Houck swept the men's and women's titles at the Brian Kraft Memorial 5K, the USATF-Minnesota championship for the distance.

Runner of the Year Standings ... are based on road race performances across a range of distances. Minnesota's top road racers earn points based on how their performances rank against others in events ranging from the mile to the marathon.

Polson topped the ROY performance list in the 8K before his Park Point victory. He has the #2 marks in the state this year in the 5K, 10K, and half marathon.

Houck's lead in the ROY standings is built on an event-leading mark in the 5K and strong performances at 8K, 10K, and the half marathon.

Complete Runner of the Year standings, including those in age-group competition, are available HERE.

Photo by Gene Niemi.