Canfield man wins second 10K Peace Race

A Boardman man won the 2-mile event in the 33rd annual race, in which more than 1,000 took part.

YOUNGSTOWN — He was the first one to the finish line, but one of the last to leave.

Matt Folk was still talking to friends outside the downtown YMCA, headquarters for the 33rd Peace Race, two hours after the 10-kilometer (6.2 mile) event had concluded.

The 31-year-old Folk won the race for the second time.

Folk said his clocking of 29:33 was 20 seconds faster than his winning time in 2005 and it represented his best-ever finish in a road race.

“I’ve been running more miles for the last five weeks, so that increase is probably the biggest reason for the improvement,” said Folk, an assistant track and cross country coach at Youngstown State University.

Folk, who grew up in Oregon, Ohio, near Toledo but now lives in Canfield, won $500 for his top finish, plus $500 as the top American and $500 as the top Ohioan for $1,500 total.

A field of 746 finished the 10K and another 340 participated in the 2-mile run/walk, which was won by Boardman’s Rick Lape in 9:39 on what was a route inadventently shortened.

Folk was followed by Dave Gramlich of North Canton (29:55) and Jim Jurcevich of Columbus (30:26).

All three previously qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials in New York City, Nov. 3.

Read the complete story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.