Greene Turtle 5K filled with Fullers grabbing 6 of top 11 spots
The Fuller Brothers and their speedy girlfriends, some of whom became wives, roll into town once a summer and show up in a road race where they jack it up and shut it down, grabbing, if not all the top spots, then certainly most of them.
Sunday morning, Aug. 6, at the 9th annual Harry K Foundation 5K at the Greene Turtle in Lewes, there were six Fullers in the top 11 and one Fuller girlfriend. The group was highlighted by oldest brother Brian, 31, who ran away from the pack posting a 15:10 to win. “I had a hard time just keeping in front of him on the bike,” said Races2Run’s Barbara Kursh. “I told him to just follow the arrows in case I went down.”
Josh Hall, 20, from Waldorf, Md., broke up the party by placing second in 16:26, followed by Kevin Fuller, 29, 16:31; Mark Fuller, 26, 16:32; Phillip Rogers, 37, 17:24; and Jett Hall, 17, 17:40.
Mary Dell Fuller, 29, was the first woman, in 18:04, followed by Brittany Lang, 19, 18:29; Emily Fuller, 28, 19:05; Katie Barrett, 25, 19:29; and Emily Jakob, 21, 19:39.
Phillip Lang, 50, 19:37, father of Brittany, was first in men’s masters. Vicki Lang, 48, won the 40-49 age group in 22:55. El Jones, 57, won the female masters in 22:20. The race attracted 218 runners, many drawn to the cause of the Harry K Foundation, which raises money for local food pantry programs to defeat childhood hunger in Delaware.
Sorting out the Fullers for table seating, should one ever invite them for dinner, it is Kevin and Mary, Brian and Emily, and Mark and Katie Barrett are engaged.
The race highlighted genetic links and family connections and proved the axiom, “Fast people run together, but so do slow people.” Of the top dozen runners, 10 were related to at least one other person in the top 12.
Thirteen states were represented in the race, and the top 41 finishers ran an under 8-minute pace for the 5K.
Local Mary Andrisani, 65, continued to own her age group, winning in 28:47.
Jett Hall, 17, 17:40, Josh Hall, 20, 16:26, and George Hall, 49, 20:16, from Waldorf, Md., further evidence the genetic link to fast running.
Gene King, 74, a Pittsburgh Penguins Pirate who lives in Lewes, won his age group in 27:07.
Gage Hall, 8, from Millsboro ran 26:14 to win the 9 and under group.
The next Races2Run event is the 2nd annual Delaware KIDS Fund 5K, 8 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 12, at Que Pasa on Van Dyke Avenue in Dewey Beach.
