Franciso Puac trains easy, races hard and wins Run for JJ 5K in 16:57
Francisco Puac, 36, comes from a soccer background, and the running just comes naturally easy for him. He trains lightly and races hard.
“I qualified for Boston, so now I’m training four days a week about 10 miles a day,” he said. “It’s hard, because I have to work, and I love spending time with my family.”
Puac won the 24th Run for JJ 5K July 18 in a dominating performance of 16:57.
Martin Rodriguez, 39, a high-mileage trainer and relentless racer, was second overall in 18:25.
Almost filling out the top 10 were Caleb Bradley, 19:05; Paul Montini, 53, masters winner, 19:12; Chris Puolos, 19:22; Mike Sewell, 19:32; Mark Poniatowski, 19:57; Ian Hayes, 19:57; and Steve Eshelman, 20:02.
Olivia Montini, 16, was 10th overall and first female in 20:08. Kaitlin Sheedy was the second female finisher in 20:35. Jen Cawthern, 47, won the female masters in 21:40.
A total of 193 athletes completed the race, which starts behind the Henlopen Hotel and follows the outside loop through Henlopen Acres.
“It’s a great course with a lot of history and always gets a nice turnout,” said Race Director Tim Bamforth. “Some families lock in the same week for summer vacation, and we’ve been seeing the same people from Colorado and California to Maine and Massachusetts for the last 10 years.”
The next Seashore Striders race is the 38th Dam Mill 5K at 7:30 a.m., Saturday, July 24.
