By R.L. Bynum
Former Wofford cross country runner Beck Classey of Greenville and accomplished marathoner Tristin Van Ord coasted to the victories Saturday morning at the Tar Heel 10 Miler under pleasant race conditions.
The race started in the shadow of the Bell Tower and finished on Stadium Drive next to Kenan Stadium after traversing the rolling hills of Chapel Hill, including the daunting Laurel Hill late in the 10-miler course. There were 7,230 finishers for the three races: 4,435 for the 10-miler, 2,131 for the four-miler and 774 for the 14-miler.
Classey, 24, finished in a time of 53 minutes, 22.3 seconds, to beat second-place Kaleb Keyserling (55:27.3) by more than three minutes in the men’s race. Durham’s Demir Degirmenci (55:37.6), another former Wofford cross country runner, was third.
Van Ord, 31, who grew up in Chapel Hill but lives in Blowing Rock, won the women’s race by more than two minutes in 56:38.8. She finished 17th at the U.S. Olympic marathon trials in Orlando on Feb. 3 in a time of 2 hours, 30 minutes, 46 seconds. Last year, she finished fifth in the Houston Marathon and 14th in the Chicago Marathon.
Liz Golarza of Winston-Salem (58:49.4), a former Georgia Tech cross country runner, came in second in the women’s 10-miler.
Nate Letavec (21:00.8) beat fellow Chapel Hillian Alek Parsons (21:21.4) in the men’s 4-miler race, with Fayetteville’s Reanna Jereb (22:54.3) topping Baltimore’s Mary Reiser (23:02.0) in the women’s race.
In the Double Down 14-Mile Challenge, Taylor Healy (1 hour, 22 minutes, 18.8 seconds) beat out Orange County Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour (1:25.21.5) by more than three minutes in the men’s race. Hana Baskin (1:35:12.3) won the women’s race.
Photo courtesy of Tar Heel 10 Miler
tarheeltribune.com 
