Walker Wins The Race
W
ith conditions reminiscent
of the inaugural running in
1976—a bit of snow and a high
temperature in the mid-30s that
felt colder due to winds gusting
to 30 miles per hour—The Race,
presented by Moose Racing,
celebrated a milestone that fur
-
thered its reputation for occupy-
ing a unique niche in the sport.
Not only did this year's edition
mark its 50th annual version,
making it one of the few races
in the country that can make
that claim, but it has had just
one man responsible for it all:
Bill Gusse. On the other end of
the age scale, this year saw its
youngest-ever overall winner
pick up his second The Race
victory. In doing so, he became
the 10th multi-time winner of
The Race, which has also been
known at various times as the
Illinois State Cross-Country
Championship and the Moose
Run.
WIND
IN THE
P52
Running third about a minute behind
teammate Cody Barnes 15 miles
in, Jhak Walker (pictured) bided
his time, railed the 50-mile loop
the second time around after it had
tacked up beautifully and won the
50th annual The Race for his second
time.
PHOTOS: MARK KARIYA
