Race benefits homeless center

March 2005

MIAMI BEACH · Raising money for the homeless was more important than winning for Chester Bryant III and Lilian Kroner at Saturday's inaugural Great Florida Bank Tropical 5K Run.

Despite windy race conditions along the 3.1-mile point-to-point course from Watson Island to South Pointe Park, a field of 1,469 runners competed in the first of three races during Toyota Prius Miami Tropical Marathon Weekend.

With nearly 1,500 runners, race organizers are hoping to hit the 9,000 mark this morning after the half marathon and marathon races, nearly doubling last year's total.

The 5K benefited Community Partnership for Homelessness and its two Homeless Assistance Centers in downtown Miami. All sponsorship and a portion of the race entry fees went toward helping provide temporary housing and support for homeless men, women and children in Miami-Dade County.

The cause not only brought out the average runner, but also celebrities. Emilio Estefan, 51, who ran with his 9-year-old daughter, Emely, and finished in 40 minutes and 3 seconds, and singer Jon Secada, 40, who finished in 30:19 to place 31st in his age group.

Miami Mayor Manny Diaz walked the race after making race organizers delay the start for 20 minutes until all runners made their way through traffic.

"This was a first-year race for charity," said course designer Frankie Ruiz, one of the people who helped resurrect the marathon in Miami after a 15-year drought. "They ran for themselves, and they ran for charity."

Bryant, 26, of Aventura, who finished second in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale Race For The Cure last fall, took turns with the lead pack of David Levy, Alcides DeQuesada and Cardinal Gibbons sophomore Billy Zenga Jr. blocking the 20 mph winds.

Bryant edged Levy by 1 second to win in 17:18. Bryant's career best is 15:05. DeQuesada was third in 17:21 and Zenga, 16, was fourth and won his age group in 17:22.

"I'm a runner, and I thought running for the homeless was a good cause so I decided to get up and run," said Bryant, a former University of Georgia runner [2001] who resumed running two years ago.

Kroner, 39, a mother of three from upstate New York, won the women's race in 19 minutes and 27 seconds. She ran a 6:16 minute-mile pace. She said it served as a tuneup for this morning's half marathon. Kroner, who lived in Hollywood in the 1980s, said she plans to run the New York City Marathon for her 40th birthday.

"I wanted to support the cause, and what a surprise I won it," said Kroner, who took the lead at the half-mile mark. Her last win was a 7-miler last weekend in 9-degree weather. "I was at the start standing next to Jon Secada and Emilio Estefan; that was exciting and then I had to concentrate on the run, and I just took off."

SUN-SENTINEL
Posted January 30 2005

By Sharon Robb
STAFF WRITER


 

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