By Howie Beardsley
The Grand Rapids Press
EAST GRAND RAPIDS — Alene Reta knew nothing about the LaSalle Bank Reeds Lake Run until he made a visit to the area Thursday to spend time with a friend. Now the area knows Reta.
The 25-year-old Ethiopian from Manhattan took home a pair of $550 checks by taking the 5K and 10K titles Saturday morning as part of a record-setting field for the Reeds Lake Run.
Reta posted a time of 14 minutes and 12.05 seconds to hold off Ryan Sheehan (14:18.65) of the Rochester Hills-based Hansons-Brooks Distance Project race team. Kyle Baker (14:24) of Grand Rapids took third.
Reta and Baker then double-dipped, with the former winning the 10K in 31:08.90, while Baker (31:17.95) settled for runner-up status worth $350.
Lansing’s Nathan Usher ran 32:32.70 for third place and $250.
In the women’s competition, Novi’s Denisa Costescu, 31, continued her success this year at local road runs with a winning time of 37:29.15 in the 10K, and a third-place showing in the 5K (16:57.90), behind champion Melissa White (16:20.10) and Desiree Davila (16:27.25), both of Royal Oak.
A record 2,314 participants combined to take part in the 3.1- and 6.2-mile events on a favorable morning for running. The 8 a.m. 5K was greeted by blue skies, a 54-degree temperature and a five mph northeast wind.
The old record of 2,223 was established last year.
“I really didn’t want to run the 10K, because I have an 8K race this Saturday. I was concentrating on the 5K, and was going to use the 10K as just a training run. But I’ll take two wins,” Reta said.
Baker, Reta and Sheehan broke away from the 5K pack at the halfway point. The three were no more than 10 meters apart until Reta took off at two miles.
In the 10K, Reta separated himself from Baker at the three-mile point.
“I’ve had nagging injuries and my training has been all over the place, so I never know how I’m going to feel. But I felt good today,” said Baker, 31, a former All-American and assistant coach at Michigan State. “Despite my ups and downs, I’m in good shape, but not in great enough shape to be able to catch (Reta).”
Baker will use the remainder of the summer and fall training for November’s U.S. Olympic marathon trials. Reta is hoping to earn a spot as a 5,000-meter runner on the 2008 Ethiopian team.
Costescu has won March’s Spectrum Health Irish Jig 5K, May’s Fifth Third River Bank Run 5K and the Reeds Lake 10K. She was second in June’s Brian Diemer Amerikam 5K and third in Saturday’s 5K.
Not bad for a 31-year-old mother who gave birth to daughter Alisia Olteaner 14 months ago.
“I’ve had a lot of success in this area, and I even felt pretty good in the 5K,” said Costescu, a Romania native. “(White and Davila) just stayed behind me enough to (draft) and then fly past me at the end, which was good race strategy on their part.
“I’m stronger with my running than before having Alisia. She’s my motivation.”
Costescu will spend the rest of the year traveling the country competing in 5K and 10K runs. Her hope is to make the Romanian Olympic team in the 5,000, which she said would mean dropping her 5K time to around 15:20.
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