Defending 5K champion Justin Kowalski of Mishawaka, Ind. opens up a big lead early on in Steve’s Run Saturday morning. (Daily Star photo/SCOTT NOVAK)

By SCOTT NOVAK

Niles Daily Star

DOWAGIAC – There was an international flavor to the 36th Annual Steve’s Run Saturday morning.

Kenyan-born Cosmas Letting blew away the 10K field as he broke away early and never looked back in posting an impressive time of 32:04.

Two-time defending champion Craig Padgett of Mishawaka, Ind. was a distant second with a time of 33:02, while former Dowagiac standout Adam Dohm, now of Saline, was third with a time of 33:38.

Matt Miller of LaPorte, Ind. was fourth (33:53) and Ryan Greutman of South Bend, Ind. rounded out the top five with a time of 34:00.

Letting, who is staying in Elkhart, Ind. with friends, said the course gave him a bit of a trouble.

“I struggled very much on the hills, but I tried to maintain to the finish line,” he said. “My last 10K, I finished in 30:41, so this difficult course slowed me down a bit.”

Wet and cooler conditions greeted the runners with early morning rain showers giving way to drier conditions just prior to the start of the event.

Rebecca Downs of Fort Wayne, Ind. was surprised by her victory in the women’s 10K run. She posted a time of 42:55.

“I was just going to do a workout today, but once I got going, I got competitive, so I kept going,” she noted. “I like running in the rain, so I thought it was fun. This is my first time at this race, so I really wasn’t expecting (to win) it.”

Downs is a sophomore at Indiana Unversity-Purdue University at Indianapolis.

She finished four second faster than Norton Shores’ Melissa Bergeron, who finished with a 42:59.

Kelsey Nielsen of Bremen, Ind. was third with a time of 43:41, while Michell Didion of LaPorte and Peggy Zeeb of Colon were fourth and fifth respectively with times of 43:45 and 44:19.

Niles’ Madie Rodts was eighth with a time of 44:49.

In the 5K run, defending champion Justin Kowalski of Mishawa, a winner in the half marathon at the Sunburst back in June, also got off to a quick start and then simply held off the field.

Kowalski posted a time of 15:57.

Steven Dennig of South Bend was second with a time of 16:21 and Bridgman’s Cameron Magro was third with a time of 16:47. Luke Sullivan of South Bend was fourth with a 16:52. Rounding out the top five was Ryan Leahy of St. Joseph with a clockign of 17:06.

Niles’ Joshua Clark and Joshua Taylor finished seventh and eighth after running times of 17:23 and 17:30.

Whitney Bowman of Portage, Ind. was the women’s 5K winner with a time of 19:24.

Elley Hinkel of Lawton was second in a time of 19:38 and Madeline Goheen of Fort Wayne was third in 19:47.

Hope Jordan of Bremen (19:58) and Karalynn Kiessling of Battle Creek (20:10) grabbed the fourth and fifth place spots.

Buchanan’s Torrie Eger was ninth with a time of 20:58.

Steve’s Run

5K Run

Men’s Top 10

1. Justin Kowalski (Mishawaka, Ind.) 15:57; 2. Steven Dennig (South Bend, Ind.) 16:21; 3. Cameron Magro (Bridgman) 16:47; 4. Luke Sullivan (South Bend) 16:52; 5. Ryan Leahy (St. Joseph) 17:06; 6. A.J. Fraser (Osceola, Ind.) 17:11; 7. Joshua Clark (Niles) 17:23; 8. Joshua Taylor (Niles) 17:30; 9. Andrew Devereaux (Mishawaka) 17:31; 10. Chris LaFree (South Bend) 17:33

Age group winners

6-under: Curtis Parker (Elkhart, Ind.) 51:56; 7-9: Justice Pye (Brooksville, Fla.) 24:51; 10-11: Adam Eger (Edwardsburg) 24:24; 12-13: Brian Lenyo (South Bend) 21:57; 14-15: Ryan Leahy (St. Joseph) 17:06; 16-18: Steven Dennig (South Bend) 16:21; 19-24: Justin Kowalski (Mishawaka) 15:57; 25-29: Spencer Carr (St. Joseph) 18:00; 30-34: Mike McCarthy (Mishawaka) 18:04; 35-39: Mike Russell (Three Rivers) 20:05; 40-44: Jeff Fitch (Bremen, Ind.) 18:22; 45-49: Al Lusk (New Carlisle, Ind.) 17:50; 50-54: Phil Sullivan (South Bend) 21:04; 55-59: John Reed (Parma) 21:54; 60-64: Winford Jones (Lagrange, Ind.) 21:13; 65-69: Robert Husek (St. Joseph) 26:45; 70-74: Les Collind (St. Joseph) 26:54

Women’s Top 10

1. Whitney Bowman (Portage, Ind.) 19:24; 2. Elley Hinkel (Lawton) 19:38; 3. Madeline Goheen (Fort Wayne, Ind.) 19:47; 4. Hope Jordan (Bremen) 19:58; 5. Karalynn Kiessling (Battle Creek) 20:10; 6. Elizabeth Roush (South Bend) 20:22; 7. Summer Lennartz (St. Joseph) 20:43; 8. Paige Sutcliffe (Paw Paw) 20:47; 9. Torrie Eger (Buchanan) 20:58; 10. Allison Polaski (Fort Wayne) 20:58

Age group winners

7-9: Molly Hazen (Libertyville, Ill.) 32:33; 10-11: Molly Campbell (Middlebury, Ind.) 25:21; 12-13: Stephanie Waters (Portage) 22:08; 14-15: Summer Lennartz (St. Joseph) 20:43; 16-18: Elley Hinkel (Lawton) 19:38; 19-24: Whitney Bowman (Portage) 19:24; 25-29: Patty Robbins (Elkhart) 25:38; 30-34: Loree Pinkowski (Baroda) 26:03; 35-39: Tara Olson (Edwardsburg) 23:35; 40-44: Kathy Keene (Dowagiac) 23:54; 45-49: Sherry Fritz (Niles) 21:37; 50-54: Jean Storm (Niles) 26:22; 55-59: Cindy Comer (Vicksburg) 27:57; 60-64: Renate DeJong-Meyer (Grafschaft, Germany) 39:53; 65-69: Barb Pumm (Lawton) 33:08; 70-74: Judy Bodjack (St. Joseph) 29:20; 80-over: Suzanne Burke (Dowagiac) 58:27

10K Run

Men’s Top 10

1. Cosmas Letting (Elkhart) 32:04; 2. Craig Padgett (Mishawaka) 33:02; 3. Adam Dohm (Saline) 33:38; 4. Matt Miller (LaPorte, Ind.) 33:45; 5. Isaiah Sanga (South Bend) 33:45; 6. Ahmad Aljobeh (Valparaiso. Ind.) 33:53; 7. Ryan Greutman (South Bend) 34:00; 8. Thomas Noel (Louisville, Ky.) 34:03; 9. Tom Pesch (Elgin, Minn.) 34:18; 10. Dale Jones (Shipshawana, Ind.) 34:25

Age group winners

12-13: Nicholas Solis (Portage) 44:49; 14-15: Patrick Dalton (Valparaiso) 36:44; 16-18: Ahmad Aljobeh (Valparaiso) 33:53; 19-24: Craig Padgett (Mishawaka) 33:02; 25-29: Cosmas Letting (Elkhart) 32:04; 30-34: Isaiah Sanga (South Bend) 33:45; 35-39: Rob Hyde (Grand Rapids) 35:44; 40-44: Eric Green (Pontiac, Mich.) 34:51; 45-49: Alex McPherson (Granger) 37:57; 50-54: Dave Bussard (Elkhart) 35:16; 55-59: Timothy Ryan (South Bend) 44:55; 60-64: Chris Miller (South Bend) 47:17; 65-69: Vaughn Smith (Elkhart) 45:29; 70-74: Charles Simeck (Berrien Springs) 58:57; 75-79: Hal Higdon (Long Beach, Calif.) 1:26.57

Women’s Top 10

1. Rebecca Downs (Fort Wayne) 42:55; 2. Melissa Bergeron (Norton Shores) 42:59; 3. Kelsey Nielsen (Bremen) 43: 41; 4. Michelle Didion (LaPorte) 43:45; 5. Peggy Zeeb (Colon) 44:19; 6. Christina Delturco (Portage) 44:29; 7. Jordan Mornout (Laotto, Ind.) 44:39; 8. Madie Rodts (Niles) 44:49; 9. Kelly Debaar (Ada) 44:52; 10. Abagail Trader (Portage) 44:54

Age group winners

12-13: Janee Escobedo (Portage) 50:03; 14-15: Paige Pizer (Portage) 46:03; 16-18: Christina Delturco (Portage) 44:29; 19-24: Rebecca Downs (Fort Wayne) 42:55; 25-29: Dana Cooreman (Whitesboro, N.Y.) 45:42; 30-34: Tracy Argo (Scotts) 46:16; 35-39: Megan Nate (Dowagiac) 51:42; 40-44: Michelle Didion (LaPorte) 43:45; 45-49: Melissa Bergeron (Norton Shores) 42:59; 50-54: Peggy Zeeb (Colon) 44:19; 55-59: Adele Pitt (Cudahy, Wis.) 57:25; 60-64: Nancy Saunders (South Bend) 59:45; 70-74: Mary Connolly (South Bend) 1:04.23