Trent Herzog bolted out of the lifting early morning fog enveloping Solomons Saturday, Dec. 8 with only about 900 other people in hot pursuit. The Lusby teen made it to the finish line first and claimed the top runner’s prize in the annual Jingle Bell Run (JBR). The five kilometer (K) dash is a fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation and is held in other locales across the country.
The Solomons event has been held since the 1990s. Race director Kelly Imhoff said in the 14 years she has handled the event approximately $191,000 has been raised. With over 1,000 participants registered this year the 5K runners and walkers raised $37,000.
“It has increased the last few years,” said Imhoff, who added that 13 individuals donated $100 or more to fight the debilitating disease.
Herzog completed the race in 16 minutes and 43 seconds, which was better than his finishing time in the Pet Day 5K, another celebrated Solomons race, back in mid-September. Finishing second in the JBR was David Raley, who completed the 5K in 16 minutes and 53 seconds. The top female finisher was Allison Parris, who posted a time of 18 minutes and 28 seconds.
Top team honors went to the Cove Point Crushers.
The Jingle Bell Run is the third jewel in the Solomons Fall Series. The other two 5Ks held during the autumn months on the island are Calvert Alliance of Substance Abuse’s Step by Step and a race sponsored by the Chesapeake Beach Biological Laboratory (CBL)—the CBL Run for Research. The male and female participants in all three events who post the best combined times earn a cash prize and have their names engraved on a plaque.
This year a couple—Perry and Crystal Rapp—were winners of the Solomons Fall Series. In the JBR, Perry Rapp posted a time of 17 minutes and 55 seconds while Crystal Rapp completed the race in 19 minutes and 54 seconds.
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