The 2019 Resolution 5K’s top three finishers–left to right, Anna Staats, Matthew Stout and first-place runner John Oplinger–race well ahead of the pack during the Jan. 1 dash in Prince Frederick.

Prince Frederick, MD – Calvert County’s traditional first-day dash gave its 2019 participants a much warming feeling than the previous year. The Resolution 5 Kilometer (K) Run/Walk was held Tuesday morning, Jan. 1, starting and finishing at Southern Maryland Community Network (SMCN), the organization that hosts the event as a fundraiser.

The top runner in the 2019 Resolution 5K was John Oplinger, 42 of King George, VA. Oplinger’s race time was 19 minutes and 34 seconds. The second-place finisher, Anna Staats, 19 of Lexington Park, logged a time of 20 minutes and 24 seconds. The third-place finisher was Matthew Stout, 23, who finished the race in 20 minutes and 34 seconds.

A total of 85 runners and walkers, ranging in age 9 to 75, participated in the 11th annual Resolution 5K, which is run on Prince Frederick Boulevard. Participation fees help benefit SMCN’s mental health programs along with the Erica Weems Scholarship Fund. For the 2019 race, for the first-time ever, organizers offered a “virtual race option” for anyone not wishing to participate on race day. Local businesses provided coffee, bagels, fruit and soup for the runners and walkers.

Southern Maryland Community Network is a private nonprofit mental health agency serving individuals in the Tri-County area who have been diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illnesses. Complete race results are available on the Chesapeake Bay Running Club’s web site www.cbrcmd.org/

Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com