McCandless, Taylor Take First Place in Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k

The 16^th annual Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k presented by MARTIN’S went off this morning with more than 32,100 participants. The 10k again hosted the Collegiate Running Association 10k Road Race National Championships, which drew several thousand college athletes to the streets of Richmond to compete for prize money.

Tyler McCandless, 28, of Boulder, CO., took first place with a time of 29:38, followed by Joseph Gray with a time of 30:08. McCandless, runner-up in the 2014 10k, is a former NCAA All American at Penn State. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in meteorology and has qualified for the 2016 Olympic trials in the marathon. Gray, also a qualifier for the 2016 Olympic marathon trials, was making his first appearance in the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k.

Kellyn Taylor, 28, of Flagstaff, AZ., successfully defended her 2014 Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k title with a time of 33:21, edging Susanna Sullivan (33:56). Sullivan was also runner up in the 2014 event. Both women have qualified for the 2016 Olympic marathon trials, and Taylor recently clocked the sixth-fastest marathon debut time in American history with a 2:28:40 at the 2015 Houston Marathon.

Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k – Open Division

Place		Open Men	Time		Open Women	Time
1		Tyler McCandless	29:38		Kellyn Taylor	33:21
2		Joseph Gray	30:08		Susanna Sullivan	33:56
3		Benjamin Snodgrass	30:27		Maria Elena Calle	34:59
4		Will Christian	30:35		Loring Crowley	35:01
5		Javier Ceja	30:53		Renee High	35:43

Collegiate Running Association 10k Road Race National Championship

Place		Collegiate Men	Time		Collegiate Women	Time
1		Tyler McCandless	29:38		Kellyn Taylor	33:21
2		Joseph Gray	30:08		Susanna Sullivan	33:56
3		Benjamin Snodgrass	30:27		Julie Patterson	36:33
4		Will Christian	30:35		Sharon Zeller	36:37
5		Tim Gruber	31:41		Kathleen Lautzenheiser	36:48
6		Piotr Dybas	32:02		Anne Menefee	37:10
7		Andrew Brennan	32:18		Samone Franzese	37:30
8		Johnny Hogue	32:29		Alicia Grove	37:49
9		Jacob Black	33:05		Carter Norbo	37:59
10		Cary Chaffee	33:10		Camille Bouvet	39:26

Although McCandless and Taylor finished atop the standings, leading the pack today was AT&T Dash for the Cash contestant Tom Visotsky, a 63-year-old Midlothian resident. Visotsky was selected at random from over 23,000 people registered for the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k as of February 1, and based on his past race results was given a head start of 2.13 miles. For beating the rest of the field to the finish line, he took home the $2,500 prize which he pledged to donate to the Massey Cancer Center, the official event charity of the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k. In the months leading up to the 10k, Visotsky and his wife Rhonda, a cancer survivor, raised more than $18,000 for Massey Cancer Center. This is the eighth year in a row that the AT&T Dash for the Cash contestant claimed the prize.

Prize money was also awarded to the top three males and females that live and train in the Richmond area. On the men’s side, Javier Ceja (30:53) took first place followed by Tim Gruber (31:41) and Piotr Dybas (32:02). On the women’s side, Maria Elena Calle (34:59), Julie Patterson (36:33), and Sharon Zeller (36:37) all took home prize money.

Richmond Region 10k Championship

Place		Local Men	Time		Local Women	Time
1		Javier Ceja	30:53		Maria Elena Calle	34:59
2		Tim Gruber	31:41		Julie Patterson	36:33
3		Piotr Dybas	32:02		Sharon Zeller	36:37

In addition to the 32,125 10k participants, 1,248 children ages 5-12 participated in the Virginia529 Kids Run. 35 bands performed and 29 spirit groups lined the course, providing entertainment to participants and spectators.

Full results are available at www.sportsbackers.org. The 2016 Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k presented by MARTIN’S will take place on Saturday, April 9. Registration is scheduled to open in December.

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