LIMA – It’s a summer road race that former Shawnee distance runner Tom Scott marks on his calendar every year.
The Star Spangled Spectacular Freedom 5k at Faurot Park, sponsored by the Orthopaedic Institute of Ohio, has been a staple for Scott.
At Monday’s 15th edition of the annual event, the 27-year-old Scott pulled away from the pack of runners, en route to his third consecutive victory in the 3.1-mile road race.
Scott won in a time of 15 minutes, 22.9 seconds. Matt Deters, 31, from Ottawa, finished second in 15:37.2. Dustin Sprague, a 41-year-old who graduated from Shawnee and now lives in Kettering, came in third (15:46.3).
Last year, Scott won the Freedom 5k in 15:05.4. Sprague came in third (15:28.6), while Deters was a distant sixth (16:07.3).
In Monday’s women’s race, Justine Dams, a 26-year-old from Columbus, won in 19:10.7. Jennifer Shaw, a 29-year-old from Columbus, finished a close second (19:17.1). Erin Calvelage, a 26-year-old former distance standout from Delphos St. John’s, came in third (19:49.9).
Scott, who competed collegiately at Ashland University, is now the head cross country coach, and assistant track coach at Ashland. During his college track career, Scott was an all-American three times (twice in the 800 meters, once in the 1,600-meter relay).
For Scott, Monday’s race came down to the final stretch.
“It was actually nice and cool for a change,” Scott said about the weather conditions. “We actually went out pretty slow today; a little relaxed. Then (the) second mile, the guy (Deters) who got second took off and I knew I had to match the move. I just kind of sat on his shoulder until about a half mile to go. I was feeling pretty good, so I tried to close it strong.”
The Freedom 5k has been one of Scott’s favorite events.
“I love this course,” the 2007 Shawnee grad said. “I’ve been running this thing since about the very first year they’ve done it. I enjoy coming back to race. I get a chance to see a lot of old high school teammates, and things like that. So, it’s a lot of fun.
“This is a race that I will probably always come back to. There are some other races that I’ve thought about going to, but this is a race that’s going to be a staple for me.”
Scott, who has signed a sponsorship with Brooks (running shoe and apparel company), competes in a variety of distances. He has also clocked a sub 4-minute mile on two different occasions.
“I’m living the dream,” Scott said with a smile. “I’m having fun coaching and racing. I actually have a road mile on Thursday up in Traverse City (Michigan). So, I’ll be heading up there on Wednesday for that.”
In the women’s competition, Dams pulled away from Shaw for the victory.
Dams, who is an elementary teacher in Columbus, ironically competed at Ashland the same time Scott did.
On Monday, Dams was pleased with her performance, especially with the lack of racing on her part this year.
“This wasn’t my best time, but the last couple weeks have been rough. So, I would have to say that I was happy with it,” Dams said. “I haven’t raced since March. So, this is the first one (this summer) for me. I don’t have anything set up until September.”
Dams focuses primarily on the shorter races.
“I did 5ks and 10ks during college. But since I graduated, it’s been pretty much 5k’s,” she said.
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