Poulos Pulls Off Pizza Party Victory in Medford 5K

Sherry Esposito extends win streak to 7

by Kevin Spradlin

Complete results

WESTMINSTER, Jan. 13 -- Ted Poulos, one of just three non-WRRC members competing in the Mighty Medford Freeway 5K race on Sunday, outran John Reagan over the last half of the race to win in 18 minutes, 57 seconds. 

     Race director Frank Schaeffer picks a theme for his race each year, and this year was a pizza party, complete with warm pizza bagels for all finishers and frozen Tony's Pizzas as prizes. 

     Reagan, a distance standout for Western Maryland College, was second in 19:23 after leading through the first half of the race. Starting the race into a headwind with gusts up to 31 mph, Poulos and Reagan hit the one mile point at a pedestrian 6:10. Reagan took a two-step lead by the turnaround and tried to increase his lead coming down hill on Nicodemus Road. Poulos, however, wouldn't quit.

     With the wind mostly at their backs once they returned to Medford Road, Poulos ran the last 2.5K in 9:05, including a 6:38 in the last 1.1 miles. 

     In the women's race, Sherry Esposito virtually had no competition as she won her second straight club race of the year and her seventh consecutive club win in as many tries. Her last club finish out of first place was August 9, 2001, when Jill Krebs ran a course record to win the Sullivan Road Four-Miler. Esposito was second.