MWL1 Peoria Chiefs

Kelch Wins 2nd Annual Operation Santa Race at O'Brien Field

Published on May 25, 2009 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Peoria Chiefs News Release


May 25, 2009

Kelch Wins 2nd Annual Operation Santa Race at O'Brien Field

Despite rain, more than 350 participate in race hosted by Chiefs

PEORIA, IL- On Monday the Peoria Chiefs along with the Illinois Valley Striders and the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau hosted the second annual Operation Santa Memorial Day 4 Mile Run/1 Mile Walk. The race, which began last season on Memorial Day, had over 350 participants despite a steady drizzle.

Twenty year-old Chance Kelch took first place for males, finishing in just 21:07, and Emily DeWald finished first among the females for the second year in a row with a time of 24:31. The two first place finishers took home baseball bats signed by fomer Chiefs Manager and Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg. The bats also had the Chiefs logo and Operation Santa 2009 Winner engraved on them.

Coming in second place was last year's winner, Chris Friedman with a time of 21:48, first among males in the 35-39 age division Doug Day was third overall with a time of 22:51. The second place finisher among females was Jessica Martin at 26:14 while Nancie Margetis was third at 26:15. Both Martin and Margetis won their age groups.

Also participating in the race Monday was US Representative Aaron Shock (R-Illinois), a Peoria native. He addressed the runners at the starting line and thanked them for running the race and supporting Operation Santa and our troops overseas. Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis also thanked the crowd and runners and then served as the official race starter.

Aside from the two overall winners of the race, the top three male and female winners for each age division all received unique race awards. The winner of each group got a mini-bat with engraved with the age group and the Chiefs logo while the second and third place finishers earned an engraved baseball. The race began on Adams St. just outside O'Brien Field and came back up Jefferson to go behind the stadium. On the third lap, runners ran down the ramp onto the warning track and concluded the four mile run near first base.

The funds raised through the race will benefit Operation Santa, a Peoria-based charity project. Operation Santa sent more than 30,000 stockings to deployed members of the service in the last holiday season, and after this holiday they will be over 100,000 stockings sent in total. More information on the race is available at www.peoriachiefs.com and www.operationsanta.org.

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