Plenty of locals turn out for Asbury Park 5K

More than 1,000 people registered and over 900 of them crossed the finish line Saturday at the Asbury Park 5K road race, according to race director Phil Hinck.

As has been the case most of the summer, Noel Brock won with a time of 16:52 on the double-loop course that ends on the boardwalk. Brock has now won three of the four Jersey Shore Golden Grand Prix races to date, earning wins at the Spring Lake 5 and the George Sheehan Classic as well.

The Toms River native is the clear leader in the women's division for total points in the grand prix series with just the Pier Village 5K on Labor Day remaining.

On the men's side, Philip Kiptoo of Kenya outdueled fellow countryman Daniel Koech to win the men's division in Asbury Park by a full 10 seconds. Kiptoo finished in 14:49.

"We found out a couple of days before the race that a few of the Kenyans would be coming," Hinck said. "It's always a pleasure to have a few top-flight runners come out."

That being said, the Asbury Park 5K, like the other events in the Grand Prix series, is designed as a family-friendly race. As a result, the vast majority of competitors come from New Jersey, many from Monmouth, Middlesex and Ocean counties.

The Grand Prix series began five years ago, and Hinck said it's been catching on. Point standings are posted on the Jersey Shore Runners Club Web site. In addition, more and more runners are participating in all five of the Grand Prix races.

As for Asbury Park, Hinck was pleased by the turnout on a relatively cool Saturday morning. He said participation was up by 10 percent over last year. In addition, another 100 youngsters participated in a series of kids' races following the main event. Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Monmouth County.

Local runners who did well include Tyrel Jensen of Marlboro, fifth overall; Robert Cavanaugh of West Long Branch, seventh; Pedro Espinosa of Freehold, eighth; Luciano DeOliveira of Long Branch, 11th; Mike O'Dowd of Colts Neck, 12th; and Kevin O'Dowd, also of Colts Neck, 25th.

Brian Hill of Middletown was 29th; Rob Ballon of South River, 30th; John Healy of Middletown, 32nd; and Brian O'Dowd of Colts Neck, 40th.

Applications for the Pier Village 5K are available at www.jsrc.org. The entry fee is $20 through Aug. 31. Afterward it's $25. The entry fee for the kids' races is $10.