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Runners take off for the start of the King’s College 5K at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre Saturday morning.

Greg Basshan, 56 of Mountain Top was the first male finisher in the King’s College 5K held on Saturday at Kirby Park.

Angela Cazonie, 20 of Minersville was the top female finisher with a time of 26:38 in the King’s

WILKES-BARRE — Greg Bassham and Angela Cazonie ran to wire-to-wire wins in the King’s 5K Run on Saturday in Kirby Park.

Bassham, a 56-year-old professor of philosophy at King’s, broke the tape in 20:49. He outran second-place finisher, Jeff Baron, 54, of Bear Creek, by 47 seconds. Tom Smith, 37, of Barnesville, finished third in 23:23.

“At my age a victory is pretty rare,” Bassham said. “I started out too fast. I was running at a 6:07-per mile pace, which is ridiculous for somebody my age.”

But the fast pace over the early part of the race proved not to be a problem for the philosophy prof.

Once Bassham realized he started out too fast, he made an adjustment.

“I just tried to keep my form and stay smooth,” he said. “At the turnaround, I could see that the second-place guy (Baron) was gaining on me. So I picked up the pace a little bit, pushed the downhills and stayed strong to the finish.”

He thinks he can run fast — therefore he wins!

Great philosophy.

Cazonie had no strategy going into the race — just a goal.

“My only goal was to finish the race in under 30 minutes,” said Cazonie, 20, from Minersville, who is a sophomore, accounting major at King’s.

She bettered that goal by nearly 3-1/2 minutes, clocking in at 26:38, capturing top female honors. Debbie Alunni, 63, of Jessup, placed second in 27:27. Hayleigh Hanson, 19, of Hamilton, N.Y., finished third, 22 seconds behind Alunni.

While Cazonie had no real strategy going into the race, she did what comes natural to her — pound the hills.

“I live in an area where there are a lot of hills,” Cazonie said. “I’m used to hills. Hills are my strong point. So I worked the hills — sprinting the uphills and widening my stride on the downhills.”

Doing what comes natural to her won her the victory.

Proceeds from the race will go to Global Holy Cross Social Services, an organization that helps the needy from all parts of the world in education, healthcare, housing, etc. In recent years, people in Peru and India received proceeds from the race. It has not yet been determined where the proceeds from this year’s race will be sent. Peru, India and Tanzania are among the countries being considered.

King’s (College) Spring 2015 5K Run results

Top 3 male finishers

1. Greg Bassham, 56, Mountain Top, 20:49

2. Jeff Baron, 54, Bear Creek, 21:36

3. Tom Smith, 37, Barnesville, 23:23

Male award winners: Special awards: First King’s student to finish: Sean Moran. First alumni finisher: Eric Grego. First faculty/staff finisher: Nicholas Sizemore. Age group winners: 10 & under: none. 11-15: none. 16-19: Bobby Russell. 20-29: Alex Burkett. 30-39: Tom Smith. Masters division: 40-44: none. 45-49: none. 50-54: Jeff Baron. 55-59: Rich Owens. 60 & over: Max Furek.

Top 3 female finishers

1. Angela Cazonie, 20, Minersville, 26:38

2. Debbie Alunni, 63, Jessup, 27:27

3. Haleigh Hanson, 19, Hamilton, N.Y., 27:49

Female award winners: First King’s student to finish: Hayleigh Hanson. First alumni finisher: Lisa LaMaire. First faculty/staff finisher: Nicholas Sizemore. Age group winners: 10 & under: none. 11-15: none. 16-19: none. 20-29: Samantha Raffaele. 30-39: none. Masters division: 40-44: Alana Zurinski. 45-49: Kelly Gibbons. 50-54: Ann Charney. 55-59: none. 60 & over: Debbie Alunni.

Field: 40 finishers. Official starter: Dr. Bindu Vyas (race director). Timing: George Meiss (Insta Results). Results: Students from King’s College.

Schedule

Sunday, April 26: 4th annual Max Fine Memorial 5K Run/Walk at the Jewish Community Center, S. River Street, Wilkes-Barre at 10:30 a.m. Info: Michael Fine, 570-954-0125.

Sunday, May 3: Wyoming Valley Striders 41st annual Cherry Blossom 5 Mile Run “Tim Thomas Memorial” at Kirby Park at 10 a.m. Info: Vince Wojnar, 570-474-5363.

Sunday, May 10: Wyoming Valley Striders 24th annual 5.3-mile Spring Trail Run “Jen STEC Memorial” at Frances Slocum State Park, Kingston Twp., at noon. Info: Vince Wojnar, 570-474-5363.