(Photo by E.J. Greenblat) caption: LOCAL FAVORITE: Princeton resident Glenn McIsaac cruises to the finish line at Princeton University's Weaver Stadium last Saturday as he won the June Fete 10k Run. McIsaac clocked a time of 34:32 to place first of the 491 finishers at the event with fellow Princeton resident Dan Feder second in 35:35. McIsaac, the eighth place finisher in the 2006 Fete, won the event in 2004.

McIsaac Cruises to Another Fete 10k Title While Kirsch Ends Up as Top Female Finisher

Bill Alden

Glenn McIsaac is known in local road-running circles for his prowess in relatively shorter events.

Earlier this month, the 48-year-old Princeton resident flew to a second place finish in the Hillsborough Hop 5k, clocking a time of 16:29 as he got nipped at the line.

Despite his preference for that distance, he looks forward to doubling up things every year at the June Fete 10k Run.

"I get psyched to come out and try to conquer the conditions and myself and run a good race," said McIsaac. "It's a little longer than what I typically like to race. It's always a hot day."

The wiry McIsaac proved to be up to the challenge last Saturday as he clocked a time of 34:32 to place first of the 491 finishers at the event with fellow Princeton resident Dan Feder second in 35:35.

While happy with the win, McIsaac acknowledged that the muggy conditions Saturday morning kept him from running as fast as he had planned.

"I would have liked to have been under 34 minutes," said McIsaac, who works as a corporate banker for Bernstein Investment Mana-gement in New York City.

"The heat crept up on me. I was pretty much on pace through four miles and then I slipped back a little bit. Once you get behind the time goals, it's hard to pull it back."

McIsaac also found the going tough as he went solo over the last segment of the race. "Dan [Feder] and I were running together for the first part of the race and then I pulled away," recalled McIsaac, the eighth place finisher in the 2006 Fete and the winner of the 2004 event. "It gets tougher when you are out there on your own."

Things have been a little tougher recently for McIsaac as he has dealt with a sore hip. "I've been struggling with injuries a little bit so my training has been off and on," said McIsaac.

"I did a number of 40-mile weeks this winter which was good. I had some consistency there. I have had some injury problems this spring and I'm back up to 30-35 miles a week."

McIsaac is hoping that his win Saturday will help as he goes back to competing at his preferred distance. "I'll probably try to run a few more 5-k races," said McIsaac, who runs for the Sneaker Factory running club. "It's hard from here on because the weather starts to get real hot."

Jennifer Kirsch faced a different set of challenges as she ended up as the top female finisher, clocking a time of 40:51 to beat runner-up Lesley Wassef by 24 seconds.

"I haven't really raced a lot in the past couple years," said Kirsch, 37, a resident of Manalapan who was the 15th overall finisher.

"I have twin daughters who are three years old and I haven't raced much since I had my girls."

Kirsch, who last ran in the Fete six years ago, was excited to get the chance to come back to the event. "I love the course, I love Princeton," asserted Kirsch. "I know the event is a lot of fun and there is a lot of fun afterward."

It wasn't fun for Kirsch the whole way on Saturday as she held off Wassef, a teammate of hers with the Raritan Valley Road Runners club.

"I didn't really feel as well in the second half of the race," said Kirsch, whose personal best at the 10-k distance is 38:55. "When I came up to the track and didn't see anyone behind me, I decided to glide in but it turned out she wasn't far behind me."

With her Fete win behind her and getting the opportunity to train more as her daughters get older, Kirsch is looking for a big summer of racing.

"I'd like to do a lot of fun races," said Kirsch, who is logging 40-50 miles a week training with her long run at 10 miles. "I'm looking to have fun and enjoy my races."

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