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 (Photo by George Vogel) caption:
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Walker Beats the Heat to Win Fete 10K; Saul Overcomes Injury to Be Top Woman
By Bill Alden
Michael Walker didn't get a chance to run any road races this spring due to his teaching and coaching duties at Rancocas Valley High.
Last Saturday, Walker taught the field at the 28th Annual June Fete 10k a lesson as he cruised to victory, racing through the Riverside area of Princeton in a time of 33:31, more than a minute faster than the 34:54 time posted by runner-up Michael Newman.
With beads of sweat rolling down his body, Walker said he enjoyed being back on the road.
"This is my first race after taking a long break," said the 28-year-old Ewing resident who starred for the track team at the College of New Jersey in the late 1990s. "I'm trying to build up my base for a marathon. Right now I've built up to 60 miles a week. By August I want to be around 110."
Walker acknowledged that his training couldn't totally prepare him for the muggy conditions that hit the runners Saturday morning in the race which drew 448 competitors for the 6.2 mile event.
"My policy is if it's cold, I put on more layers to warm up," said Walker, a member of the Philadelphia Track Club who eschewed a running top for Saturday's race. "If it's hot, you can't do anything other than to run naked. You learn to adjust."
The heat, however, didn't keep Walker from setting a blistering pace. "It was a good pace," added Walker, who averaged 5:24 a mile on Saturday. "I think we hit two miles at around 10:40. I figured that was OK. I felt fine running that pace but I knew the heat would slow things down. It was hot out there, I think that affected everyone."
Walker, who ran the Fete 10k once before in the late 1990s, enjoyed the atmosphere at the event which annually attracts one of the top fields in Central Jersey road racing.
"I ran it a few years ago and I didn't know what to expect," recalled Walker, who said he finished in the top six in his other Fete appearance. "I was thinking that there might be 200 or so runners but there were 400. This is a great race. If everything works out injury-wise I plan to do it again."
For Walker, the race's finish at the Weaver Track Stadium on the Princeton campus added a special element to the experience. "It was pretty good finishing on the track," said Walker, who coaches girls' track at Rancocas Valley. "It brought back some memories from running here in college."
The top finisher among the women, Lauren Saul, was thrilled to produce a special memory as she returned to racing after a two-year hiatus prompted by bunion surgery.
Saul finished 20th overall Saturday in a time of 40:34, some 1:46 faster than the next woman finisher, Courtney Pierrot of Hillsborough.
"I decided to do this on a whim," said Saul with a laugh. "A friend of mine made me do it. I had no idea that I was going to win."
The 26-year-old graphic designer from Westfield has been forced to follow an unorthodox training regimen due to her foot problem.
"I've been doing a lot of treadmill running," explained Saul, a former track star at Southern Connecticut State College who has a 5k best of 17:48 and has completed two marathons. "I've only been on the road a little bit."
Saul's victory on Saturday in her first-ever 10k will encourage her to pound the pavement some more.
"It was a good race, I enjoyed it," asserted Saul with a broad grin. "I think I'll probably try to get into some more races this summer. My bunions feel great, no more pain."
And the joy of a job well done, a feeling Saul shared with Walker and the 446 other runners who fought through the heat last Saturday.
