CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Current University of Tennessee at Chattanooga distance runner Chris Berry and former Lady Moc Lanni Marchant claimed titles at the 37th running of the John Bruner Memorial Missionary Ridge Road Race Saturday.
Berry, a junior with the Chattanooga cross country and track teams, ran the 4.7 mile course in a time of 24:14. He outdistanced second place finisher Joseph Sitienei by 1:09. Former Mocs Andy Highlander (25:59), Rodney Stoker (26:06) and Tim Ensign (26:53) claimed the next three spots. Ensign, 47, won the male masters division while Stoker was second in the men's 30-39 age group.
Marchant, the 2007 Southern Conference Female Athlete of the Year, was the sixth overall finisher and the top female runner with a time of 27:00 over the 4.7 mile course. Chattanooga senior Tara Gietema finished 13th overall with a time of 30:00 and won the female age group 20-29.
The run, a Chattanooga Track Club event, featured 227 runners, a 30 percent increase from last year.
Chattanooga will host the PowerAde Invitational to open the 2010 cross country season Friday, Sept. 10 at the Moccasin Bend Race Course.
