Photos by Richard L. Gaw        Bonnie Cardile of West Grove is embraced by her daughter moments after Cardile completed her 10K race at the 34th Kennett Run, held on May 6.

By Richard L. Gaw, Staff Writer 

Wearing No. 164 across her matching black runner’s outfit, Bonnie Cardile of West Grove came down to the finish line of the 34th Kennett Run on May 6 with the gorgeous sun of the morning gleaming against her sunglasses.

When she crossed the finish line with a 10K time of 57 minutes and 38 seconds, the red digits that flashed behind Cardile meant very little to her, because what waited just steps from her exhausted body was a satisfaction far more important: the enveloping arms of her daughter, who was joined by Cardile’s best friend and a few others who had come to this annual tradition of a community race to cheer her on.

“I have been running for the past 300 days and I made a goal last June to run at least a mile every day,” Cardile said. “I was coming up on a year and wanted to celebrate with a race, and my daughter came, my best friend came and a few other friends came, so this is a great day.”

This year’s Kennett Run – which kicked off at Anson B. Nixon Park, circled through parts of Kennett Square Borough and finished at the park -- was also a great day for Kennett Run Charities, the fundraising arm of the annual race. Not only was the sun shining brightly, but as of 8:45 a.m. – 15 minutes before the start of the 10K race -- registration stood at 735, well beyond the 599 registrants who signed up for the 2022 event, which was held in a deluge of rain and heavy winds that saw dwindling attendance.

“This has been a really great morning at the Kennett Run, with an incredibly beautiful sun and clear skies, and it has been so nice compared to last year’s race and the two years we lost to COVID-19,” said Kennett Run Charities President Bob Merkle. “The Run is a lot of fun for everyone who participates, and hopefully it will generate good money for us to donate toward the many non-profit agencies as a result.”

Merkle said that he was also happy to see a significant rise in the number of participants who directed $5 of their entry fees toward local high school sports booster programs.

“Oxford Area High School saw a 100 percent increase, Avon Grove High School saw a 75 percent increase and Kennett High School was up almost 30 percent,” Merkle said. “That’s one of the improvements we were hoping to see. You hear so many stories about young people struggling with depression as a result of COVID-19, and this funding helps so many high school sports programs and the young people who participate in them.”

Top finishers in the 5K were Paul Springer (17:04.5), Angel Chimal Rodriguez (17:36) and Joshua Alcorn (17:42.4). The top female finishers in the 5K included Kaitlyn Kipp (19:28.2), Madison Schuck (22:05) and Michaela Perna (22:55).

In the 10K, top finishers were Brian Louis (23:02), Chris Rinschler (24:28) and Nick Geigle (24:25). The top female finishers in the 10K were Katelyn Gardner (31:20), Renee Clewell (31:53) and Kelly McConnell Cox (32:14).

For a complete listing of all finish times, visit www.trisignup.com/Race/Results.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].