37th Greater Goldsboro Road Race: Mooneyham, Woodlock win 10k races

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 18, 2015 11:06 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

A light rainfall and overcast skies greeted competitors as they strolled through water-logged Stoney Creek Park on Saturday morning.

And each -- all 153 in total -- had either similar or different goals during the 37th installment of the Greater Goldsboro Road Race. Runners attempted to either break personal times, while others ran because it's a way to keep in shape as the summer months approach.

Moms, dads, children -- and even some four-legged, furry runners -- tackled a challenging course designed by the GGRR committee. Construction in the downtown area forced a change in venue, so runners worked their way around the streets outside the park area.

"The new location ... a lot of people seemed to like the course," said Scott Edwards, the GGRR chairman. "They liked the route. They felt challenged by the first hill we had right out of the start, but they were mostly joking.

"This time with the flowers blooming, it was neat to run through the beautiful neighborhoods. Next year we have the tough decision of going back downtown or combine the two because of what Stoney Park has to offer."

Runners as far north as Rhode Island and from Wayne County competed in four events -- the 10k run, 5k run, 5k walk and 1-mile fun run.

Joseph Mooneyham, who missed running against 2014 GGRR champ Connor Jones, easily won the 10k race. The Charles B. Aycock distance runner shaved three minutes off of last year's GGRR time, and pumped his right fist in jubilation as he crossed the finish line in 36 minutes, 42 seconds.

"(The course) reminds me of the two-mile (in high school track)," Mooneyham said. "It's a little bit technical. The hills, I'd have to say they're about the same ... rolling up and down. There was one hill that was real steep, but once you cleared that, it was smooth sailing.

"The reason why I like it is it's more of a speed endurance. You have to run fast just the fact that it's a long distance, and I'm more a distance runner, so it fits me better."

Nelson Aguilar stayed close, but slowly faded out and ended up second overall in 38:45.

"He stayed within me for about 10 minutes for a mile and a half ... two miles. Once we went up those big hills and around the turn, I left him. I'm really happy with my time. It was great ... was close to the time I wanted to hit."

Goldsboro's Vanessa Woodlock won the women's 10k portion in 54:48. Fellow Wayne Countian Harry Lorello seized first in the men's 5k in 18:50, while Wayne School of Engineering senior Nichole Mehlhaff took the female 5k in 22:28.

Jaquan Batts captured the boys' 5k walk in 36:03, while there was a tie among three girls -- Kim Smith, Morgan Smith and Karen Adams. All three crossed the line in 47:30.

Angel Gutierrez (8:58) and Katie Bedford (11:36) claimed the top male and female finishes, respectively, in the 1-mile fun run. Several parents held their children's hands as they competed in the most fun event of the day.

Just as they approached the finish line, Angelina Woosley broke away from her parents. She ended up with a 13:09, followed by dad, Ken, in 13:10. Mom, Rita, was one second behind.

"You're the ma'am!" Ken shouted as Angelina proudly smiled back her at parents. Then she jumped into her mom's arms and the two hugged as dad gave her a high five.

Southern Wayne's Patrick Womble took third in the men's 5k with a time of 19:16. The distance runner admitted the course presented itself as a significant obstacle since he had cut back on his training.

"It was hard," Womble grinned. "I haven't ran this far in a long time. I try to run about five miles a day consecutively, but haven't done that lately. There were a lot of hills and I didn't know the roads too well, but got a little lost every now and then.

"It's different running long distances, like the short distances I usually do (in high school) track. With this, you've got to keep pace and go pretty slow. No, I wouldn't say slow, but easy."

Proceeds from the yearly race benefit approximately 20 organizations in Wayne County -- including the Boys' and Girls' Club, Reach Out and Read, Boys' and Girls' Scouts and a Day in the Park for special needs children.

"It was a joyous time," Edwards said.