Jesse Armbruster took advantage of overcast skies and cool weather to shave seconds off the course record he set here in 2007and win the 6^th annual Miller Boat Line 5K at Put-in-Bay Saturday, September 26.

  Armbruster finished nearly two minutes ahead of the next runner out of a field of 542.

  “That’s really poking along,” said awards MC Ray Fogg after the race. “Come on up here and get your piece of the rock.”

  Fogg was referring to the race awards, carved into pieces of rock from South Bass Island by local artisan Rodney Karr, owner of Karrvings.

  Miller Boat Line sponsors the annual race which benefits Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church at Put-in-Bay.

  “We are thrilled to be associated with this great event each year,” said Julene Market, one of the island ferry company’s owners.

  Armbruster, 24, finished in 15:55, just nine seconds better than the record he set two years ago in his first island 5K. Armbruster has won the Miller Boat Line 5K for the past three years. He clocked in at 16:14.2 in 2008.

  Kelly Green, 27, finished fifth overall and was the first female to finish with a time of 18:18. Green, from Newbury, OH, has also clinched the overall female title the past three years. Green posted times of 20:02.6 in 2007 and 19:59.6 last year.

  “It’s a great day for a run around the island,” said one local runner.

  Brian Thwaite, 17, was the first Put-in-Bay runner to finish with a time of 20:21. Thwaite also won the men’s 16-19 category.

  “This is my second time running this race,” Thwaite said. “I’m happy I bettered my time from last year.” Thwaite, tall and lanky, is a member of the Put-in-Bay High School cross country team.

  Michala Wertenbach, 16, was the first female Put-in-Bay runner to finish the race with a time of 22:56 and the first in the 16-19 female category. Wertenbach also won her division in 2008, 11-15, with a time of 22:45.4

  Len Baker, a 25-year veteran of the Toledo Fire Department said he enjoyed the race from the aspect of being able to run.

  “It’s not about my time,” Baker said. “It’s about the ability to run.”

  Baker, now working for the department’s Internal Affairs division, seared the bottom half of his lungs while fighting a fire a couple of years ago.

  “It was a problem just breathing,” he said. “To be able to run is the reward.”

  The race begins downtown on Put-in-Bay’s Delaware Avenue in front of the Crescent Tavern. Runners turn left on to Catawba Avenue and begin their ascent on the hill to Heineman Winery. The course turns right onto Trenton Avenue which has a series of dips and then onto the rolling West Shore Boulevard. Another right onto Bay View Avenue and runners got a majestic view of Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial as they followed the roadway down past the offices of The Ohio State University, over a small bridge, around Squaw Harbor and back into town.

  Hermes Sports of Cleveland will post the complete results on their website within the next two weeks. Following are the winners and their unofficial times as announced after the race.

  Other Put-in-Bay runners winning awards include Victoria Wertenbach who won the 11-15 female division with a time of 25:39 and Katrina Kowalski who finished second in the 11-15 with a time of 27:35.

  Dallas Mohn finished second behind Thwaite in the 16-19 division with a time of 21:36. Amanda McCann raced to second in the 16-19 division behind Michala Wertenbach with a time of 24:45.

Amy Rosenwald posted a 23:07 to finish ahead of her husband, Kurt, to win the female 35-39 division. Brandi Roeder finished behind Rosenwald in 24.27.