Red Wolves - IU East

RICHMOND, Ind. - T.J. Schienbein and Kristina Tabor ran away from the largest field in Wayne County Challenge history.

Schienbein won the men's race by a wide margin and Tabor won the women's race by even more at the Run with the Wolves 5K on July 17 at Indiana University East.

Schienbein, a junior-to-be at Union County High School, won the men's title in 16:41.

Tabor, a New Castle resident, won the women's race in 20:13.

The event had 337 finishers, a record for the Wayne County Challenge local running series.

Click here for unofficial overall results

Click here for unofficial results by age group.

Add in the few dozen youngsters who took part in the Pack Family 1K and the total number of participants totaled around 400.

"People really enjoyed the event," said Mike King, chairman of the Wayne County Challenge committee.

"There were so many more people here, and it was a festive atmosphere."

Schienbein completed the new IU East cross country course 41 seconds ahead of runner-up Todd Hewitt.

Schienbein took the lead 2,000 meters into the race. He made a decisive surge at the two-mile mark that left all of the other competitors in his wake.

"It's probably the largest race I've won," Schienbein said. "The race was really nice and organized very well."

Tabor, 32, finished 1:43 ahead of women's runner-up Carlie Rider, an IU East signee.

Tabor has won the past two Wayne County Challenge women's events. She says keeping up with her 4-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter has her running faster than she did in high school or college.

Tabor took an occasional glance back on the turns to make sure she had a safe lead in the women's race. She devoted the rest of her run to beating as many male runners as possible.

"It's been exciting to see the Wayne County Challenge races growing all summer," Tabor said. "It was great to see so many people out today."

It was the first competition on IU East's new cross country course behind Hayes Hall on the east side of the campus. The top runners described the layout as deceptively difficult.

"It's a pretty tough course," Schienbein said. "It feels like the first couple of miles are flat and fast, but once you come up the hill at the two-mile marker .... it's not really hilly, but the inclines are really long."

Added Tabor: "It's going to be a really good course in the next couple of years. It's tough because there are no major steep uphills, but they are gradual.

"I really liked it."

The improvements to the course were possible thanks to the generous support of Reid Hospital & Health Care Service

Proceeds from the Run with the Wolves 5K benefited the Indiana University East Alumni Association and the IU East Athletic Department.

Members of the IU East Alumni Association, the Red Wolves athletic department and many more volunteered their time to make the race a success.

IU East's golfers served as course marshals. The Red Wolves' cross country runners conducted the Pack Family 1K.

Race volunteers distributed door prizes just before the awards ceremony. Bob Gibbs won the top prize, a Gatlinburg vacation.

The next race in the Wayne County Challenge series is the Hagerstown Jubilee Days 5K on Aug. 14.

Monitor www.iueredwolves.com for photos and video from the Run with the Wolves 5K.