Rhody Run XXXVII produced two first-time winners.

Craig Leon of Eugene, Oregon, led from start to finish for the men, finishing first overall in 38 minutes, 20 seconds. Leon, 30, a first-time Rhody Run competitor, thought the weather was nice and described the course as “beautiful but hilly."

Uli Steidl, 43, of Seattle was second overall in 39.06, followed by Andrew Wise, 20, of Denver, Colorado, in 39:10. (Steidl won Rhody Run in 2014, his sixth overall, in 39:37.) Because Wise is a student-athlete at Western Washington University, the prize money for third-place male goes to Ben Mangrum, 36, of Tacoma who was fourth overall in 39:22.

Juliana Accurso, 22, also of Eugene, completed the 12K (7.46-mile ) course in 43:45 to win the women's division. She said the course was "awesome" and reminded her of her home state of Ohio. She definitely wants to do the Rhody Run again.

Kristi Houk, 31, of Port Orchard was 13th overall in 47:22. The third woman to finish was past champion Trisha Steidl, 38, of Seattle, in 48:11.

Cash awards for the male and female division winners are $500 for first place, $250 for second and $100 for third.

There were 1,604 Jefferson Healthcare Rhody Run finishers, compared to 1,581 last year. The all-time registration record is 2,469 in 2010.

Top finishers with a Jefferson County connection were Jeremy Anderson, a Chimacum High School and Western Washington University graduate, eighth overall in 44:00; Craig Isenberg of Port Townsend, 11th in 47:04; Christopher Brown of Chimacum, 13th in 47:43; Kyle Beckhorn of Chimacum, 15th in 48:07; and Griffin Hoines of Nordland, 22nd in 49:07.

Brittany Grant, 20, of Port Townsend was the fifth-place woman, 37th overall in 51:13.

All times are "chip times" as reported by Rogue Multi-Sport, the timing company. A link to complete results is posted with this story on ptleader.com.

Port Townsend residents Priscilla Cooper and Bob Witheridge are still the only two people who have completed every Rhody Run. Because of their race-day volunteer duties, both of them participated in the Officials’ Run on May 9. Witheridge ran with a new artificial hip.

RECORDS SET

Two age-group records were set, both in the female division.

Judy Fisher, 71, of Auburn, Washington, bested her own record in the 70-74 age group with a time of 1:02.43; she finished 178th overall. Astrid Berg, 77, of Seattle set a record in the ages 75-79 group, finishing 635th overall in 1:22.19.

The two eldest finishers were Ellen Ruby, 87, of Santa Paula, California, who finished 1,398th overall in 2:10:23; and Richard Williams, 86, of Port Townsend, who finished 1,326th overall in 2:06:25.

Alexander Robertson, 15, of Hansville, Washington, was the highest-placing youngest finisher, 23rd overall in 49:19. One of the youngest contestants was Audrey Warfield, 3, of Seattle.

RANGER RUNS

Jake Von Volki, Port Townsend High School Class of 2012 and now a U.S. Army Ranger, finished the Rhody Run 907th overall in 1:37.56. The time did not matter so much as his purpose: He ran Rhody Run XXXVII with a 50-pound pack and carrying an American flag as a fundraiser for the Lead the Way Fund, which aids disabled Army Rangers and the families of Rangers who have died, been injured or are currently serving in harm’s way around the world.

"We raised just over $2,000," Von Volki, 21, said on May 18.

Before, during and after the race, he was approached by people he knew, people who recognized him from a front-page story the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader had published on XXX and simply by his uniform.

"I was blown away by the response," he said. "Crossing that finish line with so many people cheering was so much more than I ever imagined."

HEALTHCARE CUP

The Silver Striders team won the 11-team Jefferson Healthcare Cup, followed by MedOrganize and Jefferson Healthcare. The 13 team members (the largest team entered) ranged in age from 58 to 86.

The top individual team member to finish was Alex Eisner of the Mill Millers, 36th overall in 51:09, followed by Andrew Skipper of Jefferson Healthcare, 131st overall in 59:52, and Jennifer Coultas, 137th overall in 1:00:27 for MedOrganize. Judy Fisher, 71, paced the Silver Striders, placing 178th overall in 1:02:43.

Team standings: Silver Striders Magazine 10, MedOrganize 56, Jefferson Healthcare 103, Halfers 119, Nerd Herd 126, Paper Trails 182, Run the Mill 195, Creative Techs 205, Reel Runners 209, Mill Milers 229, Business Guides 280 and Paper Mill Sparkles 294.

The Rhody Run is "the run that cares for the runner," whether an elite high-stepper or a recreational jogger or neighborhood walker. All that proved true again this year, with volunteer service at Fort Worden and along the course.

Jeni Little, race director, said switching the registration packet pickup to inside the Fort Worden Commons worked well. "Many locals hadn't been to the Commons, so we'll need to do a better job with signage next year," Little noted. Also, the Fort Worden Public Development Authority offered "reasonable lodging rates" for dormitory housing, "which is great for the runners/walkers wanting to spend extra time in Port Townsend," she noted.

Key volunteers included Mary Weeding and Steve Taylor of the Port Townsend Marathon Association; Jim Little, Tom Parcher, John Nowak and Kate Burke of Jefferson Healthcare; Scott Wilson as the announcer; Bernie Lundgren with family and friends, who have for many years taken care of the refreshment area; and Mike Lundgren, who took the lead on the Elks Lodge 317’s staffing of the mile-6 water station.

Little singled out Addi Richert, Port Townsend High School senior, for her prerace rendition of the national anthem. The race director also thanked the Peninsula Trails Coalition, PTHS Redhawks Football, Redhawks track and field team, Team Port Townsend and boosters, Boy Scouts, Twisters Gymnastics, Zumbanistas, Rhythm Planet, the Olympic Mountain Bike Team and Java Gypsy for providing race-day efficiency, entertainment and customer service.