Earlier this month, 39 racers took part in Washington’s Young Life 5K. The course took competitors along the Washington waterfront and Washington Park. All proceeds went to help fund summer camps for Beaufort County teenagers.

Isaac Campbell, a 12-year-old Washington native, won the race in 21:32. He led second-place Allison Jameson by 15 seconds.

Among the top-10 finishers were Braden Smithwick and Sydney Smithwick. Ten-year-old Braden finished third in 22 minutes flat in his first ever attempt at running a 5K.

“I was thinking, ‘I’m pretty good at running. I run a lot, I’m really active, and I’m strong,” he said. “I was going in there thinking I was going to get in the top three. That’s probably why I got in the top three.”

Sydney finished in 27:05 to place 10th. The 12-year-old P.S. Jones student has what she describes as a love-hate relationship with running.

“I run track at school,” she said. “Before I start running and while I’m running, I think, ‘Oh my gosh, why did I choose to do this?’ At the end, it’s good because I felt like I just exercised. I thought it would keep me in shape and be something fun to do. … I felt good because I always keep track of who is in front of me in my age group just so I can know what place I’ll be in. When I figured out I was in first in my age group, I was happy.”

Sydney said she lost her younger brother almost immediately. Braden’s approach to his first 5K was to get out near the front and keep pace with the leaders. Sydney, on the other hand, likes to keep a jogging pace throughout.

“I start out quick and get into the top three,” Braden said. “I was in second when I started sprinting. I passed a lot of people when they started slowing down, then just set a pace and kept that pace.”

Braden, who is in fourth grade, has his eyes on joining P.S. Jones’ track team when he gets to middle school, too.

Braden and Sydney’s mother, Kristen Smithwick, finished just behind them in 14th place. She kept up with her daughter, who was nine seconds ahead of her at the end.

“I never saw Braden,” Kristen said. Braden said he wanted to go to the front at the beginning, but she expected to catch up to him eventually. “He had never run more than a mile before. I really thought I’d catch up to him pretty quickly, but I never saw him. Never.

“Sydney and I stayed fairly close. I paced with her just behind her the entire time, so I saw her the entire race. I’m very impressed. I knew Sydney enjoyed running. I knew she was a pretty decent distance runner. I had no idea what to expect from Braden.”

Braden set the bar high for himself in his first race of any kind. Sydney, too, excelled in finishing first in her age group by a long shot. It was quite an impressive showing for Beaufort County’s younger athletes. Three others — Davis Lee (12 years old), Jackson Hardy (12) and Riley Wallace (11) — finished in the top 10, too.

 

RESULTS

1 – Isaac Campbell – 21:32

2 – Allison Jameson – 21:47

3 – Braden Smithwick – 22:00

4 – Kay Evans – 22:18

5 – Lauren Dudley – 22:44

6 – Jay Martin – 26:25

7 – Davis Lee – 26:36

8 – Jackson Hardy – 26:37

9 – Riley Wallace – 26:38

10 – Sydney Smithwick – 27:03

11 – Jeff Barwick – 27:05

12 – Samantha Ward – 27:08

13 – Garcy Ward – 27:09

14 – Kristen Smithwick – 27:12

15 – Jessica Carlyle – 27:15

16 – Jennifer Richardson – 27:26

17 – Carl Crozier – 27:44

18 – Kimberly Campbell – 28:01

19 – Landon Williamson – 28:46

20 – Hunter Rouse – 28:52

21 – Gary Woolard – 28:56

22 – Brooke Williamson – 29:47

23 – Susan Knox – 30:12

24 – Betty Mooring – 30:34

25 – Gabe Matthews – 30:43

26 – Delores Clark – 31:46

27 – Jenee Brewer – 32:45

28 – Katherine Foley – 32:55

29 – Cliff Hales – 33:07

30 – Gerard Fucito – 34:09

31- Mary Page Moore – 34:23

32 – Karla Perry – 35:55

33 – Wyatt Campbell – 38:38

34 – Leiza Manning – 40:11

35 – Shirley Hanberry – 42:37

36 – Janis Deitrick – 44:29

37 – Renee Cherry – 44:29

38 – Georgia Smallwood – 44:38

39 – Alice Sadler – 44:44