For several years now The Ogden Newspapers 20K Classic Run and Walk has offered a shorter course for those who haven’t worked their way up to the “big race” just yet .

For Saturday’s 5K run winner Ryan Beabout, that wasn’t the case, however.

“I’ve ran the 20K race before, but because I have been busy running in state competitions for my school the past few weeks, I thought I’d just do the 5K this year,” he said.

Last week, the junior from Wheeling Park High School finished first in the two-mile and second in the mile runs during the West Virginia High School Track and Field Championships in Charleston, helping Wheeling Park to its first Class AAA crown in nearly two decades. He also won the state’s Class AAA cross country championship last fall.

That left him little time to focus on this year’s race.

“I haven’t really got to train very much,” he said.

Still, that didn’t stop him from taking the top honor among 5K runners this year, finishing with a time of 15:48 on a course that he says is difficult.

“The course is very hard, but I felt really good about the race when I crossed the finish line.” he said.

Wheeling’s Heather Wayt, the top female finisher in Friday night’s Ogden Mile and a track and cross country coach at Wheeling Central, was the top female finisher in the 5K run.

Bridgeport’s Chrissy Lewis was the second female to cross the finish line, followed by Sherri Martin of West Alexander, Pa.

Beabout competed against 150 runners when the cannon fired at 8:15 a.m., shortly after the 20K runners embarked on their trek. Within the first 18 minutes, the top five runners had crossed the line.

Taking second place in the male event was 24-year-old Anthony Pavicic, who was second in Friday night’s Ogden Mile. Sam Foster, a Bellaire St. John cross country standout was third. Larry Thompson, 39, took fourth place and 24-year-old Matthew Abel finished fifth.

While the 5K route is significantly shorter, race director R. “Scat” Scatterday says that doesn’t mean it’s any less competitive.

“They (5K participants) work hard, if not harder, because every year they are more competitive,” he said.

It’s that love of competition that has helped the race grow over the years, so much so that Scatterday wants to add another race to the 20K Classic in the future.

“What I’d like to do is add a 10K Run/Walk in the future,” he said. “It would provide a middle ground for those who want something more challenging than the 5K but shorter than the 20K.”

While he did not indicate whether there is anything definite about those plans, Scatterday said he definitely is looking forward to another successful 5K run in 2008.