Reagan Run 5K: Murray takes top time, De La Cerda repeats as women’s champ

Riverdale High School grad and Creighton University runner Tommy Murray said the renewed competition with recent Sterling grad Dale Johnson helped push him to a win in Saturday’s Reagan Run 5K in Dixon.

Milwaukee’s Ari De La Cerda repeated as women’s champion.

Murray ran the 3.1-mile race, which started at Ronald Reagan’s boyhood home, in 15 minutes, 12.27 seconds (a 4.54-minute-per-mile pace) after finishing fourth overall last year. His time was about 22 seconds faster than a year ago. Last year’s champion, Jacob Gebhardt, did not participate in this year’s race.

It was announced there were more than 1,000 participants in the 5K this year.

“It’s definitely my best finish,” Murray said. “I think college training kind of helps out a lot with the longer races like the 5K.”

He ran a 4:19.29 mile in college during his freshman indoor season and a 3:54.18 1500-meters in the outdoor season. His best 8K time during cross country season was a 25:03.61.

He was aiming to win Saturday’s Independence Day weekend race and was happy with his time and how things went.

“Dale Johnson, I raced in high school, I raced him last year in this race. We’ve raced together a bunch,” Murray said. “I know him very well, and I like racing with him. I knew that people would be going out fast, and there’s always good competition at this race. It’s one of my favorite road races to do.”

Johnson finished in third in 15:35.12 as 21-year-old Alberto Campa of Golden, Colorado, was runner-up in 15:15.66. Sterling’s Sam Brown was fourth in 15:41.04, and Dixon’s Aaron Conderman (16:18.68) rounded out the top 5.

Johnson was the top finisher among males age 15-19 after Murray earned overall winner. He will continue his running career at South Dakota State.

Murray said he might run the Bix in Davenport but hasn’t committed to it. Staying healthy for college is the main priority.

De La Cerda, a 22-year-old Milwaukee native who runs at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, dropped 10 seconds to repeat as women’s champion in 19:11.54. She was 36th overall.

Lucinda Hodges, a 14-year-old from Rockton, was female runner-up in 19:34.62. Kayla Roth (20:08.64) of Gainesville, Virginia, was third among women; Annabel Filippini (20:29.19) of Ann Arbor, Michigan, was fourth; and Dixon’s Teyla Wendt (20:29.99) was the top local women’s finisher.

De La Cerda enjoyed her experience at last year’s race, so coming back was a no-brainer.

“Last year during the Reagan Run, I had so much fun,” she said. “The community here is great, and they’re super uplifting, and it made me want to come back so bad and see everybody.

“Lining up at the start, people were like, oh my gosh, aren’t you the first lady.”

De La Cerda is friends with Dixon grad Kayleigh Thomas, who suggested running the event. The two met in college.

De La Cerda runs the mile, 3K, 3K steeplechase and the 5k in college.

She said the welcoming embrace of the community and spectators helped her run faster as she enjoyed her second straight win.

“I’m not even from here and people treat me with so much respect and they’re high-fiving me or telling me they remember me,” she said. “That’s awesome.”

She enjoys the change of scenery away from a bigger city like Milwaukee. Conditions were also great on Saturday morning.

“I really couldn’t have asked for a much better morning,” she said. “I was happy with that.”

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The lead runners pass under a giant American flag put on display by the Dixon Fire Department on Saturday, July 6, 2024, during the Reagan Run 5K. (Alex T. Paschal)