Cincinnatus Track Fest 2025 Recap
- Kyle Klingler
- Jul 31
- 4 min read
In 2024, the vision for Cincinnatus Track Fest came to life. In our inaugural year, our goal was simple: host a meet for our elite team and neighboring squads, while opening the mile race to anyone who wanted to toe the line. With less than a month of planning, we pulled it off.
This year, we raised the bar—dramatically expanding the event to welcome everyone in the running community. We packed the schedule with 15 races, ranging from kids' races to open heats to elite showdowns. Despite a string of hot and humid weather leading up to race day, participants showed up for every event.
Sprints and Speed
We kicked things off with the 100M dash. Starting blocks were rolled out for four competitors, ready to launch the meet with a bang. Brad Maki cruised to victory in 11.42—setting the first official meet record. A standout moment came from Billy Chanatry, who placed second, saying: “I haven’t raced a 100m in 13 years.” That’s what Track Fest is all about: dusting off the old spikes and giving it a go again.
The sprint momentum continued with the 400M dash. Former Ohio State Buckeye Ty Fajardo surged out of the blocks and held his lead from wire to wire, clocking a new meet record of 52.21.
Open Distance Events
The open mile welcomed runners of all backgrounds—no qualifying times needed. Anyone willing to take on four laps was invited. Michael Lin took the win in 5:07.88, and Laura Bange was the top female finisher in 5:57.35.
Arguably the day's highlight came with the kids’ 800M. Young runners lit up the track, sporting fresh New Balance ski-goggle shades. The youngest athlete? Benny Holtkamp, age 4. Luke Hollandsworth won the boys’ race in 3:02.04, and Harper Witte led the girls in 4:12.56. A heat full of future track stars!
In the open 5K, eight men braved peak sun and heat to tackle 12.5 laps. Kadin Engle pushed through the challenge to win in 17:30.01—shoutout to all who toughed it out in probably the toughest conditions of the day!
Junior High Talent
The Junior High 3200M brought out Madeira’s young runners and neighboring athletes gearing up for cross country season. Hank Feichtner took an early lead and never looked back, winning in 13:05.43. Katie Welty dominated the girls' race with a time of 14:38.35.
Elite Showdowns
The elite races started around 7:30PM. First up, the Men’s 800M featured a duel over two laps. Lundy Wright went out hard with a sub-30 first 200m, but Grant Koch, former Notre Dame runner, surged ahead to win with a meet record of 2:05.05. He’s calling his shot for sub-2 next year!
The elite mile events followed. On the women’s side, Katie Ruhlman (Dayton Track Club Elite) and Liz Gurko (former UC Bearcat and Akron Zip) separated early, with Katie eventually pulling away to win in 5:05.88. The men’s race was tight through all four laps, but Jimmy Chisholm (Cincinnatus Elite) gradually built a lead to finish in 4:42.29.
To consolidate the field, the Elite 5k women joined Heat 1 of the men’s Elite 5K. Tobias Rice (Guate Track Club) led early, but Adam Mahler (former Madeira Mustang) took over and claimed victory on home turf with a time of 16:44.02. In the women's division, Maura Lemon (Dayton Track Club Elite) charged through the men’s pack to finish in 17:24.14—besting last year’s meet record by 5 seconds.
Heat 2 featured the most stacked field of the night. Johnny Sayle and Ben Bayless (Flying Dutchman) went out asking for pacing toward a 14:10 finish. They hit the mile at 4:33, right on pace. In a thrilling battle with Adam Beucler (Cincinnatus Elite), Johnny broke away on the final lap to win in a meet record of 14:31.16.
Relay Madness and Primetime Finishes
Next came the night’s only relay—the 4x400M. With 10 teams in the mix, the most electrifying finish belonged to the "Dream Team": Jay Patel, Keo Howard, Aiden Thomas, and Skyaqui Howard. After a blistering final leg from Skyaqui, they set a new meet record of 3:44.91.
Under stadium lights—and a glow of Christmas lights strung around the track—the meet concluded with the high school boys' and girls' 3200M showcase. Hannah Gemmel led start to finish on the girls’ side, winning in 12:43.06. For the boys, Ben Wetzel outlasted fierce competition from Luke Berkebile and Carson Wyss to win in 9:55.25. The home turf Madeira XC runners would sweep. Both performances now stand as meet records.
Overall, this year’s event exceeded all expectations — the growth from year one to year two was huge, and we’re already gearing up for an even bigger 2026. Huge thanks to everyone who braved the rough weather and hit the track for some fun racing, and to all the fans and spectators who showed up to cheer us on!
We’re deeply grateful to our amazing partners in this event: New Balance, Fleet Feet Cincinnati, Beyond Exercise, Pata Roja Tacos, Can't Stop Timing, and Madeira High School. Thank you for being part of this!
Hope to see everyone next year! By the way, there's still a couple shirts and event posters left from the event. If interested in purchasing, send us an email!
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