MONROE - In a photo finish, Monroe junior Dylan Starck leaned across the finish line to edge Monroe alum Kyle Klein in the inaugural Cheesemaker Chase 5K title Saturday at Twining Park.
Starck barreled down on Klein over the last 200-meters, finishing the 5K in 17 minutes, 36 seconds, which was just two tenths of a second ahead of Klein.
"I thought I could put on a strong kick to get him," Starck said. "He knew I was coming and started kicking. I thought I had to put one down. I just leaned over the finish line and I put my chest out ahead of him."
Klein, a 2008 Monroe graduate who is running cross country at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, finished second (17:36.2) and Monroe sophomore Joel Henry finished third (18:13).
The first Cheesemaker Chase drew 50 runners, including 26 men from Albany, Darlington, Brodhead and Mount Horeb. Canton Promotions made T-shirts for all the runners and Zimmerman Cheese supplied cheese curds.
"For the most part, all age groups were represented," Monroe girls cross country coach Brian Jefferson said, who organized the Cheesemaker Chase. "That really goes to show that once you start running, it is in your blood; it is hard to stop. I really believe all runners had a good time."
Klein said the Cheesemaker Chase was a tune-up as he gets back in racing mode for the cross country season.
Klein knew what he had to do down the homestretch.
"I was tired," he said. "I heard him coming up on me. I tried kicking a little harder. He just got by me by an inch at the end."
Starck was excited to have a chance to run against former teammates again.
"This is just a fun workout," he said. "All of these guys I used to run with are back and it's just fun to run with them."
Steve Christens won the freshman division (19:56) and Patrick Cleary finished first in the graduate division with a time of 21:37. Adam Welander took first in the senior division with a time of 26:29.
Starck barreled down on Klein over the last 200-meters, finishing the 5K in 17 minutes, 36 seconds, which was just two tenths of a second ahead of Klein.
"I thought I could put on a strong kick to get him," Starck said. "He knew I was coming and started kicking. I thought I had to put one down. I just leaned over the finish line and I put my chest out ahead of him."
Klein, a 2008 Monroe graduate who is running cross country at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, finished second (17:36.2) and Monroe sophomore Joel Henry finished third (18:13).
The first Cheesemaker Chase drew 50 runners, including 26 men from Albany, Darlington, Brodhead and Mount Horeb. Canton Promotions made T-shirts for all the runners and Zimmerman Cheese supplied cheese curds.
"For the most part, all age groups were represented," Monroe girls cross country coach Brian Jefferson said, who organized the Cheesemaker Chase. "That really goes to show that once you start running, it is in your blood; it is hard to stop. I really believe all runners had a good time."
Klein said the Cheesemaker Chase was a tune-up as he gets back in racing mode for the cross country season.
Klein knew what he had to do down the homestretch.
"I was tired," he said. "I heard him coming up on me. I tried kicking a little harder. He just got by me by an inch at the end."
Starck was excited to have a chance to run against former teammates again.
"This is just a fun workout," he said. "All of these guys I used to run with are back and it's just fun to run with them."
Steve Christens won the freshman division (19:56) and Patrick Cleary finished first in the graduate division with a time of 21:37. Adam Welander took first in the senior division with a time of 26:29.
