A cross country runner from Lake Sumter State College won the Running of the Squares 5K on Saturday morning in The Villages.
Thatcher Clarke, 20, crossed the finish line at Lake Sumter Landing with a time of 18 minutes and nine seconds. The Villages High School graduate, who lives in Lake Panasoffkee, is a member of the LSSC Lakehawks’ cross country and half marathon teams.
Clarke easily outdistanced the second place finisher, 17-year-old Parke Schiebel of Plant City, who finished in 19 minutes and 38 seconds. Rounding out the top three was 21-year-old Julian Hom of Springfield, Mo., who crossed the finish line hot on Schiebel’s heels.
The first place female runner was 47-year-old Emma Luetgert of Ocala. She finished in 20 minutes and 31 seconds. She finished eighth overall.
More than 1,000 runners took part in the race.