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Princeton Mile running it back for second year · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Princeton Mile running it back for second year. Written by
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  Kevin Hieronymus, This article is being read by an automated
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  voice brought to you by Everlett. The inaugural Princeton Mile
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  was such a big hit in twenty twenty five, the
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  Princeton Chamber of Commerce is running it back this year.
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  This year's event will be held on Saturday, June sixth,
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  running a certified one mile course on historic Main Street
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  in Princeton, starting at the Apollo Theatre with the finish
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  line at Rotary Park. There will be more cash prizes
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  on the line this year. Both the men's and women's
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  winners of the Elite division will again collect one thousand dollars.
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  New this year, there will also be a second place
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  cash prize of seven hundred and fifty dollars and a
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  third place cash prize of five hundred dollars for both
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  males and females in the Elite division. Also new this year,
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  a runner who breaks a four minute mile will be
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  awarded a championship belt sponsored by local vendor Mullett Brothers,
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  which is on display at the Chamber of Commerce office
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  in the Proudy Building. We listen to the participants in
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  the Elite division to what they wanted to see, and
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  that was an increase in the second and third place
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  financial rewards, said event founder Michael Stutzka. And the belt
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  for the sub four minute mile, I'm hopeful we can
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  do that. I think that puts Princeton on the map
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  running down Main Street and someone running a sub four
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  minute I think it's very doable. Just depends on who
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  comes to run the race. To qualify for the Elite division,
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  men must run a sub four to thirty mile and
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  women a sub five thirty mile. As of Monday, former
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  Bureau Valley High School stand out Elijah House, who now
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  runs for Saint Ambrose University, who placed third last year,
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  and defending women's champ Claire fouleg of Normal, a former
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  Illinois State University runner, are the only entries in the
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  Elite division. Princeton's Colin Imiko, an elite marathon runner, finished
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  second in last year's race with a time of four fifteen.
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  While he said he would love to come home to
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  run again and will if able, he has been sidelined
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  by an injury and had to drop from the Tokyo Marathon.
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  Last year's winner was Jake Gillum, a distance coach for
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  Illinois State University who finished the course in four oh seven.
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  The elite level race will start at ten am, with
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  the open race to follow at ten fifteen am. Awards
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  will be presented at Rotary Park at ten forty five am.
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  There will be eight age categories, including a new Junior
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  High division for ten fourteen year olds, which Stutski believes
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  will attract several local young runners. There are also divisions
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  for fifteen nineteen year olds, twenty twenty nine, thirty thirty nine,
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  forty forty nine, fifty fifty nine, and the sixty and
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  older Senior division. Stutzka, a retired track coach and athletics
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  director from Florida who is with the Princeton Chamber of
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  Commerce Board and Princeton Rotary Club, said he borrowed the
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  idea for the Princeton Mile from the Fifth Avenue Mile
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  in New York City. Stutska moved to his wife's hometown
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  Princeton seven years ago. Saint Bede coach Marty mccransky will
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  be the official starter, with Phil Taylor of Racing Expectations
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  serving as official timer. Race packets will be available Friday
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  evening on June fifth, from five to seven pm and
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  race day from seven thirty to nine thirty am. Runners
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  may register online at The entry fee is thirty five dollars.
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  Main Street will be closed for the race with the
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  help of the Princeton Police Department. The event coincides with
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  the Shrimp Festival at Rotary Park, where the race ends.