On the fifth try, a Sedona runner finally brought home first place in the Summer 5K Series.

After three races without making it into the winner’s circle, Sedona resident Jesse Martin at last made it to the finish line at the Sedona Community Pool first on Thursday, June 26.

“He’s a phenomenal runner,” said Adam Gifford, co-owner of a local running company that is presenting the series along with Sedona Parks and Recreation. “He used to work for us, but now he owns his own business, so he doesn’t have time to do that anymore.”

Martin, who had finished fourth in the first 5K on May 22 with a time of 20:44, did not even need to run close to that pace to buy a visor from Gifford’s company with the $25 he got for his win June 26, finishing nearly two minutes ahead of second-place finisher Eddie DeJarnette at 21:10.

“I guess I just got lucky,” Martin said. “I’m not particularly fast. It’s totally dependent on who shows up.”

For the full story, please see the Wednesday, July 2, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.