Annual races beat the heat

It was a time for the youngsters, the amateurs, in Monday's Deseret Morning News men's 10K race.

A couple of 19-year-olds heading into their sophomore years in college took first and second, and a 17-year-old high school senior-to-be took third.

Miles Batty, a Jordan High School product who just finished his first year on the BYU track and cross country teams, followed up his 2005 10K junior race victory by winning Monday's overall 10K in 29:47, seven seconds ahead of Notre Dame sophomore-to-be Pat Smyth of Salt Lake City, a Judge Memorial product.

Matt Tebo, 17, of El Dorado High School in New Mexico, finished third in 30:09.

"I never really planned on surging and taking the lead," said Batty, who has run this race four times now but surprised himself a bit when he found himself the front-runner at about the fourth mile and then cruised on in.

"It just kind of happened. I was feeling good and just was running, and next thing I knew, people were dropping off of me."

Batty, who leaves next month for an LDS Church mission at the mouth of the Amazon River in Brazil, said he will likely run once more before going — the Provo River half-marathon, which he considers mostly "a fun run."

"I wasn't expecting it at all," he said about winning. "I knew there was a lot of good guys in there."

BYU graduate Josh McAdams was in the lead the first three miles but finished eighth in 31:06, well back of other favorites like 2005 runner-up Mike Nielson (30:22), who was fourth overall; and fifth-place Nathan Robison (30:27). Robison had been sixth in the 2004 Olympic Trials while at BYU. McAdams, Nielson and Robison are all 26.

Monday's sixth place went to Utah's state prep cross country champion, Adam McDonald, 18, of Mountain View High, in 30:39.

Joe Wilson, 30, who had been third in 2005, took ninth in 31:06, and last year's fourth-place finisher, Dennis Simonaitis, 44, was 13th Monday in 31:49.

The race was without its 2004 and 2005 champion, Teren Jameson, who was injured.

"I thought (McAdams) was going to be real tough," said Batty of his in-race thinking. "He won the national championship (2006 NCAA steeplechase). He was right with me, and he's the one that dropped back."

"He had a long track season," said Smyth about McAdams. "I'm sure he's just kind of getting back into things. I saw him there and thought, 'He's got this race.' "