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JP Flavin didn’t run the best race of his career in the 50th annual Bellin Run 10K on June 13.
But even with a headache that hit him about 4 miles into the 6.2-mile race, and even with warm morning weather and direct sunlight slowing some competitors down, there still was nobody better than the former University of Dayton and North Carolina State runner.
Flavin repeated as the Bellin winner, finishing with a time of 29 minutes, 47 seconds.
Four-time Bellin champion Jared Ward was runner-up for the second straight year in 29:54, while former Brillion cross-country and track and field standout Gunner Schlender was third in 30:49.
Flavin finished behind the 29:23 he ran in his first Bellin last year, but it was still more than enough to take home bragging rights, and not too shabby considering that headache.
“Thankfully, I had a big enough lead that I kind of just took it easy for a minute or two,” said Flavin, who lives in Rochester, Michigan. “Once it kind of went away, I was able to start picking it up again. … It’s not a big deal. I was able to work through it. It’s OK. Something to learn about.”
As he said that, another runner walked by Flavin. She told him his run was insane, that he was incredible.
That pretty much describes where his career is these days.
The 27-year-old is one of the top 25 marathon runners in the United States after making his debut in the Chicago Marathon in 2022.
He has run five marathons, and his time has gotten better in each one.
The marathons included the Marathon Project in December, when the Toms River, New Jersey, native won the race in a personal-best 2:09.18.
It’s the best time ever in a marathon by a runner born in New Jersey.
“It was, honestly, groundbreaking for me,” Flavin said. “I never really thought going into this sport that I was going to be sub-2:10. And now I did it at a pretty young age where I still have a lot of room to grow.
“It changed everything, especially winning the race itself. It wasn’t something I was really thinking about going into it, but it really changed the way I approach the sport. It’s like now, I have more self-respect than I did before. It’s groundbreaking for me in all different ways.”
Flavin did not compete in the Boston Marathon this year after placing 16th in his debut in 2025.
He was tired after the Marathon Project and would have been forced to jump right back into training for Boston. It also didn’t help that it was a rough winter where he lives in Michigan and he didn’t want to train through it. Instead, he worked on some shorter races and his speed.
“Of course, Boston ends up being the fastest it’s ever been in like 20 years,” Flavin said. “I missed out, but I think if I did, it would have been pretty exhausting for my body.”
Flavin plans to compete in the New York Marathon in November.
As for running in the Bellin next year to go for a three-peat?
If his schedule works out, he will be here. He has grown to love Green Bay and the race in the two years he has competed.
After his big win at the Marathon Project, his coach asked him what he was thinking about for races in the coming months.
“The only one I care about truly is Bellin,” Flavin said. “Just because it’s so much fun, this weekend. It’s more than just a race. The amount of people you get to talk to, all the kids races. It’s more than just any other 10K race where you kind of just sit in a hotel ready for the race.
“You do a lot in the community, which is why it’s so much fun here.”
There is no women’s runner more decorated in the Bellin than Risper Gesabwa.
She has won the race a record eight times, including five consecutive from 2012 to 2016.
Gesabwa returned to the Bellin for the first time since winning in 2022, but she and every other woman were looking up in the standings at Fiona Smith.
The former College of St. Benedict and North Carolina State runner dominated the field, finishing in 34:38.
Gesabwa was runner-up in 35:21, while Marya Hauer of Oshkosh was third in 36:30.
Amy Davis-Green, who won last year’s race, placed fourth in 37:00.
“This is my first road 10K,” said Smith, who lives in Cary, North Carolina. “This is my first year on the road, so still kind of trying to get used to it. I didn’t really have a lot of expectations. I’ve run really fast on the track in the 10K, but I didn’t know how that would translate to the road.
“Didn’t really have any time expectations, and place-wise, I knew there were returning champions coming back. I knew there were professional runners. I work a full-time job, so I was not really expecting to be up with the pros. It was pretty cool. I found myself up like second, third place in the first couple miles and just kind of moved my way up and hoped I wouldn’t die in the last two.”
Smith competed in the Bellin for the first time thanks to Schlender, who is her boyfriend.
The two traveled to Wisconsin for a family weekend and added the race to their schedules.
Schlender served as a volunteer at the Bellin while growing up in Brillion, and his father used to help organize all the volunteers for race weekend.
“We stayed at the house he grew up in last night,” Smith said. “It’s really fun. A lot of fun.”
The Bellin wrapped up Smith’s season. She now will take a break before a marathon build.
“I’m looking at Falmouth, the 7-mile out in Massachusetts,” Smith said. “That’s mid-August, so won’t race for a couple months.”
There are not many better local runners than University of Wisconsin-Green Bay star Noah Jahnke.
The former West De Pere standout has been on a roll since the start of his junior year at UWGB in 2025.
It continued with a fourth-place finish at the Bellin with a time of 30:53.
Jahnke became the first Phoenix to win the individual title at the Horizon League Championships last November in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He helped UWGB finish fourth as a team, tying the best finish in program history.
He won the men’s half marathon at the EPIC Marathon and Running Festival in Ashwaubenon in May.
The success continued with another strong finish in the Bellin after placing third last season, although Jahnke was not thrilled with his performance.
“It’s a bit of a disappointment,” Jahnke said. “I came in wanting to run about 29:30, and I was way off. It’s alright, though. Back to training and get the fitness where it should be.”
Jahnke took a break after the cross-country season but was back after a few weeks.
He is busy preparing for his senior season at UWGB that starts in August.
Jahnke will be the favorite in the Horizon again this year, but he will take nothing for granted.
“Running is to the point it’s so difficult to stay on top because there are so many talented guys,” Jahnke said. “So, I am going to do my darndest to be up there, for sure. But no guarantees, because I greatly respect the competition.”
Frank Shorter took pictures with racing fans and had plenty of conversations after he returned to Green Bay to celebrate the 50th Bellin.
Shorter, who captured the gold medal in the marathon at the 1972 Olympics and took home the silver four years later, won the first Bellin Run in June 1977.
This weekend was a lot less hectic for him than that one decades ago.
Shorter ran two races the day before his win at the Bellin, including a 20-mile run in Wichita, Kansas, and a 10,000-meter race in Los Angeles.
Yes, on the same day.
Shorter competed in Kansas in the morning, flew to California to compete that afternoon and then made his way to Wisconsin.
He arrived at the Bellin just in time, showing up moments before the race started.
Shorter won the event and then signed autographs near the finish line for an hour.
“I’m so happy to actually be here,” Shorter said. “That first year, and then Bill [Rodgers] when he won the second year, we had no idea at that time that running was going to grow the way it did.
“We just loved the fact that we could travel around the country. We thought of them as tiny pockets of people. We had no idea that it would expand. The way I put it is, I called it an affliction. That there is obviously the people that enjoy the smiles when they [cross the finish line]. Some grimace, but they smile. There is a common goal, common theme to just satisfy yourself and to feel that you got as much out of yourself as you can. It’s different for everyone, and it’s not every time. You are always willing to try, I think that’s the main part.”
Just as he finished completing his thought, runners Dave Marshall of Delafield and William Guc from Hartland stopped Shorter to get a picture with him.
Everyone loves the man.
“It’s awesome,” said Smith, who spoke to Shorter for several minutes after she won the women’s race. “I mean, you are talking to him like he’s a normal person but then you think about all the things he’s done. The things he is talking about, he just has so much knowledge of the sport for so long.
“He’s like, ‘Yeah, you know, I used to work out with [Steve Prefontaine] all the time.’ It’s like, OK, that’s casual. Yeah, it’s awesome. Super down to earth, which is cool.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: JP Flavin, Fiona Smith take home titles at 50th Bellin Run
Continue reading...
But even with a headache that hit him about 4 miles into the 6.2-mile race, and even with warm morning weather and direct sunlight slowing some competitors down, there still was nobody better than the former University of Dayton and North Carolina State runner.
Flavin repeated as the Bellin winner, finishing with a time of 29 minutes, 47 seconds.
Four-time Bellin champion Jared Ward was runner-up for the second straight year in 29:54, while former Brillion cross-country and track and field standout Gunner Schlender was third in 30:49.
Flavin finished behind the 29:23 he ran in his first Bellin last year, but it was still more than enough to take home bragging rights, and not too shabby considering that headache.
“Thankfully, I had a big enough lead that I kind of just took it easy for a minute or two,” said Flavin, who lives in Rochester, Michigan. “Once it kind of went away, I was able to start picking it up again. … It’s not a big deal. I was able to work through it. It’s OK. Something to learn about.”
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As he said that, another runner walked by Flavin. She told him his run was insane, that he was incredible.
That pretty much describes where his career is these days.
The 27-year-old is one of the top 25 marathon runners in the United States after making his debut in the Chicago Marathon in 2022.
He has run five marathons, and his time has gotten better in each one.
The marathons included the Marathon Project in December, when the Toms River, New Jersey, native won the race in a personal-best 2:09.18.
It’s the best time ever in a marathon by a runner born in New Jersey.
“It was, honestly, groundbreaking for me,” Flavin said. “I never really thought going into this sport that I was going to be sub-2:10. And now I did it at a pretty young age where I still have a lot of room to grow.
“It changed everything, especially winning the race itself. It wasn’t something I was really thinking about going into it, but it really changed the way I approach the sport. It’s like now, I have more self-respect than I did before. It’s groundbreaking for me in all different ways.”
Flavin did not compete in the Boston Marathon this year after placing 16th in his debut in 2025.
He was tired after the Marathon Project and would have been forced to jump right back into training for Boston. It also didn’t help that it was a rough winter where he lives in Michigan and he didn’t want to train through it. Instead, he worked on some shorter races and his speed.
“Of course, Boston ends up being the fastest it’s ever been in like 20 years,” Flavin said. “I missed out, but I think if I did, it would have been pretty exhausting for my body.”
Flavin plans to compete in the New York Marathon in November.
As for running in the Bellin next year to go for a three-peat?
If his schedule works out, he will be here. He has grown to love Green Bay and the race in the two years he has competed.
After his big win at the Marathon Project, his coach asked him what he was thinking about for races in the coming months.
“The only one I care about truly is Bellin,” Flavin said. “Just because it’s so much fun, this weekend. It’s more than just a race. The amount of people you get to talk to, all the kids races. It’s more than just any other 10K race where you kind of just sit in a hotel ready for the race.
“You do a lot in the community, which is why it’s so much fun here.”
Fiona Smith wins women’s race
There is no women’s runner more decorated in the Bellin than Risper Gesabwa.
She has won the race a record eight times, including five consecutive from 2012 to 2016.
Gesabwa returned to the Bellin for the first time since winning in 2022, but she and every other woman were looking up in the standings at Fiona Smith.
The former College of St. Benedict and North Carolina State runner dominated the field, finishing in 34:38.
Gesabwa was runner-up in 35:21, while Marya Hauer of Oshkosh was third in 36:30.
You must be registered for see images attach
Amy Davis-Green, who won last year’s race, placed fourth in 37:00.
“This is my first road 10K,” said Smith, who lives in Cary, North Carolina. “This is my first year on the road, so still kind of trying to get used to it. I didn’t really have a lot of expectations. I’ve run really fast on the track in the 10K, but I didn’t know how that would translate to the road.
“Didn’t really have any time expectations, and place-wise, I knew there were returning champions coming back. I knew there were professional runners. I work a full-time job, so I was not really expecting to be up with the pros. It was pretty cool. I found myself up like second, third place in the first couple miles and just kind of moved my way up and hoped I wouldn’t die in the last two.”
Smith competed in the Bellin for the first time thanks to Schlender, who is her boyfriend.
The two traveled to Wisconsin for a family weekend and added the race to their schedules.
Schlender served as a volunteer at the Bellin while growing up in Brillion, and his father used to help organize all the volunteers for race weekend.
“We stayed at the house he grew up in last night,” Smith said. “It’s really fun. A lot of fun.”
The Bellin wrapped up Smith’s season. She now will take a break before a marathon build.
“I’m looking at Falmouth, the 7-mile out in Massachusetts,” Smith said. “That’s mid-August, so won’t race for a couple months.”
Local standout places fourth
There are not many better local runners than University of Wisconsin-Green Bay star Noah Jahnke.
The former West De Pere standout has been on a roll since the start of his junior year at UWGB in 2025.
It continued with a fourth-place finish at the Bellin with a time of 30:53.
Jahnke became the first Phoenix to win the individual title at the Horizon League Championships last November in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He helped UWGB finish fourth as a team, tying the best finish in program history.
He won the men’s half marathon at the EPIC Marathon and Running Festival in Ashwaubenon in May.
The success continued with another strong finish in the Bellin after placing third last season, although Jahnke was not thrilled with his performance.
“It’s a bit of a disappointment,” Jahnke said. “I came in wanting to run about 29:30, and I was way off. It’s alright, though. Back to training and get the fitness where it should be.”
Jahnke took a break after the cross-country season but was back after a few weeks.
He is busy preparing for his senior season at UWGB that starts in August.
Jahnke will be the favorite in the Horizon again this year, but he will take nothing for granted.
“Running is to the point it’s so difficult to stay on top because there are so many talented guys,” Jahnke said. “So, I am going to do my darndest to be up there, for sure. But no guarantees, because I greatly respect the competition.”
A racing legend returns
Frank Shorter took pictures with racing fans and had plenty of conversations after he returned to Green Bay to celebrate the 50th Bellin.
Shorter, who captured the gold medal in the marathon at the 1972 Olympics and took home the silver four years later, won the first Bellin Run in June 1977.
You must be registered for see images attach
This weekend was a lot less hectic for him than that one decades ago.
Shorter ran two races the day before his win at the Bellin, including a 20-mile run in Wichita, Kansas, and a 10,000-meter race in Los Angeles.
Yes, on the same day.
Shorter competed in Kansas in the morning, flew to California to compete that afternoon and then made his way to Wisconsin.
He arrived at the Bellin just in time, showing up moments before the race started.
Shorter won the event and then signed autographs near the finish line for an hour.
“I’m so happy to actually be here,” Shorter said. “That first year, and then Bill [Rodgers] when he won the second year, we had no idea at that time that running was going to grow the way it did.
“We just loved the fact that we could travel around the country. We thought of them as tiny pockets of people. We had no idea that it would expand. The way I put it is, I called it an affliction. That there is obviously the people that enjoy the smiles when they [cross the finish line]. Some grimace, but they smile. There is a common goal, common theme to just satisfy yourself and to feel that you got as much out of yourself as you can. It’s different for everyone, and it’s not every time. You are always willing to try, I think that’s the main part.”
Just as he finished completing his thought, runners Dave Marshall of Delafield and William Guc from Hartland stopped Shorter to get a picture with him.
Everyone loves the man.
“It’s awesome,” said Smith, who spoke to Shorter for several minutes after she won the women’s race. “I mean, you are talking to him like he’s a normal person but then you think about all the things he’s done. The things he is talking about, he just has so much knowledge of the sport for so long.
“He’s like, ‘Yeah, you know, I used to work out with [Steve Prefontaine] all the time.’ It’s like, OK, that’s casual. Yeah, it’s awesome. Super down to earth, which is cool.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: JP Flavin, Fiona Smith take home titles at 50th Bellin Run
Continue reading...
