LAWRENCE, Kan. – With eight states and more than 3,200 runners at the Rim Rock Farm Classic Saturday, it was inevitable that someone from outside the bi-state area would claim a race. The area runners were not going to let him do it without a challenge.

In the boys Crimson Division, freshman Zachary Alhamra of Pine Creek (Colo.) High School led from start to finish winning the race in 16:08.

Two Kansas City area sophomores teamed up to try to run Alhamra down, but they could not quite reel him in. Raymore Peculiar’s Jason Fambrough and Blue Valley Northwest’s Sam Guinn were in pursuit for the entire 5k race at the University of Kansas course, but they could not get closer than seven seconds of the race champion.

“I was trying to catch him on those steep up-hills; that’s my specialty,” Fambrough said. “But he just kept getting ahead, getting ahead. So I was like, ‘Stay with him. Don’t let him get any further away from me.’

“After I knew I couldn’t catch the guy in front, I was like, ‘Second, that’s my bare minimum.’”

Fambrough was able to hold off Guinn over the final meters and finished runner-up in 16:14. Guinn was third in 16:15, finishing more than 15 seconds ahead of fourth place.

“We were pushing each other the whole race, back-and-forth,” Guinn said of running alongside Fambrough. “And I guess he was a little stronger at the end. We were working to catch (Alhamra), but it didn’t work out in the end.”

The chase for the lead did bring fast times for both runners.

Fambrough was running Rim Rock for the first time after competing at the Roy Griak meet last year. His unfamiliarity with the course didn’t stop him from setting a 30-second PR. Fambrough admitted he’s also chasing after the legacy of another Ray-Pec runner.

“Our fastest runner last year, Devon Young, his fastest time as a sophomore was 16:06,” Fambrough said. “That was my goal, and running 16:44 last week was disappointing. Coming here and running a harder course with a faster time lets me know I can get up to 16:06, 16:05.

“I’m still chasing his spirit. It gives everyone motivation because he was that front guy we all wanted to catch. Not just for me, for my whole team, it’s important.”

Guinn also posted his fastest time of the season, and he improved his Rim Rock time more than two minutes from last season.

Guinn said he felt his familiarity with the course did help him run a faster time, and he’s optimistic that he can springboard off this performance to even faster times.

“I was visualizing it before I actually ran it,” Guinn said. “It was nice knowing all the hills and turns “It was definitely a prime location and competition to set a new PR. My goal is to break 16, and I definitely think that’s a goal I can reach at KC Metro next week.”