With their post-secondary days behind them, distance runners Keon Wallingford and Jacques Tiessen have moved on in life - though their sport of choice is seldom far away.

The talented tandem finished one-two at the recent Sudbury Masters Ramsey Tour in the 5km race, separated by just five seconds with Wallingford in first at 15:46, Tiessen right on his heels at 15:51 and Laurentian University sophomore Braeden Estabrooks in third at 16:01.

A native of North Bay, Wallingford is a well-known commodity in local running circles, one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of the Laurentian Voyageurs cross-country / indoor track and field program.

Now 26 years of age, Jacques Tiessen does not enjoy quite the same notoriety. A native of Elliot Lake who has now returned home following his studies at Brock University, Tiessen trained with Track North for a stint in high-school before racing with the Badgers in St Catharines.

"At this stage, it's more about just having fun," said Tiessen, who must balance his workout regimen with a career in accounting, serving as a Senior Financial Analyst with the North Shore Health Network in Blind River.

"I'm training for a half marathon right now, doing some longer stuff."

As much as he professes to not being a fan of the 5km distance, Tiessen found himself out with the lead pack right from the start, holding on until Wallingford outkicked him over the final kilometre or so.

"It's not the easiest course and I haven't raced in a few months, so this was a bit of a rust-buster," he said. "I have not done much 5km training so this was a bit of a shock to the system - but overall, it was pretty good."

Top placements in the women's 5km were registered by Kylee Fowler of L.U. (18:54), former Laurentian runner Kristen Mrozewski (19:01) and Mackenzie Green representing the Nipissing Lakers (19:28), while the half-marathon champions were Evan Palmer Charette (1:22:42) and Saree Sasson (1:31:19).

Following are more detailed results from the half-marathon (21km) race:

Men's Top Five
1st - Evan Palmer Charette - 1:22:42
2nd - Derek Reed - 1:31:51
3rd - Ryan Davies - 1:35:42
4th - Karim Omri - 1:38:13
5th - Kris Cacciotti - 1:38:19

Women's Top Five
1st - Saree Sasson - 1:31:19
2nd - Hannah Cutler - 1:41:01
3rd - Annika Richardson - 1:43:34
4th - Michelle Bryson - 1:44:06
5th - Sara McIlraith - 1:47:48