BY DENNIS CHASE
TRAVERSE CITY -- Peer pressure.
Andy Yazzie succumbed to it late Friday night.
But he didn't mind Saturday morning.
The former Calvin College runner won the Cherry Festival 5K, holding off former Suttons Bay standout Kevin Cataldo by two seconds. Yazzie was clocked in 15:31, Cataldo in 15:33.
Not bad considering Yazzie came here to watch friend and former Calvin teammate, Kris Koster, compete in the 15K. Yazzie and Koster spent Friday night at the home of another former teammate, Elk Rapids' Ben Hammer. That's where Yazzie was talked into entering the race.
"Ben talked him into it at quarter after 11 (Friday) night," Koster said. "But he's a great runner. It's not a fluke that he won.
"It was just a little peer pressure -- and it paid off for him."
Yazzie, originally from New Mexico, took the lead just past the two-mile mark and then held off a late surge by Cataldo.
"It was a tough race, but fun," Yazzie said. "I made my move and then hung on. It (strategy) barely worked. The guy (Cataldo) had a good finish. He almost caught me."
Cataldo was content to let others set the early pace.
"I didn't want to go out too hard," the Oakland University senior said. "I wanted to be smart about it. But when I saw him (Yazzie) make his move at about the two-mile marker, I decided to take off and see what I had for the last mile or so.
"When we came around the bend (on to Sixth Street near the finish line), I thought I had him. I got right up on his heels. But he had another gear and took off. I wanted it, but he was the better man today."
Cataldo's time was a personal best.
Yazzie, whose personal best is 15:10, was surprised with his time.
"I wasn't expecting to run that fast," he said. "My knee's been bothering me the last couple weeks. That's why I wasn't going to run. But I'm glad I did. It was worth it."
Defending champion Mike Franko finished ninth in 16:09.
"I hung in there as long as I could," the former Traverse City Senior High runner said. "I was watching my brother (Peter Martin) and hoping both of us could move up a little bit, but I just ran out of gas. That's what happens when you don't get good training in.
"Through April I was running better than I have in a number of months. But the last couple of months I've struggled with injury and illness. It hasn't quite come together. Still, it was fun."
Martin, who ran at Traverse City West and is now at Eastern Michigan, finished fifth in 15:49. It's the first time he's beaten his older brother.
"I wasn't sure about it today," Martin said. "He's always sneaky about his training. I didn't know what he would be able to pull off. I came in hoping I could beat him and break 16 and I did both so I'm pretty satisfied."
"He soundly thrashed me," Franko said.
Traverse City's Ron Zywicki won the masters division in 16:18.
