From young children in the Little Chicks Dash to 5K and 10K participants, there were race course options for runners of a variety of levels at the 49th Rooster Run events, at Fairfield Hills, on June 17. It might have been a bit humid but temperatures were on the cooler side, in the low to mid 60s, and those potential thunderstorms stayed away while competitors challenged themselves while raising money for the Newtown Scholarship Association.

The leaderboard had a visitor’s theme. Oxford’s Joseph DeLuise, 15, led the 5K field in a time of 19:24. Easton’s Katherine Fan, 34, was the top 5K female, clocking in at 20:40 for third place overall. In the 10K, the winners were Defiance, Ohio’s Colin Moats, 21, in 37:26 and Shelton’s Melissa Corraro, 29, with a time of 41:21 which was good for sixth overall.

“I thought it was awesome. I love the trails around here,” said DeLuise, adding that he was happy to have the chance to do the race regardless of outcome.

For Fan, leading the female group came as a surprise.

“I did not expect it. It feels good. I love running,” said Fan, a physical therapist who said she encourages everybody to run for their health. Fan was joined for the race by her husband Ji and their children Sierra and Jason.

In the 5K, DeLuise was followed by Sean Tolland, 52, in 19:48; Fan; Cody Gotthardt, 29, in 21:20; Brandon Carr, 31, in 21:32; Emil Uy, 34, in 22:05; Ji Fan, 53, in 22:06; Brett Ely, 28, in 22:07; Gary DeBrito, 33, in 22:53; and Henry Prout, 16, in 22:58.

The 10K included Joey Conrod, 24, in 38:18, Riley Rising, 24, in 38:39; Joe Decker, 33, in 29:04; Curtis Shaw, 18, 39:32; Corraro; Charlotte Murphy, 16, 43:50; Jack Meade, 15, 44:47; Robert Burbank, 56, 44:50; and Peter Weiss, 46, 46:24.

“It was fun and it was exciting,” said Moats, a cross country team member at the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio, who is doing an internship in Boston along with Newtown’s Conrod, which led him to participate in the race.

Runners had some hills with which to contend and enjoyed the scenery on the Fairfield Hills campus. Corraro, who is gearing up for the Chicago Marathon set to take place in October, said the downhill portion of the Rooster Run was enjoyable to close out the 10K race.

One Sandy Hook family was perfectly dressed for the Rooster Run with rooster-themed clothing. Emily Spikoski, in an effort to get her daughter Spencer excited about doing the 5K race, got her a dress with rooster prints on it. One thing led to another and Emily Spikoski’s husband, Steven, and their son, Owen, all wore shirts featuring a rooster graphic. Emily Spikoski also wore a rooster hat on the course. It was a three-generation event for the family with grandpa, Albert Gallo, also running the race.

Division winners were named in the 5K race only:

Female — 12 and under: Sierra Fan 24:30; 13 to 19: Liza Murphy 23:13; 20 to 29: Melissa List 23:21; 30 to 39: Amanda Mentz 23:38; 40 to 49: Kasey Baker 23:57; 50 to 59: Nancy Ruhs 27:12; 60 to 69: Tina Burke 28:16; 70 to 89: Pat Smith 34:18.

Male — 12 and under: Jeremy Jones 24:17; 13 to 19: Henry Prout 22:58; 20 to 29: Cody Gotthardt 21:20; 30 to 39: Brandon Carr 21:32; 40 to 49: Matheus Costa 24:14; 50 to 59: Sean Tolland 19:48; 60 to 69: Greg Branecky 23:59; 70 to 89: Robert Alling 29:06.

For complete race results, visit plattsys.com.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.