Running and cycling in honor of Dylan Hockley, 5K and duathlon competitors raced through some rain in the second annual Wingathlon event at Fairfield Hills on May 7.

Newtown 14-year-old Nick Jacobs led a field of 112 5K runners, finishing in a time of 18:39, Newtown 12-year-old Gloria Rowley was the top female finisher and placed tenth overall, in a time of 21:56, and Newtown native Derek Tietjen, 38, won the duathlon, running and cycling a grand total of 34 miles, was tops among 38 racers in a time of 1:21:46.

The runner-up finisher in the 5K was Newtown 27-year-old Brian Stickles, who came across the finish line in a time of 19:08.4.

Jacobs, who noted that there was a big hill within the Fairfield Hills campus for runners to overcome, ran along with his 12-year-old brother, Matt, who placed third overall in a time of 19:33.

Rounding out the top ten were: 4. Harrison Katz, 26, 19:34; 5. Eric Hoerdemann, 12, 19:57; 6. Andrew Jacobs, 12, 20:01; 7. Jackson Masi, 14, 21:25; 8. Jonathan Gamble, 51, 21:27; and 9. Kevin Stawiasz, 49, 21:41.

Hannah Daly, 13, was the second fastest female, as the Sandy Hook resident finished in 23:13.

"It's great - I love coming back to my hometown," said Tietjen, who grew up riding bikes in the area and is a 1996 Newtown High School graduate.

Tietjen, who now lives in New Jersey, is sponsored by The Red Bicycle Studio.

A new feature to the event is the team duathlon, which enables a runner and cyclist to combine to complete the duathlon, which features a pair of 5K runs sandwiching a 24-mile bike ride.

"The first lap's going to be cold, but then you heat up a little bit," said Jeremy Estes, a runner from Newtown, in anticipation of the second leg of his run.

"It's tough in the rain for those guys," Estes said of the competitors on bikes dealing with the elements.

"You've got to be very careful on the bike," added Tietjen, noting that not all was bad with the weather conditions for the event since the cool temperatures were ideal for running.

Proceeds from the Wingathlon go to Dylan's Wings of Change, a foundation dedicated to the memory of Dylan - one of the students lost on 12/14 - that is committed to helping children with autism and other related conditions achieve their full potential.

"This is Dylan's legacy. You're running for Dylan - you're running for yourselves," Dylan's mom Nicole, who spoke along with her husband, Ian, said moments before the event kicked off. "Thank you again. It's so great to see so many familiar people who have given so much love and support over the years."

For more information, visit the Dylan's Wings of Change webpage, and go to aratrace.com for complete race results.