Dixon’s Aaron Conderman and Dean Geiger finish 1-2 at the 25th annual Reagan Run

DIXON – Saturday’s 25th annual Reagan Run was not the first time Dean Geiger was trying to chase down Aaron Conderman in a race.

Conderman, a recent Dixon graduate, took first at Saturday’s 5K with a time of 16 minutes, 17.14 seconds. Geiger, who will be a junior at Dixon, was runner-up in 16:24.00 at the course which starts at Ronald Reagan’s boyhood home.

Dixon was well represented at its hometown race with six runners in the top 10 as Averick Wiseman was sixth, Keegan Shirley was seventh, Westin Conatser was ninth and Abe Garcia was 10th.

Sterling’s Addison Smith (16:32.34) was third and Benjamin Plancho (16:48.13) was fourth.

Melissa Winchester was the top female finisher with a time of 19:15.83. She was 25th overall.

Conderman and Geiger were Dixon’s top two finishers at the Class 2A state cross country meet last fall, helping the Dukes take fourth as a team, just one point from a third-place state trophy. The duo also qualified for state track last spring. Wiseman, Shirley, Conderman and Geiger took sixth in the 4x800-meter relay state finals.

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Runners make their way down Dixon's Hennepin Avenue on Saturday, July 5, 2025, at the start of the Reagan Run 5K. The Reagan Run is a highlight of the annual Dixon Petunia Festival. (Brian Hurley)

Conderman, who will continue his running career at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, was 20th at the state cross country meet as a senior. Geiger was just 10.5 seconds behind in 28th.

Conderman said he’s been doing the Reagan Run since fifth grade. It’s the first time he’s won the event.

“My goal was just to go out fast, 4:40 first mile,” he said. “It was definitely a long course. I think most people had about 3.2-ish [miles] or something, so decent effort today.”

Geiger expected Conderman to be the race’s frontrunner.

“[I] tried to out-kick him, but he kind of gapped me a little bit,” he said. “Since fifth grade I’ve been chasing him.”

The Reagan Run became a family tradition for Geiger. It was his ninth Reagan Run and the 10th for his mom, Brittany.

“It’s really fun to just come out here and race,” he said, “and show the community all the hard work we’ve done over the past 10 years.”

Geiger and the Dukes look forward to competing at the Detweiller at Dark 3-mile race on July 25.

“We’re going to try to win it,” he said.

Conderman says the team has a ton of potential coming back.

“I think if everybody stays healthy and they keep up the effort, I’m very confident they can bring home a first-place trophy this fall for cross [country],” he said. “We have a great running program, just a great environment for distance running, a ton of great coaches.”

Conderman is looking forward to running longer distances in college as he will compete in both cross country and track.

“[And] just getting to meet new people and be in a new environment to learn and grow my strengths,” he said.

Winchester, a 28-year-old from Grand Rapids, Michigan, ran at Aquinas College. She was in town for the Fourth of July weekend and Addison’s grandpa Walter Smith’s birthday.

She said the community stood out to her the first time running the race.

“People the whole way, a lot of water stations, which was needed for the humidity today,” she said. ”Definitely good vibes."

Rock Falls’ Ariel Hernandez (20:07.24) was the second overall female, followed by Sterling’s Alaina Smith (20:52.70) and Megan Grady (21:15.47). Full results can be found on raceresultsplus.com.

Results

Top 10 overall: 1. Aaron Conderman, 16:17; 2. Dean Geiger, 16:26; 3. Addison Smith, 16:32; 4. Benjamin Plancho, 16:48; 5. Sam Janssen, 17:01; 6. Averick Wiseman, 17:17; 7. Keegan Shirley, 17:26; 8. Kyle Braund, 17:34; 9. Westin Conatser, 17:38; 10. Abe Garcia, 17:52.

Top 10 female finishers: 25. Melissa Winchester, 19:16; 40. Ariel Hernandez, 20:07; 50. Alaina Smith, 20:52.70; 55. Megan Grady, 21:16; 57. K. Anaya, 21:22; 73. Claire Vandenhouten, 21:46; 74. Brynleigh Davis, 21:52; 77. Hannah Steinmeyer, 21:54; 79. Teyla Wendt, 22:03; 85. Emilee Bocker, 22:18.

Top male masters finisher: 15. Alan Tiongson, 18:23.

Top female masters finisher: 85. Emilee Bocker, 22:18.