BLOOMINGTON - History repeated itself Sunday when the Decatur running club defeated the Bloomington Lake Run Club in the Race of the Century Decatur-to-Bloomington Relay race.

The event was a re-enactment of a Sept. 7, 1908, competition in which members of the Decatur club also emerged victors.

Kirby Cheek of Bloomington crossed the finish line on Washington Street at approximately 12:10 p.m., completing the race that began with Decatur runners in Decatur at 7:04 a.m., the same time that the 1908 runners started.

Decatur runners reached Clinton, the midpoint of the race, after two hours, 22 minutes and 13 seconds. Cheek crossed the finish line after the Clinton to Bloomington leg had been run.

The Bloomington runners traveled from Clinton in a time of two hours, 42 minutes and 52 seconds - about 20 minutes longer than the Decatur runners. Each team covered 23.5 miles.

Cheek handed a baton to Mayor Steve Stockton which contained a message from Decatur Mayor Michael Carrigan.

"This historic event celebrates the successes of our two similar, yet unique, communities located in the heart of Central Illinois," Stockton read aloud.

"Of particular significance is the start of the race at the Abraham Lincoln statue on the grounds of the Macon County Courthouse with the completion of the race at the Bloomington courthouse," the letter continued.

"Do I owe you a stamp or something?" joked Mayor Steve Stockton to the Decatur runners after reading the letter.

After the letter was read and photos were taken, the runners shared a lunch in Withers Park.

"So many things had to fall in place," Angelo Rinchiuso said of the re-enactment of the relay.

Rinchiuso, a Decatur runner and chairman of the race, noted that Sept. 7 fell on a Sunday this year, a leap year, allowing the race, which had to be run on a weekend, to take place.

Bright sun and a pleasantly warm temperature also made it a perfect late summer day for most of the run.

But, as Rinchiuso noted to Mayor Stockton, it was raining when the Decatur runners took off in the early morning.

"We had snow, and it was all uphill," Rich Beal, coordinator of the Bloomington runners, countered with a laugh.

"It was amazing," Kathleen Jensen, a runner from Decatur, said of the race. "It combined my love of history with my passion for running."

Although Jensen has been running competitively since 1991 and has competed in almost 500 races, she expressed enthusiasm for the novelty of the race.

"I love unique events," she said. "And women get to be in it."

Of the 35 Decatur runners, five were women, although the 1908 race was run entirely by men age 18 to 22. Of the 35 Bloomington runners Sunday, 16 - nearly half - were women.

The purpose of the 1908 race was, aside from friendly competition, to highlight the role of the YMCA in Bloomington and Decatur.