Life was good on Sunday at The Race That's Good for Life.

"At least it isn't raining. We'll take it!," proclaimed Paul Oppenheim, past president of the Oak Park Runners Club, as he, race director Geri Bensen and club members prepared to put on the 22nd annual 5K event. Oppenheim was referring to the last couple of years, when race organizers and competitors had to deal with a lot of the wet stuff.

This year, there was no rain, but runners and walkers had to deal with temperatures hovering near 32 degrees and moderate northeast winds in their faces on mile one and much of mile two. But it was dry.

"I was afraid the cold weather might keep people away," Oppenheim said. But it didn't. A total of 1,080 runners finished the two 5K races. As it usually does, the CARA Circuit Race, which features separate women's and men's races, attracted top-level competition and went off with few if any problems.

In the women's race, Brianna Stott-Messick, 24, of Madison, WI, surprised Gloria Iverson, 34, of Lincolnwood, the 2002 CARA Female Runner of the Year, with a solid 17:20. Iverson was second in 18:00.

"There were five runners ahead of me," Stott-Messick said of the first moments of the race. "I moved into first after the first 600 yards." Stott-Messick, who is studying veterinarian medicine at the University of Wisconsin while training for some Midwest triathlons, went through mile one in 5:33 and mile two in 11:15 en route to her victory.

Iverson, in training for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN in June, had mixed emotions after the race. "I should have gone with her," Iverson said of Stott-Messick. "It wasn't a pace that I couldn't handle, but I didn1t go."

The next three women to finish were Emily Hauer, 24, of Chicago (18:12), Dorothy Gach, 31, of Morton Grove (18:19) and Jennifer Harrison, 32, of West Dundee (18:56).

The men's race, run 50 minutes after the women, went to Scott Anderson, 29, of Chicago, who toured the course through eastern Oak Park in 14:46. That was what it took to beat Dan Mayer, 31, of Wheaton (14:54) and defending champion Chris Wehrman, 26, of Chicago (14:56), who is focused on the Boston Marathon, which is on April 21.

"It was my fastest 5K ever on the roads," Anderson said. "I was expecting it to be windier out on the course." Scott, a graduate of Whitney Young HS and Princeton University, is working on his MBA at the University of Chicago, but still finds time to stay in top shape. His resume includes a 3:59.80 mile, run in 1998.

Christian Goy, 26, of Normal, was fourth in 15:14, and Mike Egle, 41, of Des Plaines was fifth in 15:25. Egle and Cory Hlavka, 45, of Waterford, WI (19:39), were the men's and women's masters (age 40 and over) winners respectively.

Stott-Messick and Anderson each won $200 for their victories, an additional $100 for being the runners who were closest to the course records (16:31by Mary Knisely in 1998 for women and 14:25 by Artur Blasinski in 1998 for men) and another $50 each for leading at the halfway point. The race had a total prize purse of $1,000.

More than 1,500 participants registered for the 5K runs, the youth races and the 5K Wellness Challenge Fitness Walk.

For race results, check out www.chicagoaa.com/results/searchable.html

Contributring: Brenda Barrera