Conditions were good, and the ravens were flying on Sunday morning.

Well, the runners were anyway . . .

The little neighborhood race got pretty big this year. The Ravenswood Run 5K drew a record field of more than 1,300 runners on a beautiful morning on Chicago's North Side. Temperatures in the 50s and low humidity added up to good conditions for runners of all ages in the third CARA Circuit race of the season.

According to race director Melissa Flynn of Fleet Feet Sports Chicago, the total registration was up about 350 and total finishers up about 400 from last year in the race that starts and finishes at Wilson and Hermitage.

First across the line was 26-year-old Emisael Favela of Chicago. The South Side construction worker was nursing a minor cold and held back until the two-mile mark. Up to that point, he had been running with Jimmy Milner, 19, of Evanston. They went through two miles at 10:14, but then Favela put down the hammer, running a 4:43 on the third mile to win in 15:29. Milner was second in 15:56 and Gabe Flores-Ruiz, 30, of Oak Park, third in 16:11, just edging Mike Yuhasz, 42, of Palos Park, who was the first masters finisher in 16:12.

"I have a little bit of a cold," Favela said. "I wanted to take it easy. I just wanted to stay with the other guys for two miles." And that he did.

According to CARA Board member Dan Daly, who was with the leaders on his bike, Favela was in a pack of five runners at the one-mile point in an even 5:00, and then he and Milner moved ahead before the final breakaway.

In the women's race, Lisa Menninger, 38, of LaGrange, and Megan Levin, 33, of Chicago, lined up together and went 1-2, with Menninger finishing in a personal record of 17:46. Levin was close behind in 17:54 with Kathryn Froelich, 41, of Northbrook, taking third overall with a 19:16.

"She (Levin) went out ahead of me, but I caught her by the first mile," Menninger said. "We went through in 5:30 (too fast)." Menninger ran in the U.S. Women's Marathon Championship (3:01:52) in St. Louis on April 5, and appeared fully recovered.

Froehlich held back for a mile and then began accelerating, passing many runners en route to a PR. She said she felt good all the way. The race featured separate Clydesdale competition for the first time. A total of 117 Clydesdale finishers - 92 men and 25 women - were scored with Matt Perry of Hinsdale (16:49) and Mary Hunt of Lake Zurich (22:45) taking male and female honors.

Dave and Lisa Zimmer, owners of Fleet Feet Sports, were already talking about what they would do next year before the finish line had been taken down. As they say at a ballpark not far from Ravenswood, "wait till next year!"

For complete results, click here.