While the Village of Mantua was Potato Fest-less this year, the 45th Potato Stomp Race persevered. The annual race takes place on the second Saturday of September and begins near Mantua Village Park with an out-and-back race on the Headwaters Trail. Each year, there’s a 9-mile race, 4-mile race, and 1-mile fun run.
And despite the rainy weather that weekend, the Potato Stomp was successful. Nick Dehaven (age 25) from Findlay was the top male in the 9-mile race, finishing with a time of 49:25. The top female in that race was Jennie Swires (age 43) from Mantua with a time of 1:06:01. In the 70 and up category, the top finishers were Jeannie Rice (age 76) from Painesville at 1:10:27 and Gregory Tupa (age 71) from Akron at 1:32:04.
In the 4-mile race, Davy Vargo (age 28) from Aurora finished first for the women at 27:24. Bob Floor (age 54) from Minerva finished first for the males at 28:11. In the 60 and up division, Randy Barnhart from Akron (age 62) was the top male runner, finishing at 32:34. Terry Lynn Yarian (age 71) from Canfield finished first in that division for the women at 37:35.
The Stomp couldn’t have taken place without the multitude of volunteers and sponsors who helped make it a success. The Hankinson family manned the Asbury Road water stop for the second year. Rick Kruis and fellow radio operators monitored progress along the race course again, Brian Hurd and Sue Hoover handled traffic control, and the race committee and others helped with countless necessary things to help everything run smoothly. Thanks to event sponsors Star Therapy for their major support as well as Brugmann’s Sand and Gravel, Heinen’s, and Stamm Contracting Company. Without local sponsors and volunteers, this annual event wouldn’t happen.
Mark your calendars! Next year’s Potato Stomp take place on Saturday, September 13th, 2025. For more information, visit mantuapotatostomp.com
