Soldotna’s Adam Reimer discovered the secret to long life Wednesday evening at the Fountain of Youth race at the Tsalteshi Trails.

Reimer won the five-kilometer race designed to give all runners an equal chance of winning by staging groups of runners based on age and gender, with men ages 78 and older and women ages 63 and older headed out on the course first.

Each group was released in 30-second intervals, with the last group, men ages 20 through 33, going out last, a full 10 minutes behind the first group.

Reimer took off with the fourth-to-last group, 8 1/2 minutes behind the first racers and 1 1/2 minutes ahead of the last group, and passed everyone in front of him to cross the finish line first, 55 seconds ahead of runner-up Annie Burns. Reimer had started four minutes ahead of Burns.

Reimer’s real world time over the 5K course was 19 minutes, 54 seconds, but with his 90-second head start factored in, his race time was 18:24, the fastest of the race.

Burns had the fastest female real world time of 24:49.

The event was sponsored by the Kenai Peninsula Relay for Life. All proceeds and donations went to the American Cancer Society.

Fountain of Youth 5K

Wednesday at Tsalteshi Trails

Name, time (head start in minutes)

1. Adam Reimer 18:24 (1.5) 2. Annie Burns 19:19 (5.5) 3. Kevin Lauver 19:51 (3.5) 4. Ethan Boyd 20:16 (2) 5. Benjamin McGarry 20:23 (0.5) 6. Jeffrey Helminiak 20:41 (1.5) 7. James Boyd 21:22 (2) 8. Carl Kincaid 21:35 (3.5) 9. Avery Willets 21:37 (2.5) 10. Lance Chilton 22:05 (1) 11. Joel Burns 22:39 (3) 12. Joey Klecka 22:32 (0) 13. Tatum Rozak 22:36 (4.5) 14. Ian McGarry 22:36 (3.5) 15. Sondra Stonecipher 23:15 (3) 16. Johnna DeGray 23:22 (5.5) 17. Tanis Lorring 23:37 (10) 18. Danny Anders 23:40 (10) 19. Alek McGarry 23:40 (4) 20. Chisato Johnson 24:04 (6.5) 21. Sam Anders 24:40 (0) 22. Ben Hanson 25:06 (1.5) 23. Jamie Nelson 25:24 (1.5) 24. David Lorring 25:46 (10) 25. Eliza Anders 26:40 (7.5) 26. Robert Carson 26:44 (3) 27. Jordan Ruffner 26:50 (4) 28. Elizabeth Hardie 26:55 (0) 29. Terri Cowart 27:21 (10) 30. Elizabeth Appleby 27:35 (3) 31. Jeff Perschbacher 27:47 (2.5) 32. Hadley Kornelis 25:53 (9.5) 33. Emmerson Lorring 28:23 (10) 34. Mary Rhyner 28:26 (10) 35. April Chilton 29:06 (3) 36. Ethan Hogue 30:02 (2.5) 37. Micah Allemann 30:44 (0) 38. Maryjane Hadaway 31:29 (5.5) 39. Brad Stonecipher 31:32 (0) 40. Nathan Nelson 32:36 (9) 41. Brett Allemann 34:41 (0) 42. Tara Ruffner 34:43 (5) 43. Amy Hogue 34:45 (4.5) 44. Marietta Kornelis 34:56 (10) 45. Marly Perschbacher 35:47 (2.5) 46. Brett Sturman 37:17 (0) 47. Raylie Allemann 37:18 (0) 48. Holden McGarry 39:13 (7) 49. Tiffany Allemann 46:43 (10) DNF Dylan Hogue (1.5)