Double take.
For the second year in a row, Maricopa resident Ronnie Buchanan swept the competition at Pat’s Run, a 4.2-mile race in Tempe that honors the life of NFL player-turned-Army Ranger Pat Tillman.
Buchanan, a Saddleback Elementary School P.E. teacher, shaved seven seconds off his 2012 time, crossing the finish Saturday at 20 minutes, 30 seconds.
The 33-year-old came in 38 seconds ahead of second place finisher Norberto Robles of Peoria.
Buchanan was a two-time high school All-American and ran cross country at Arizona State University. He’s a distance coach at Maricopa High School.
More than 70 Maricopa residents were among the thousands who competed in the Saturday morning race. Rob Byers, 42, placed 38th with a time of 23 minutes, 53 seconds.
Earlier this month Buchanan was named teacher of the month for the Maricopa Unified School District.
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