EDWARDSBURG — At this year’s Run Eddie Run 5K, two friends from rival high schools crossed the finish line with a fourth of a second dividing them from first and second place.

Carter Kaser, 15, crossed the finish line with the fastest time of the day, 16:28. The Granger native attends Penn High School. Kaser ran the entire race alongside his friend, Edwardsburg High School senior Jack Leman, who crossed the finish line right on Kaser’s heals.

Both runners stayed close behind the pace vehicle for the entirety of the race, which took place on grass portions of Edwardsburg’s campus and finished on the track, with the Edwardsburg cheerleading team congratulating finishers.

“We both live on Eagle [Lake], so we kind of have an Eagle Lake feud going on,” Leman said. “[Kaser] got me today. I’ll get him next week when we run together.”

Kaser started running six years ago and now competes in cross country and track at Penn.

“I don’t do too many road races,” Kaser said, “But, this one I wanted to come out to. The course was really fast, might have been a little short.”

Leman started his running career in seventh grade and has been running ever since. He runs year-round, in the fall, winter and spring. Despite the hot weather, Leman said the weather was perfect for running fast.

“We ran pretty good today. It was pretty flat, so a good day to PR,” Leman said. “There was a nice little breeze coming through that backstretch and helped get a little wind in me.”

Cindy Spencer was the top finisher on the women’s side and crossed the line with a time of 22:48. Spencer, who has run the race every year except for last year due to a broken toe, has a son who attends Edwardsburg High School.

“I’ve just always liked to run,” Spencer said. “Even when I was in high school and even after. I run regularly throughout the week to stay in shape and try to be healthy.”

Spencer is the first female to win other than former Edwardsburg standout Angie Bronocki, who did not compete in this year’s event.

On Saturday, racers were competing against more than just each other, but also the high temperatures of the morning. When the race began at 8 a.m., the start line was crowded with more than 70 runners braving the high heat to support the Edwardsburg Public Schools Foundation, which raises money to fund scholarships and classroom grants.

In order to combat the heat, race organizers added extra water stations throughout the course and more volunteers in case issues arose, said Deb Williams, the secretary of the Edwardsburg Public Schools Foundation and also a teacher at Edwardsburg. A registered nurse was also available to runners and a cooling area was set up to provide air conditioning.

The event, which has seen a slight decline in participation since its inception in 2014, continues to attract alumni, current students and community members to support the cause.

“This event is so important to us because it provides scholarships specifically for our graduating seniors and also grants that our teachers need,” Williams said.

For running rivals Kaser and Leman, their next competition will be a triathlon they compete in together for cross-training, the pair of friends said.