ORC opens Grand Prix with Sneaker Run
The battle cry on Sunday could have been, “Let the spring road race season begin”, as the Onteora Runners Club hosted its Dirty Sneaker Run 5K.
The battle cry on Sunday could have been, “Let the spring road race season begin”, as the Onteora Runners Club hosted its Dirty Sneaker Run 5k.
The race also marked the start of the club’s annual Grand Prix Series, and afterwards, club members, family and friends gathered inside the Hurley Mountain Inn for a delicious lunch and the awards ceremony for the 2016 GP winners.
I had the pleasure of volunteering at the event, and I had an enjoyable time sharing traffic control duties with longtime club member Larry Byrne.
The out-and-back race along Old Route 209 was well-received by runners and there were spectacular finishes for both the men and the women.
Logan Linares was the overall winner, holding off Tyler Gregory.
Linares’ winning time was 17:30, with Gregory close behind in 17:41.
It was fantastic to see Terry McCann back at full speed with a third-place finish in 18:21.
John Nolis got out for fourth in 18:43 and Ryan McCann rounded out the top five in 18:56.
Zury Oates got up for sixth place in 19:06, then Brandon Gregory was seventh in 19:48 and Max Gruner ran 19:52 for eighth place.
Tom deHaan (20:00) and Chris Gallo (20:26) capped the top 10.
Rosibel Landau and Renee Darmstadt also had a very competitive run against each other, Landau prevailing in 20:57 and Darmstadt as the runner-up in 21:04.
Heather Hazzard was third for the ladies in 21:21, fourth place went to Maura Sullivan in 22:38, Lisa Loughran finished fifth in 22:48 and Jacque Schiffer was sixth in 23:25.
The unstoppable Sheryl Wheeler, fresh off of a 100k run the day before, was seventh in the women’s race in 23:59 and still had enough to provide musical accompaniment at the lunch.
Alex Gruner (24:59), Margaux Seche (25:17) and Jenny Carpenter (25:53) were the others at the top.
Some of the other notable locals competing were Keith Kortright (20:36), Christopher Regan (20:40), Steve Schindler (21:01), Jason Taylor (21:30), Mike Halstead (21:50), Chace Snyder (21:59) and David Seche (22:00).
At the lunch, the club honored Ryan Kleitz and Wheeler as the 2016 GP champions, along with the top finishers in the agegroups and the 17 Survivors, runners who participated in all 10 of last year’s races.
The other big honor of the day went to Woodstock Races co-directors Jennifer Braun, Cyndy Borzumato-Cobb and Mary Roosa, as the Volunteers of the Year for ably accepting the reins of the race.
RAYS’ RUN NEXT STOP ON GP SERIES SLATE
Since we are on the topic of the Grand Prix Series, the next run on the schedule is the annual Ray’s Run 4-mile, set to go on April 30 at 12:30 p.m.
The race, which raises funds for the Ray Caddy Memorial Scholarship Fund at Kingston High, starts and finishes at Dietz Stadium.
The route travels through the uptown Kingston neighborhood near the stadium, featuring a number of up and down hills along the way.
There is also an accompanying 2-mile walk and organizers offer free kids races on the Dietz track.
Entry fee is $20 for preregistered runners and increases to $25 on race day. Students pay only $8.
Yvonne Sill has all of the details and can be reached by calling (845) 339-5474 or email to her at Ysill1@aol.com.
PRICE INCREASE COMING FOR NEW PALTZ CHALLENGE
Organizers of the New Paltz Challenge half marathon and 5k wanted to let runners know that as of Saturday, the entry fee will increase to $50 for the half marathon and $25 for the 5k, so register now on their website, www.newpaltzchallenge. com.
The event takes place on Father’s Day, June 18, and starts at 7:30 a.m. from the parking lot near the Gilded Otter.
Please send all race results and information to 79 Hurley Ave., Kingston, N.Y., 12401; fax to (845) 331-3557; or email to runerichrun@ gmail.com. Follow Eric Houghtaling on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ runerichrun Annual 7-8 mile run through cross country course at Locust Hill Farm to benefit Every Mother Counts. Entry fee is optional, but a suggested donation of $15-$20 is appreciated. Race-day registration begins at 7:15 a.m. For more
Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club: Website: www.mhrrc. org; Club President: Keith Axelrod, adgroupman@aol. com.