IDEAL WEATHER GREETS RUNNERS
Mike Chow wins 3rd straight men’s 10K title; Laurel Wassner breezes to women’s crown
Conditions were just right for those running under sunny skies in the 36th Kiwanis Kingston Classic.
A total of 574 people combined were entered in the 10-kilometer and 2.1-miles races. That’s just one fewer than the total number of entrants for last year’s event.
The 10K men’s race was won for the third straight year by Mike Chow of Wappingers Falls. He took first place in 34:52. In the women’s race, Laurel Wassner of New York tool top honors with a time of 39:36.
The 10K race attracted 403 entrants. Of those, 327 finished.
This was the second year that the 10K race took place entirely in Downtown Kingston and Esopus. Before last year, Uptown or Midtown served as the venue for the race.
Kent Kleinsasser took first place in the men’s 2.1mile race with a time of 11:28. Renee Keplinger was first among the women in 13:09.
There were 171 entrants for the 2.1-mile event. Of those, 141 completed the race.
Laurel Wassner won for the first time and Mike Chow overcame a rabbit to earn a three-peat in the Kiwanis Kingston Classic’s 10-kilometer race Sunday.
Under perfect springtime conditions, runners took to the Rondout Creek area for the 36th running of the area event. The iconic 10k along with a 2.1-mile run drew a combined 574 runners.
The champions won in record time in the second time around on the Downtown course. Wassner ran a 39:36, breaking Gabriela Olivera’s 2017 mark by three full minutes. Chow slashed 29 seconds off his time last year and broke 35 minutes with a fast 34:52.
“Last year I went out a little too hard and, this year, I decided to go out slower,” the Wappingers Falls resident said, “but there was this rabbit out there that was just going and I had to try and chase him down. He took me out of my comfort zone a little bit early on.”
The rabbit was veteran runner Michael Roda of Albany, who jetted to an early lead and pulled away. Chow was a distant second to Roda by the halfway point on the Rondout Creek Bridge and when the leaders returned to the Strand.
“It was such a huge lead that unless he dropped out there was no way for me to catch him. He really seemed like he took it out really hard,” Chow said. ‘He ran a sub-5-minute for the first mile and he didn’t look too comfortable from what people were telling me. I just kept to my pace and I was going really hard compared to what I did last year.
“The first couple of miles I ran my own pace, but I saw that I was losing ground to the lead so I had to really pick it up because there was no way for me to close that gap if I didn’t pick it up now.”
Roda faltered on the hill along the Childrens Home of Kingston on Abruyn Street.
“All he really had to do was jog it in. He was probably 200- to 300-meters ahead at the four-mile mark. I don’t know if he cramped up or what happened to him,” Chow explained. “I just turned and (Roda) just said, ‘You got it.’”
Roda did not finish the race. He dropped out.
Chow made a final sprint to break five minutes. Zachary
Karas of Stratsburg was second in 36:05, followed by Simeon Kleinsasser of Esopus (37:31).
“This is typically my early-season race. This is usually my first one,” said Chow, 39. “I usually start racing in late April.”
Chow’s first Classic win was 2016 on the old Dietz Stadium to Hurley and back course.
Wassner, a professional triathlete from New York, dominated the race. Kingston’s Marla Gruner was a distant second in 45:03 and Emily Dozier of Poughkeepsie took third in 46:06.
The 42-year-old has won three Iron Man events, including one in Taiwan last October. She has run the Ellenville 10K the last two years. In 2010, she became the first cancer survivor to win a pro triathlon.
“I come to New Paltz on the weekends. I’ve ridden my bike up here, but never run in this area. I always wanted to run this race. This is one of a handful of open 10ks I’ve ever done,” Wassner noted. “This is the first year since I started running when I haven’t had another race. I’m really glad that I actually got to race, because this is an historical event and I’ve always wanted to do it.”
“I travel all over the world to race triathlons. I’ve been to 25 countries to race,” said Wassner, who is preparing for the June 3 Subic Bay Phillipines Iron Man, “but my favorite races are my hometown races. I know this area and I like supporting local races.”
Wassner did not get a chance to run the course beforehand.
“I’ve been to the Hutton Brickyards for some events and I’ve ridden my bike around here, but I’ve never experienced that Trolley Trail before,” she said. “I ran well. It was a hard course, because it was hilly and the last mile was on rock. That last mile really hurt me. I wanted to go under 38.”
With the temperatures in the low 60’s, the day was a far cry from the messy winter season and even the way the week began with rain and snow.
“We can’t be more pleased, obviously with the weather the way it’s been the last couple of weeks. With a day like today and yesterday, it’s been amazing,” Classic co-race director Carlos Perez said. “So far the feedback has been extremely positive.”
“It was a good race. It was really fun,” Wassner said.
Kent Kleinsasser of Elka Park and Port Ewen’s Renee Keplinger were the 2.1-mile champions, finishing in 11:28 and 13:09 respectively.
The men’s 10k age group winners were Hudson Boller of Esopus (114 group, 46:39), Matthew Morgan of Saugerties ((1519, 37:35), Dante Pilkington of Brooklyn (20-24, 38:05), Kingston’s John Nolis (2529, 38:34), Michael Anderson of Albany (30-34, 47:50), Matthias Kirchner of Binghamton (35-39, 41:01), Salah Tanlay of Brooklyn (40-44, 39:19), Dave Blough of Rifton (45-49, 40:06), Donald Thurston of Pine Bush (5054, 41:33), Edward Fitzmaurice of Hyde Park (55-59, 42:56), Kingston’s Bob Carey (60-64, 48:08), Jeffrey Ruiz of New Paltz (65-69, 48:49) and Nick Mercurio of Cottekill (70-99, 50:16).
Women’s 10k age group winners were Shavon Alexnader of Esopus (1-14, 56:51), Hannah Huleate of Esopus (15-19, 49:43), Kelly Nash of Stirling, New Jersey (20-24, 49:06), Hadley Ameen of North Adams, Massachusetts (2529, 51:56), Kingston’s Paige Mead (30-34, 48:59), Amanda Romaniello of Fairfield, Connecticut (3539, 47:33), Erin Scott of Carmel (40-44, 52:32), Laurie Machung of Tillson (4549, 51:27), Jacque Schiffer of Olivebridge (50-54, 50:36), Judith Dougan of Woodstock (55-59, 51:25), Kingston’s Patricia Johnson (6064, 56:49), Karen Spinozzi of Kingston (65-59, 59:28) and Mary Denitto (70-99, 53:28).
The 10k team champions was the Pel Mel team of Simeon Kleinsasser, Rufus Wareham, Rudi Meier, Nick Clement, Felix Meier, Hudson Boller and Kirk Wareham.
Taking women’s age group titles in the 2.1-mile were Regan Kavanagh of Saugerties (1-14, 18:38), Aidan Hoover of New Paltz (15-19, 16:38), Dominique Mann of Hurley (20-24, 17:12), Kayla Secreto (2529, 21:22), Lisa Rowdycz of Stone Ridge (30-34, 21:11), Susan Cline of Stone Ridge (35-39, 22:23), Nicole Smaldone of Red Hook (40-44, 19:23), Melissa McHugh of Shokan (45-49, 17:19), Kingston’s Susan Martino (50-54, 19:58), Claire Keating of Tillson (55-59, 20:25), Pamela Rathjen-Thornton of Port Ewen (60-64, 25:29), Kathleen Kearney of Kingston (65-59, 18:27) and Cora Phillips of Bloomington (7099, 29:25).
The men’s 2-1.-mile age group champs were Facundo Martinez of Kingston (1-14, 13:45), Brady Matthews of Kingston (2024, 17:37), Matthew Jose of Somerville, Massachusetts (25-29, 17:25), Daniel Hayden of Kingston (3034, 20:10), Perez Anibal of Kingston (35-39, 16:31), Scott Sobetz of Lake Katrine (40-44, 19:14), Bill Shashaty of Stone Ridge (45-49, 13:56), Robert Longendyke of Hurley (50-54, 22:42), Eric Houghtaling of Delmar (55-59, 17:47), Steve Schallenkamp of Kingston (60-64, 15:53), Gerard Keller of Kingston (65-59, 20:44) and Peter Levangia of Kingston (70-99, 21:04).