Catching up with busy July in area competition
This column appears every two weeks. In the past, it was a weekly feature. The new schedule has both advantages and disadvantages.
The positive is, I have more time to develop an idea, topic or premise. I have time to do some research. The disadvantage is there are a lot of races to keep up with — recaps to present in a timely manner.
This weeks column is devoted to catching up on a “festival of summer races.”
Marbletown Road Race
Early in July, the Marbletown Road Race enjoyed its 48th running. The race is organized in much the same manner as its first running in 1971. The race still runs from the Kripplebush Firehouse to the Marbletown Elementary School. The 2.3 mile race still thunders up Pine Bush Road.
Larry Skalla is still the person in charge. The Marbletown community still turns out to support the event.
104 participants came to get their 4th of July activities started. This years race was warm with deceptive humidity. Once the clouds cleared, the second half of the race became a “steambath.”
The overall winners were John Nolis in 13:33 and Heather Hazzard in 15:13. Senior men and women (over 50) winners were Gary Longhi and Jacque Schiffer. Town winners were Guy Finkbeiner and Kersti Hanson. First in the Junior division were Dante Cataformo and Maya Barr.
Taking honors in the youth category were Owen Shaffer-Sermini and Jillian Tyler. In the walk; perennial winner Pete Wells took first place. First among women was Marla Brucker.
Be sure to circle your calendar to participate in the 49th mrunning of this local gem in 2019.
Blueberry Run
July brought us the second set of races in the two summer cross-country series. The New Paltz Summer Series Blueberry Run had a record turnout of 239 adults and 29 kids.
The Blueberry Run is a difficult 4 mile jaunt that takes you though the old 9 hole golf course that once existed at Minnewaska and around the lake on the carriage paths of the park.
Just before the start of the race, a very angry rattlesnake was discovered smack dab in the middle of the trail. Ranger Zack came to the rescue dressed in rattler proof garments and using a grasping tool, he kept the snake at bay until all the runners were safely passed.
Quite a few of the competitors remarked that the sound of that snake is not one they will likely forget. Not to be outdone by Zack and the rattler, there was a fierce battle up-front as Stephen Smith (23:04) outdueled Galo Vasquez (23:15). Picking up 3 rd place was Louis Greco in 24:22.
The top 3 women were Catherine Herne (28:53), Kayla Schramm (30:00) and Sheena Dwyer-McNulty (31:22). The children’s half-mile winners were Nora Bubel (4:25) and Xavi Duffy (5:00). The mile winners were Noah Duffy (7:07) and Olivia Serrano (7:22).
Hurley Rail Trail
The Kingston CrossCountry Series race #2 started at the Hurley Rail Trail. Much of the 4.5 mile run was on the old ATV paths off of the rail trail. The ATV trails constantly go up or down; while twisting and turning. The little bit of rail trail in the middle of the race allowed people to gather their strength for the finish.
The top 3 men were Satch Waldman (29:36), Ryan Kleitz (30:10) and Justin MacDougall (31:33). The overall women were Chole Hanson (35:45), Sheryl Wheeler (36:36) and Cassidy Lucas (38:32). The winners of the children’s half-mile were Cora Shaffer-Sermini (4:20) and Logan MacDougall (4:24).
The top spots in the mile were Owen Shaffer-Sermini (7:10) and Abi Brener (8:44). Perhaps the “star” of the night was 10 year-old Owen who won the mile and came back to take 19th place overall in the “adult” race with an impressive time of 37:25.
Boilermaker 15K
During the summer, a popular race for runners throughout the northeast is the Utica Boilermaker 15k (9.3 miles). The 41st edition of the race drew nearly 16,000 runners. The race features a world-class field and ends at a brewery.
The overall winners were Guy Geay from Tanzania in 43:40 and Kenyan Mary Wacera in 50:01. 23 local runners sent me their times and the fastest among them were Omar Perez (55:46) and Anna Harrod (1:13:46). The race is so big and crowded that some locals took 10 minutes to reach the start line after the gun went off.
Grand Prix standings
The 2018 Onteora Runners Club Grand Prix reached its halfway point with the Blueberry Run. So far, 116 runners have participated.
The top 3 men are Logan Linares (50 points), Ryan Kleitz (43 points) and John Nolis (34 points). The leading women are Sheryl Wheeler (46 points), Maura Sullivan (42 points) and Jacque Schiffer (31 points).
For full results of all the age groups, see the race results section. So, get off your duff and join in on the fun! There are some great races left to run. For more information on the Grand Prix, see: www.onteorarunners.org.
Two new races on the horizon are the SPCA’s Doggy Dash 5k in Kingston on Sept. 15 and the Benedictine Hospital Foundation’s Rose Mary Gruner 5k on Sept. 23. The Gruner 5k held in conjunction with the Bike for Cancer Ride will keep its fun run/walk format, but has added a timed race option for those wanting to race.
Calendar, results
Race directors, please submit information for the race calendar to sports@freemanonline.com. Information should be in the form of a concise email with important details highlighted and included in the body of the email. No race flyer PDFs.
Race results should be submitted directly to me at ssrun54@aol.com.