The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Migonis finishes first in rare 5K appearance
VVS XC runners begin prep for season
Triathlete Matt Migonis proved he could still take first in a 5K in Sherrill on Saturday morning.
World champion triathlete Matt Migonis wasn’t sure how he would fare in the City of Sherrill Centennial 5K having not run a 3.1-mile race in years.
The Hamilton High School alum was able to live up to his reputation — and the number on his bib — on Saturday.
Sporting No. 1, Migonis was first to cross the finish line with a time of 15:50, 51 seconds faster than runner-up Brian Hotchkiss.
“I’m in triathlons now and a lot of long- distance stuff so I haven’t run an open 5K race in a long time,” he said. “I was a little worried how the legs were going to feel doing it hard like that, but it was good. I was happy with it.”
The route took runners from the Sherrill CAC down to Robertson Road, coming around to Kinsey Street. From there they took Park Street to East Noyes Boulevard, turning on to East School Street before heading uphill on Life Avenue and Noto Drive. The final stretch went from Ransom Avenue to Marble Street before turning back down East Hamilton Avenue towards the finish line at the CAC.
The sky was overcast for the race with temperatures in the upper 60s.
Migonis’ wife, Allison, is originally from Sherrill but was unable to participate in Saturday’s race so he and his son Patrick represented the family. Patrick participated in the kids fun run prior to the 5K start and then
watched his father add another first-place finish to his resume.
Having the No. 1 bib certainly put the pressure on the triathlete.
“When I saw that I was like ‘oh boy,’” said Migonis, who now lives in Newton, Massachusetts.
“It might have helped a little bit.
“Like I said, it’s been so long since I’ve done this running scene that I had no idea. I thought some young high school kid was probably going to beat me into the ground but luckily I held on.” There were several high school kids who gave it a try, with Owen Walker coming the closest. The Vernon-Verona-Sherrill cross country runner placed third with a time of 17:17.
Walker and some of his teammates were using the race as a chance to prepare for the upcoming season.
“Races like this help a ton to get ready for the upcoming season to shake off the first cross country race nervousness,” he said.
“The first race is always the hardest. You may as well get it done in the summer.”
JaimeWoolsey of Oneida was the top female finisher with a time of 18:14.
The course was also open for walkers, who left the start line after the runners.