Race Offerings at slow pace for March

Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey

On Sunday, March 10, 2013

Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2013

March is going to be a slow month for racing if you look only at the Morris area events.

Next Saturday is the second annual Morris Catholic Saint Patrick’s Day 5K in Denville.  There is a lot of emphasis on participation of the students, but it is also open to non students.  Registration, start and finish, all take place at Morris Catholic High School on Morris Avenue.  The race starts at 9:00 a.m.
The next day, March 17^th in Kinnelon is the KEA Pot of Gold Scholarship 5K run.  All activities take place at Kinnelon High School on Kinnelon Road.  Registration will begin at 7:00 a.m. and the race start is at 9:00 a.m.  The race also offers a one mile fun run.

On Sunday, March 24, the Are You Faster than a Ridge Runner 5K takes place at noon in Basking Ridge at Mountain Park located at Martinsville and Mountain Roads.  The certified course runs through the park.

Two races are missing from the March line-up but they didn’t disappear, they just moved a little.

In the case of the Loschiavo Run four miler that had taken place at Mount Olive High School for many years, you won’t see it on any schedule but you will see a new race at Turkey Brook Park in Budd Lake on April 20^th called the Mount Olive Momentum that is two races; a 5K and a 10K.   Registration will begin at 8:00 a.m. with both races going off at 9:00 a.m.  The proceeds will support the Loschiavo Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The Apple Chase 5K and 10K is still listed on some race calendars but it has moved to the much warmer month of May.  It is now on May 4^th at the Pequannock Regional High School in Pompton Plains. 

RELAY TEAMS RAN RECORD FOR 10K AT THE NEW YORK CITY ARMORY 

Two New Jersey teams had a blast this past Tuesday evening at the New York City Armory running in a 10K relay on the 200 meter track.  Organized by Randy Miller of Montville and Charlie Castiglioni of Lake Hopatcong, the duo was able to put together two teams of ten runners to run in the very unconventional relay.

“We broke the record for 10K,” said Castiglioni, tongue in cheek.

Castiglioni’s team finished in 26:39 and Miller’s team did 30:19.   The baton was passed on every lap, meaning that each runner was supposed to run five laps of the fifty that make up ten kilometers.  But it didn’t always work that way.  Catherine Smith of Wayne, who has won the USATF New Jersey New Balance grand prix, was tasked with doing a double due to injuries that were springing up during the event.  She wasn’t the only one who was asked to do more than planned thanks to hamstring pulls and a variety of injuries.  The two squads even had an extra man that was called off the bench to take over late in the race.

Miller is a member of the Essex Running Club and Castiglioni is a Morris County Strider.  It was an ecumenical bunch with representatives also from the Do Run Runners, Garmin Runners, the North Jersey Masters and Raritan Valley Road Runners.  Runners from this area included Peter Kashulines of Mountain Lakes, Paul Kilndal-Brandt of Mendham, Jim Murnane of Andover and Patricia Butcher of Stockholm.

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Race Results can often be found at www.compuscore.com or at  www.bestrace.com 

A calendar of USATF sanctioned events can be found at www.usatfnj.org or at www.raceforum.com for running and tri and biathlon events.

Contact Madeline Bost at madelinebost@verizon.net.