Sunday, June 12, 2016

Merry Heart Roxbury Community Benefit 5K



Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey
On Sunday, June 12, 2016



MERRY HEART ROXBURY COMMUNITY BENEFIT 5K TOMORROW NIGHT


Changing a long standing day of the month, like the first Monday to the second Monday can offer a chance for an oops.   We’re talking about the Merry Heart Roxbury Community Benefit 5K, with the title sponsor Merry Heart Health Care Center that is tomorrow night.  If you go online to look at the race registration information, you’ll read the deadline dates for 2015.   Ooops.  Be assured you can register on site beginning at 5:00 p.m. at the Eisenhower Middle School on Eyland Avenue.

Race director Jim Schulz of Succasunna is a man who has his hands full – and maybe balancing a load on his head as well.  

Does this sound familiar to you parents out there, gleaned from an email from Schulz to his race committee?

Boy Scout meetings and events, recreation track practice this week (where Schulz is a volunteer coach).  Recreation track championships were Friday night and Saturday morning at Randolph High School where the Roxbury kids ran in the Lakeland League meet.

And could he deny his three kids who wanted to go to the carnival Saturday night at Horseshoe Lake Park?

Oh, and how about a little tender loving care to wife after her surgery and some family time after putting in hours of overtime at work.  A little edit error can be forgiven and probably didn’t really confuse anyone.

The race committee was trying to find a good time for a B-Tag party.  They are not exactly a party but a get-together to apply the B-Tags to the race bibs.  No, the bibs do not come with the B-Tags attached – they have to be put on each bib.  It is a labor intensive job.  Schulz wrote that he could squeeze in a couple hours on Saturday afternoon or sometime Sunday.   It looks like the “party” was on Sunday.  If you see Schulz on Monday night looking a little haggard now you know why. 

The course that was changed a few years ago to a loop, rather than an out-and-back has one climb midrace with a corresponding downhill in the last mile.  It is considered fast.  The course record of 15:19 was set by Youssef Rochdi of Rockaway in 2014.  He won the race again in 2015 twenty some seconds slower in 15:40.  In 2015 Roberta Groner of Randolph lowered the course record for females to 17:11, bumping Maria Dana of Kenvil whose time in 2014 was 18:13.

Registration begins at the Eisenhower Middle School at 5:00 p.m.  Parking is at the high school on Hillside Avenue. The race goes off at 7:00 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP NEXT SATURDAY IN NEW MILFORD      

Morris area runners will be going to a race that may be unfamiliar to them, now that it was selected as the masters men and women’s championship 5K.  It is the 7th annual New Milford 5K in Bergen County and will be on Saturday, June 18th.  There will be a kids half mile race and some tot dashes, finishing with mile road races.  The 5K championship leads off with an 8:45 a.m. start.

The certified course is described as flat and fast.  Stephen Mennitt of Edison has the course record of 15:26, set in 2015 and Elena Rozhko of Morristown set the female record of 18:00 in 2014.

Fast or not it is a great spectator course with a spot about three quarters of a mile after the start to see who the leaders are and again a quarter mile from the finish to see who is in the lead at that point. 

It sounds like a fun race with a BQ, a beer and wine garden and a live band and D.J.

##


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.

No comments:

Post a Comment