Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey
On Sunday, January 29, 2017
PRE GAME FOUR MILER NEXT SUNDAY IN MORRISTOWN
Yes, its proper name is the Pre Game Four Miler, but we all
know what its real name is. It’s just
that a certain sports organization didn’t like the use of Super Sunday Four
Miler and strongly suggested a change.
So OK, it’s the Pre Game Four Miler, and it will take place
on, well imagine that! On Super Bowl
Sunday in Morristown.
What is interesting about a race that takes place on the day
of one of the most widely watched football game, a game reserved for men to
play, that women have predominated in each of the previous five races.
You heard that right!
In 2012 when it was called by its other name, 527 women ran the race and
410 men. Thomas Poland and Elena Rozhko,
both of Morristown, were the winners. He
in 20:59 and she in 23:52.
In 2014 when Chris Croff of Summit set the course record of
19:56, he was one of 443 men, while Allie Dublinski of Morristown was the first
of 550 women, finishing in 25:12.
Last year, 2016, the biggest disparity was recorded. 539 women finished the race while 399 men
crossed the line. Michael Jordon of High
Bridge won the race in 2016 in the second fastest time of 20:23. Greta Sieve of Trenton was the women’s winner
in a time of 23:42. Sieve has the women’s
record but she did that in 2013 when she won in 23:27; one of 479 women, 63
more than men.
The lowest attendance was in 2015 when Mark Hess of Brooklyn,
and Morristown, won the race in 20:34 and Catherine Beck of Newark was the
women’s winner in 23:40. It’s hard to
say that 849 finishers is a low turnout, but it was for this race. At the 11:00 am start the temperature was a
not so friendly 30 degrees with a wind chill of 23.4 thanks to wind gusts of
6.9 miles per hour.
Not to be a wet blanket, but the long range weather forecast
for Morristown on Sunday, the 5th of February is for snow showers
and a possible snowfall of three to five inches. Let’s hope that snow ends up in Connecticut
like the nor’easter did last week.
Of course runners are forever optimists. There is still time to register online or to
go to the Morristown Running Company on South Street to register or to pick up
your race packet and number.
ROSENBERG GOT HIS 31ST
Gary Rosenberg of Morristown did it again. He got his sub five miler, but spectators
were treated to a cliff hanger.
Rosenberg
ran in the spanking new Ocean Breeze facility on Staten Island on Thursday,
January 19th. It has a banked
track, favored by short distance racers but often a problem for distance
runners.
“I
am not used to the bank and almost fell off the track a few times on the turns,”
he said with a smile.
Anyone who has run a mile race knows the drill: run slower than you want to run in the first
quarter, stay with the pace in the second quarter, work hard in the third,
which will be your slowest one, and then pick it up and haul like crazy for the
last quarter.
Rosenberg
said he was ahead of the pace that he was on at the Monmouth meet where he set
his 30th sub five mile in December, but “fell
asleep” in the later laps (200 meters
each lap) and had to dig down deep on the last lap to get his coveted time.
Yes, he cut it close with his 4:58.8
but that is still not the end of the story.
Rosenberg is continuing to train with a goal to get closer to 4:45 by
the end of the indoor season in March.
Too ambitious?
“I think I will be able to
get close so we will see,” said Rosenberg, who is 46 years old. “No sense in setting a goal if it is easy to
get.”
Side
Note: Rosenberg’s story that was published here last
Sunday was picked up by the internet sites Let’s Run, and Bring Back the Mile,
garnering more attention for his streak.
##
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.
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