Sunday, April 15, 2018

Leskow wins the 20K Indian Trails championship


Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey
On Sunday, April 15, 2018




MORRISTOWN’S LESKOW WINS 20K

It hasn’t taken Aaron Leskow long to establish his credentials as one fast young runner.  Leskow moved to Morristown in 2016 after graduating from Saint Josephs University in Philadelphia.  Leskow has always been in the top three to five in New Jersey races since his arrival.

This past Sunday he won the challenging Indian Trails 20K championship in Middletown after running down early leader Michael Dixon of Highland Park.  In an email Leskow affirmed that it was the first time to run the race.

“It was quite an experience,” he said.  “Very hilly, but nice terrain and views.”

An understatement of course.  In the final miles of the race the runners climb to what seems to be the top of the world and are rewarded with a wide, unbelievable view of the Manhattan skyline.

Leskow said that he passed Dixon right after hitting mile ten.  “He was up there for quite awhile, so it was fun to go chase for a little bit.”

Leskow finished in 1:09:57 while Dixon followed soon after in 1:10:19.  Ericka Meling of High Bridge was the top woman finisher.  She finished in 1:23:59.

Meling and Leskow share the honor of leading in their respective Garden State Track Club teams to first place in their open divisions.  The Garmin women’s team placed second in the open division and their open men placed third after the GSTC A and B teams.

The Morris area Garmin club won the M40 and M50 divisions while their women’s 40 and 50 teams placed second to the Clifton Road Runners club.

Local runners had a good showing, with  Stacey Slaughter,25, of Parsippany the seventh woman to finish.  Her time was 1:30:39.  Stuart Haynes,42, of Chatham scored as the first masters man and second in age grading with Reno Stirrat, 63, of Rockaway leading in the age grading with an 80% PLP.  Nora Cary, 63, of Morristown finished in 1:38:05 with an 84.6% PLP.  Mary Christian, 54, of Flanders finished in 1:35:38 and fifth in age grading at 77.0%.  It is interesting to note that all of the age grading percentages were a bit on the low side thanks to the difficult course.


CHERRY BLOSSOM 10K

Stephen Mennitt, now living in Brooklyn but previously a New Jersey resident was unable to wrap up a transfer to the Freedom Running Club and not able to run the 20K for his new team, instead went to Newark’s Branch Brook Park and won the Cherry Blossom 10K this past Sunday.  His time was 33:01, well over a minute ahead of second place.  Carly Graham of Hoboken was the women’s winner in 39:32.  Heather McDermott of Morristown placed third in 42:23.  Close to a thousand runners finished the race.  Only young cherry trees had begun to bloom in the park, thanks to the brutal New Jersey winter, making the title of the race quite a misnomer.

  
BOSTON WILL HAVE NEW JERSEY’S SIKORA RUNNING HIS 33RD

Joe Sikora of Succasunna has to be New Jersey’s ultimate Marathon Man.  On Monday he will be running in his 33rd Boston Marathon and it will be his 25th consecutive marathon.  His wife Anna Lisa has created a 3 foot by 3 foot banner to mark the occasion.  It reads “BOSTON STRONG,  JOE’S 33RD BOSTON MARATHON, 25 IN A ROW.  Thirty three marathons are quite enough, but it will actually be Sikora’s 189th. 

The sixty-six year old Sikora said that he will be doing only two or three marathons per year for now on the “preserve whatever longevity that I may have left”.

Marathoner David Epstein has posted his weather view for Monday and it will not make the runner’s happy.  He says that a storm system approaching from the west will drag a series of frontal systems through the region. 

Quoting Epstein,   For the runners, it will be quite chilly in the morning as they arrive in Hopkinton. With showers around, the wet will only add to the chill. The good news is that temperatures will get into the 50s, and perhaps even 60s, late in the morning or in the early part of the afternoon.

It seems that the runners can’t win anymore in Boston.  Either it gets too hot or too cold.  I’m not sure when they had perfect running weather for the race.  After all the training and the work to qualify for a Boston opportunity they have no choice but to go for it, weather or not.  Best wishes for all runners to have a good race.


RYAN STEIDL 5K HAS MOVED TO SUNDAY

The MK5K, now known as the Ryan Steidl Memorial 5K, has moved from its customary Saturday to Sunday, April 22nd.  The race starts and finishes on Pocono Road at the campus of St. Claire’s Hospital in Denville.   It is a fast course that the race website says has been newly repaved. 

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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

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