Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris
County, New Jersey
On Sunday, July 13, 2014
Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2014
Verizon Wireless this Thursday in Morristown
This is a test. What
were you doing the evening of July 18, 2013?
After thinking about it, most who read this column will
respond that they were in Morristown for the Verizon Wireless Corporate Classic
5K race. How did you do in the race?
Trick question. You
didn’t race at all. Remember. It was so hot that the race was converted
into a fun run with the course shortened by about a mile.
Let’s face it. You can turn a race into a fun run, but you
can’t turn a racer into a non-racer.
In 2012 Stryker runner Tradelle Ward of Hoboken was delayed
in traffic and he didn’t make it to the start.
In 2013 the former miler wasn’t about to run at fun run pace. He was hammering the shortened course and was
the first to cross the finish line.
Now you remember. Out
on Early Street the course marshals had their hands full trying to direct the outgoing
slower runners and walkers to move over so that the faster fun runners could
return. Over five thousand runners had registered
for the race and it seemed like most of them had shown up.
With weather like we have been having this summer it is
unlikely that the Classic will need to go to a fun run again. The ten day forecast has Thursday the 17th
with a high in Morristown of 80 degrees with a chance of showers. Start time for the race is 7:30 p.m.
Higginson comes to Morristown
Less than two weeks ago, Ashley Higginson of Clinton was
running the USATF national championship steeplechase in Sacramento. She finished in a personal record of 9:27.59
for the Silver medal, second only to Emma Coburn who finished in 9:19.72.
On Thursday evening the same Ashley Higginson was at the
Lawyers for Kids 5K in Morris Township. She hit the finish line in 18:19 for second
place overall. Mike Soroko of Kinnelon
won the race in 17:29.
Higginson was a standout at Colt’s Neck high school,
attended Princeton University and is currently enrolled in Rutgers studying for
her law degree. So it is not surprising
that she came to Morristown on Thursday for the Lawyers for Kids race. With a 5K road PR of 16:24 and 5,000 meter
track PR of 15:34.85 she was clearly participating and not actually
racing. Higginson is a member of the New
Jersey/New York Track Club, the same club as former Roxbury runner Lauren
Penney.
Higginson is in a summer intern program with Riker Danzig lawyers
group in Morristown and will be racing in the Verizon Wireless Corporate
Classic on Thursday.
A fast moving rain storm hit the area at Ginty Field about
an hour before the 7:15 pm start. Initially
the runners tolerated the rain but it soon turned into a deluge with runners
scampering back to their cars. A little
stream that runs through Ginty Field began to overflow its banks and soon
flooded the area where the event tents were standing. The pop-up
became soaked and frantic staff used chairs to try to flip the pooling
rainwater off the tops.
By race time the rain had become a light drizzle. One runner had no complaints. “In a summer race you are going to be wet
from sweat so why not enjoy the wet from the rain. It keeps you cool.”
Morris County Striders race this Tuesday
Morris County Striders summer series 5K second race of the
series is this Tuesday, July 15th at Johanson Field in Boonton
Township. The first race was won by Zac
Brower of Livingston in 18:10. The first
female was eleven year old Corinne Renshaw of oak Ridge in 21:17. Second place female was ten year old Allison
Lounsbury of Franklin Lakes whose time was 21:55.
##
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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