Fall begins in August in New Jersey racing

Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey

On Sunday, August 16, 2015

FALL BEGINS IN AUGUST IN NEW JERSEY RACING

The first two races of the fall championships are getting a head start.  Masters men will race at the Belmar Chase 5K next Saturday, August 22^nd, and all divisions will be racing at Natirar Park in Peapack in the 5km cross country championship on Sunday, August 30^th.

Interest had begun to lag in the club and team grand prix due to late and even non-existent scores.  A number of issues had plagued the team scoring.  They seem to have been surmounted now that David Siconolfi of Compuscore, the dominant race timing company in the state, has been asked to take it over.

The timing is perfect for starting the fall season. Only championships play host to USATF New Jersey team competition, starting with the masters men. 

Currently in first place in the M40 division is the Morris based Garmin team.  They have a good margin with 44 points to second place Adidas Garden State Track Club that has 31 points.  The North Jersey Masters trail by only one point and in fourth place is Morris based Do Run Running Club with 25 points.

In the M50 division it is the Shore Athletic Club that tops the list, but only one point separates them from the North Jersey Masters 33 points to 32.  The Garmin team is in third with 30 points.  The Do Run team rounds out the top five.

The Shore team also leads in the M60 division with 30 points with the North Jersey team second with 28 points.  The Clifton Road Runners are in third place and they dominate the M70.

The Adidas Garden State Track Club has three teams in the top spots in the open men’s division with the Garmin men in fourth.  The Do Run team is in fifth.  The Garden State women’s teams hold first and second in a tie.  In third and well back are the Garmin women with the Clifton Road Runners in fourth.

The Garmin women are in first place in the W40 and W50 divisions.  In the W40 division the Adidas Garden State Track Club is in a tie for second with the Clifton Road Runners.  Following the Garmin W50 team is the North Jersey Masters and Raritan Valley Road Runners.

The Central Jersey Road Runners are in first in the W60 division, with a three way tie for second with the North Jersey Masters, Clifton, and Raritan Valley.

The Morris County’s W70 and W80 teams are the sole contenders in those two divisions.

NATIRAR FOR THE 5KM CROSS COUNTRY

Natirar Park in Peapack hosted the 8km cross country championship in 2014.  The 8km course was tough with two ascents into the upper field that also featured a tough hill.  The younger runners loved it and the more senior runners either stayed away or struggled with it.

This year the 8km will be held at Deer Path Park in October and the 5km is now being held at Natirar.  Runners will still have the ascent into the upper field but they will do it only once.

FAST FIVE FEATURES MORRIS AREA RUNNERS

The Belmar Five that is the masters men’s championship next Saturday is also the final race of the Fast Five Summer series.  The top four men are Morris area runners, with Gary Rosenberg of Morristown in first place, Michael Azares of Parsippany in second and Robert Skorupski and David McLaughlin, both of Rockaway in third and fourth place respectively.

Aya Leitz of Jersey City is in the lead on the women’s side.  Julie Scales of Morristown is in fifth with Roberta Groner of Randolph lurking in sixth shy of one race.  Mary Christian of Flanders is in seventh, also shy one race.  If those two women race at Belmar they will shoot to the top.  In the Fast Five the best four out of five races are counted. 

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Publish only when space permits.  Please do not cut for this tag.

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.