Groner chalks up two wins in one week

Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey

On Sunday, July 3, 2016

GRONER CHALKS UP TWO WINS IN ONE WEEK

Roberta Groner, 38, of Randolph won the women’s division of the Fitzgerald’s Lager run 5K this past Sunday in 16:37.  Groner was fifth overall and just two seconds off the PR she set at the New Milford 5K the week before.

Twenty-five year old Rob Albano of Pompton Plains won the race in 15:20.  The open men’s championship drew an even two dozen teams, with the local club, the North Jersey Masters claiming first in the team division.  Second went to the Morris area Garmin team lead in by Karl O’Reilly of Morristown who placed second overall in 16:20.

The Clifton Road Runners took third and the Shore Athletic Club was fourth with 62 year old Reno Stirrat of Rockaway their second scoring man with his 18:19 that age graded at 88.56%.  In fifth place was the newly formed Freedom Runners team, lead in by Atilla Sabahoglu of Somerset in 16:36, just ahead of Groner.

New kids on the block, NJ Racing Project and also a Morris area club placed eighth with Beau Atwater of Bernardsville first man on the team in 17:54, good for second behind Stirrat at 87.68% in age grading.

Nora Cary, 61, of Morristown finished in 20:58 winning her age division and scoring first on the masters age grading at 89.43%.  Groner’s 16:37 puts her first in that category at 90.30% when all ages are combined.

Over 1,150 runners finished the race in what was the most favorable weather ever for the race that starts at 6:15 p.m.   A cool breeze along with low humidity made for perfect summer racing.

GRONER WINS SUNSET CLASSIC ON THURSDAY NIGHT

Roberta Groner did it again.  On Thursday night at the Sunset Classic in Bloomfield Groner finished eleventh overall in 29:59.  With an identical time training partner Beau Atwater finished in twelfth place.

Groner is running in the Brentwood Firecracker 5K, near Pittsburg on the Fourth of July, so the Sunset Classic was not a target race.  In fact Atwater said that they started together with the intention of running at a conversational pace for the first couple of miles; then pick up the pace enough to have negative splits.  He said that Groner was encouraging him to stay on pace the last couple of miles in order to register those negative splits.

FRANTIC FUN RUN WON BY MASTER WOMEN, ELENA ROZHKO

Groner wasn’t the only Morris area woman to win a race this week.   Elena Rozhko of Morristown won the Frantic Fun Run 5K at Fosterfields Living Historical Farm on Tuesday evening.  Rozhko, 43, finished the cross country style race in 20:43, first overall.  Leonard Huffman, 42, of Bedminster finished next in 21:33.

MORRIS COUNTY STRIDERS 5K RACE ON TUESDAY

The first race of the Morris County Striders 5K summer series was the day after the President’s Cup Night Race and three days after the New Milford 5K.  Yet there was a good turnout for the race with 101 finishers.  This Tuesday, July 5^th is the second of four races.

The first race was won by Robert Skorupski of Rockaway in 17:58.  It was a sweet victory for Skorupski who also won the first race of the 2015 season in 18:47.  On the women’s side Caroline Perry of Hopatcong was first in 22:08

The race is run on a newly cindered cross country course at Johanson Field off Powerville Road in Boonton Township.  Start time is 7:00 p.m.

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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.