Published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey
On Sunday, February 5, 2017
MORRIS AREA RUNNERS RUN TRACK
Problems with finding a perfect date at a New Jersey indoor
track and field facility have always plagued the New Jersey USATF
association. Indoor facilities are
limited and usually fully booked for high school and college meets. Having a championship on the last Sunday in
January is far from ideal. A championship,
by its very nature should take place at the end of a season, not close to the
beginning.
The track and field committee had to accept that which was
available for the New Jersey meet and so it was held this past Sunday at the
Bennett facility in Toms River. Several
Morris area road runners made the drive down to compete.
The roadies limited themselves to 800 meters or longer with
most tackling only one event. The exception
was Gary Leaman, 57, of Hardwick who raced both the 1,500 meters and the 3,000
meters. The athlete from Hardwick
finished first in his division in the 1,500 in 4:53.97 and 10:07.67 in the
3,000.
Peter Kashulines, 53, of Mountain Lakes opted for the 800
meters which he won in his division in 2:13.52.
Robert Skorupski of Rockaway finished first in the M40 division in the
800 meters in 2:18.16. Susan Stirrat of Rockaway
was first W60 in the 1500 meters in 6:57.55.
Gary Rosenberg of Morristown was first M40 in the 3,000 with
a time of 10:17.37. Randy Miller of Montville
was second to Leaman in the M55 in the 3,000 meters with a time of 12:05.06.
TWO CHARITY RUNS NEXT WEEKEND
Road runners have two opportunities to run next
weekend. Both races are 5K’s and both
are more about fundraising than racing. The
Cupids Chase on Saturday in Morristown is one of several of that name that
raises funds for Community Options, inc. an organization that provides
assistance to people with disabilities.
The race uses a certified course that mimics part of the Verizon
Corporate Classic, the race that is run each July in Morristown. Trophies will be given to the top three men
and women, and unspecified awards in the usual age divisions up to 70 and
older.
On Sunday, the 12th is another opportunity to run
with a group and to raise money for a Morristown family whose daughter Hedda is
dealing with an aggressive form of cancer.
Hedda was diagnosed two years ago with medulloblastoma, a tumor of the
brain. She underwent 55 weeks of chemotherapy
and this past November was pronounced free of the disease.
Hedda and her family that includes brother William, sister
Elva, and parents Camilla and Per Sivertsson celebrated with a skiing trip in
Colorado. The family was devastated upon
their return to learn that the cancer had reappeared. Hedda, now 14, spent six weeks, including
Christmas and New Years in hospital for more treatments.
That’s when neighbor Melissa Pappolla decided to organize a
run to raise funds to help the family. Although
insurance is paying most of the medical bills, other costs are involved
whenever someone is seriously ill. In addition
the family is originally from Sweden and has no relatives in this country to
lean on. They would like to be able to
send for family members to come to visit.
Pappolla’s daughter Grace and the Sivertsson’s daughter Elva
are enrolled in Girl’s on the Run and it was a natural for Pappolla to ask for
help from the organization. She is one
of the leaders of the local troop.
They choose Central Park Greystone and runners and walkers
can choose to do the one and a half mile course at the park, or go for the 5
kilometer course. This is a no frills
event with no t-shirt and no official timing, although a clock will be at the
finish line so that participants can see their finish time. There is no set entry fee and the suggested
donation is ten dollars to participate.
The event will start at 3:00 p.m.
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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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