On Sunday, September 24, 2017
WARM WEATHER NO DETERRENT TO FAST TIMES IN HALF MARATHON
CHAMPIONSHIP
Warm weather did not keep the runners away from the Liberty
Waterfront Half Marathon last Sunday in Jersey City. The hot weather also did not appear to have
slowed the runners down. In 2016 Will
Appman of Hoboken won the race in 1:14.21.
Last Sunday Appman finished the race in 1:13:35 and place fourth
overall! Joshua Izewski of Doylestown PA
won the race in 1:11:46 with Lucas Giugliano of Sparta second in 1:12:13.
The women’s race was won by Japanese runner Sairi Maeda who
finished third overall in 1:12:48, a dozen minutes ahead of second place woman Brianna
Feerst of Brick.
Maeda finished one second ahead of fourth place man,
Japanese runner Takashi Kakimoto.
Was Maeda being paced by Kakimoto? Likely. But Kakimoto was a legitimate
runner. As long as he was legally
entered in the race and wearing a bib number he can run at any pace he
wants.
Spectators reported that Izewski and Giugliano ran together
for most of the race and that Maeda ran a smart race, not rushing but back
several places through the early part of the race before picking off other
runners. It is highly likely that
Izewski and Giugliano knew they were being run down by a woman and were
motivated to not be caught, thus resulting in their fast times.
The astonishing 52-year-old Brian Crowley of Hillsborough
finished in seventh place overall in 1:14:42 which put him at the top of the
Age Grade list with an 88.67% PLP. Reno
Stirrat,63 of Rockaway finished in 1:27:52 to claim second in age grading at
83:51. On the masters women side Nora
Cary, 62, of Morristown finished in 1:39:02 for a PLP of 87.32 % PLP.
The Garden State Track Club won the open men’s division in
the team competition but the Garmin runners placed second with a fine
performance by Stuart Haynes, 41, of Chatham who placed ninth overall in
1:14:54. Garden State took the next
three spots.
With Crowley on the M40 team along with Haynes the Garmin
M40 team averaged 1:18:33 for first in their division.
In the women’s team division, the Clifton Road Runners placed
first in the open division and first in the W40. Local runners helped their teams to win the
W50 division. Cary was on the winning
North Jersey Masters team, and Mary Christian and Susan Kinsella were on the
second place Garmin team. Cary lead in
the winning North Jersey W60 team.
OPEN WOMEN 5K IN LITTLE SILVER NEXT WEEK
Open women have the next championship to run. They’ll be sorry if they missed the deadline
for the $32.00 entry fee. It is now up
at $40.00.
It’s the Little Silver 5K.
Long Distance Running chair Ed Neighbour of Sparta has given the race a
thumbs up to his Morris County Striders teammates. In an email to the club members he wrote, “Consider
running this event. The race has an
excellent post race at the firehouse with lots of food and assorted beer and
wine.”
Before the food, beer and wine he told them, “Great course
with 5 turns and finishes on the track.”
Morris area runners who want to stay closer to home can run
in the Millie’s Pizza Run 10K in Madison.
The 10K is a loop course that starts and finishes at Bayley Ellard and
appears to run around but not in the Giralda Farms corporate complex bordered
by Madison Avenue, Treadwell Avenue, Woodland Avenue and Loantaka Way. The start is a 11:00 a.m.; late enough to
make a post-race pizza slice enticing.
In addition to pizza, for USATF grand prix racers the 10K is
a 500-point New Balance Grand Prix event.
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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
