Cranford Boys 2006 XC Preview

Joe McKenney has been a major player in the Union County cross country scene for such a long time it seems inconceivable that the Cranford star still has his senior year ahead of him but that’s the reality when you win the county cross country championship and are a first team all state selection in track as a sophomore.

McKenney, who has run 4:21 for 1600 meters and 9:20 for 3200 meters, is hoping to bounce back from what was by his lofty standards a disappointing junior year last season and lead a very young Cougar team which will be coached by former star Tim Styler, who replaces Ray White after 37 successful seasons.

“He’s hungry for a really good senior season and if he stays healthy he should get back to where he wants to be,” said Styler.

“Joe sets an excellent example for our younger runners with his strong work ethic and they all look up to Joe for what he’s accomplished.”

“This is my senior year and I have the most experience, so I feel like I should be the leader this year,” said McKenney.

Although many of his performances would have been good enough to win the conference and county titles in most years, McKenney was unfortunate to be competing against Westfield’s Jeffrey Perrella, one of the state’s top three runners.

“I just had a lot of things go wrong last year. It wasn’t just one thing but a combination of things and once Jeff started beating me, I lost confidence,” recalled McKenney.

McKenney is the only remaining member from the Cougar team of 2004 that won the school’s first Group II championship in the school’s storied history. That team also featured Josh Hanke and Kevin Brown, who both graduated in 2006 and with McKenney formed the heart of last year’s team.

Styler realizes that this is a rebuilding season but is expecting improvement as the season progresses.

“Our kids worked hard during the summer and have put in quality miles since the end of the school year. We expect to see the results of that work as the season goes along,” said Styler.

After opening against Rahway this past Tuesday, the Cougars will be tested at the Cherokee Challenge tomorrow.

“It's a two mile race which will be a good early season indicator on our fitness,” said Styler.

With the move to the Mountain Valley Conference(MVC), Cranford will be facing almost a completely different set of teams from the last few years. Even local rivals Westfield and Scotch Plains Fanwood have been dropped but Styler expects no drop off in competition.

Union Catholic and Roselle Catholic are expected to be two of the top teams in the county this year and Styler thinks they match up well with Westfield and Scotch Plains.

Styler is also pleased that the MVC championships are a week earlier than the Watchung Conference.

“I like the earlier date because it allows us to get some quality workouts and

race less. Many people don't understand all the racing takes its toll. I

am a firm believer in "making deposits in the training bank" in order to

have enough quality that we can withdraw at the end of October and

especially the three consecutive weekends in November for the state meets,” said Styler, who still holds numerous school records in cross country and track .

“Last year we had some growing pains, with a lot of first and second year Cross

Country runners who needed time to mature,” noted Styler.

“When you go from being amongst the top teams in the state with a number of All Americans on your roster and having to step right up and fill those roles as underclassmen it's a challenge. I think this year these boys are ready to reclaim the tradition.,” added Styler.

Hot Summer Pizza

When Westfield Mayor Andy Skibitsky started the 2006 Westfield Downtown 5K and Pizza Extravaganza by blowing an air horn at the corner of Broad Street and Elm at just after 7 pm on the final Wednesday of July, he unleashed a cacophony of 1525 sets of pounding feet which must have seemed like the culmination of a five year dream for Race Director Sherry Cronin.
After four years of steady growth the race exploded in its fifth rendition and could turn out to be the largest 5K in the state and by the rousing enthusiasm of its participants the numbers should continue to grow.
“We are very pleased with the amount of enthusiasm and number of runners this
year. The race gets better and better each year,” said Cronin.
“It was great night for Westfield and a fantastic chance for us to show off our beautiful town,” said Skibitsky, who also hosted the telecast for Cable Channel 36.
As expected Cronin was gushing with enthusiasm and relieved that the race avoided weather problems for the first time since 2003. While the race time temperature was in the high 80’s with stifling humidity it still was a marked improvement over the previous two years, when severe thunderstorm warnings and heat warnings complicated pre race preparations.
“The weather was great and the non-threat of rain that evening was a big
relief. “ said Cronin.
What greatly enhanced the numbers was an incredible post registration of
574 runners, many who traveled significant distances.
“Many of them had their pre-mailed registrations completed and brought them to the event,” noted Cronin.
“.Many others downloaded the form off the website and brought that with them.
We also had a lot of marketing in the last week of the race which probably
helped to bring in a lot of post-registrants.”
With the overwhelming success in year five comes new challenges for 2007.
The huge turnout on narrow Broad Street made for a congested start and a tenuous first turn into Mindowaskin Park.
“We have recognized that there is a limit to how large the event can become.
We will be evaluating feedback and making adjustments for next year,” said Cronin.
“There was emergency roadwork in front of the first turn which made the roadway even tighter before the turn. We also may have to require baby joggers fall to the back of the race.” said Cronin.
Almost forgotten in the hoopla was a well contested race won by a familiar face, Gene Mitchell, owner of the Running Company chain of stores won his third straight title with a time of 15:08, twenty seconds ahead of Ben Reynolds of Chatham. The Running Company was also the race’s lead sponsor and contributed a state of the art running shirt for the first 1500 registered runners.
Unlike last year when Mitchell led nearly wire to wire, he was pushed through the first mile by Reynolds who held a slight lead as Mitchell clocked 4:55. Mitchell made a strong move on an uphill just after the mile mark and pulled away from Reynolds, hitting 2 miles in 9:50 and he enhanced his lead in the final mile with his fastest mile(4:48).
“It was very tough night to run so I just tried to run an even pace,” said Mitchell.
“Ben is a very strong runner and he made me earn it. Overall I would have to say this was the most difficult of my three victories. Maybe I’m just getting old,” said Mitchell who turns 39 in August.
Reynolds, 42, was an easy winner in the masters division over Paul Buccino of Westfield. Buccino, the head track and cross country coach at Morristown High School and husband of Westfield Girls Indoor Track coach Jen Buccino defeated his twin brother Peter by nine seconds but was the second Westfield finisher to recent WHS graduate Jeffrey Perrella, who was sixth in 15:56.
“I’m in the middle of base building for the fall season, so overall I’m pleased with my performance,” said Perrella, who will run for William and Mary this fall.
Perrella pointed to Blue Devil junior Alex Tarlow as the team leader this fall after Tarlow ran an impressive 17:12.
Second a year ago, Brian Harris, who manages the Running Company’s Westfield store, ran two seconds faster than 2005 but fell to fourth, losing a close battle with Chris Heibell of Hillsborough.
“I just couldn’t get it to the next gear,” said Harris who finished in 15:46.
“I’m a little disappointed because my legs just didn’t respond,” added Harris, who won the Cranford Firecracker Four Mile earlier in July.
Fellow Running Company member, Heather Gardiner of Franklin Lakes, the women’s winner at Cranford, was second to Amy Van Alstine of Midland Park, who defended her title in 18:08.
Debby Hall ran 19:59 to finish first in the women’s master’s division and was also the first Westfield female finisher. Other Westfield residents that won their age group included Caroline Williams (14 and under), Cynthia Benn (45 to 49) and Madeline Salom (55 to 59),
A race so large could not succeed without dedicated sponsors and volunteers.
“Our race sponsors enable the event to take place since registrations alone
do not cover the cost for running the event,” noted Cronin.
In addition to The Westfield Running Company other Gold sponsors were Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield and Overlook Hospital. Stop & Shop was a Silver Sponsor and TSS and Washington Mutual were Bronze Sponsors.
Contributing sponsors included The Town Bank, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Lord & Taylor, Commerce Bank, Center for Orthopedic Surgery & Sports Medicine, North Fork Foundation, and Sneaker Factory.
Supporting Sponsors included Redco Engineering, Mountainside Wellness, Amper, Politzner & Mattia, Century Carpet, and Dr. J. Mark Albertson.
At any race the unsung heroes are the volunteers who work tirelessly at numerous tasks to assure a good race experience. Former DWC Executive Assistant Meg Mehorter directed over 100 volunteers who flawlessly handled such diverse tasks as stuffing race bags, manning water stops and doling out over 4000 slices of pizza.
The Westfield Jaycees handed out the pizza and cookies. Girl Scouts handled the water stops. The Westfield Y brought a crew of volunteers to assist with many jobs. The Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce helped with course marshals. Many volunteers who already serve on the Downtown Westfield Corporation Board of Directors and Committees also assisted. Manny of Westfield Coastal brought his 1957 three-wheeled BMW and
Vespa motorcycle for the race beginning and dressed as the Cosimo's chef.
David Martone, DWC Chairman and proprietor of Classic Thyme, dressed as the
Ferraro's chef.
For the fifth straight year Mark Zenobia of On Your Mark
Productions was the chief race organizer assisted by Courtney Nemec, DWC Executive Assistant, and Laura Pietruszki, DWC Intern.
Cosimo's Restaurant & Pizzeria and Ferraro's made 550 pizzas for the night. Shop-Rite of Garwood, Xocolatz, and Stop & Shop provided the cookies. The Flower Zone provided the flowers for the female winners. TSS Maintenance provided the clean-up crew during the event. Michael Craig Band and Night Moves DJ provided entertainment. Trader Joe's provided water for the water stops. Brooks Crandall, Tiger Paw Images, and DWC Design Committee Chairperson Karrie Hanson took photographs. The Town of Westfield
provided the stage, garbage removal, chairs and barricades. The Westfield
Police Dept. handled traffic control and road closures during the event.
The Westfield Fire Dept. provided hose-down areas for the runners on the
course. Many Westfield businesses provided goodies for runners in
promotional products and offers.
And last but not least was the pizza which was again eaten in record numbers and the volunteers who never stopped smiling as they quickly shuffled slices from boxes to plates.
Running for the fifth straight year, Don Hessemer of Fanwood succinctly summarized the reasons for the race’s overwhelming success.
“This is a great race to run. For me it's close to home, there are a
lot of familiar faces to socialize with and you can't beat the free
pizza".

Summer Pizza Part 5

The numbers do not lie. There is a middle of the summer phenomena in Westfield. In just its fifth year the Westfield Downtown 5K and Pizza Extravaganza has established a reputation and turnout that is the envy of many older and more established races. The event, which starts at 7 pm Wednesday at the corner of East Broad and Elm Streets, has shown phenomenal growth in its first four years, and is one of the top five overall races in New Jersey for attendance, ranking only behind the Flemington 5K among short distance races.
The race is organized by the Downtown Westfield Corporation(DWC) and was the brainchild of Alan DeRose, an avid runner and former Chairman of the DWC
and Meg Mehorter, a former Executive Assistant.
“They are both runners and wanted to create a health related event that would
promote our vibrant downtown as well.as our beautiful residential areas,”
said Sherry Cronin, Executive Director.
“It helps the DWC because it provides exposure of our business community, which is the goal of the DWC. “
After nearly a thousand finishers the first year, the race has continued to grow and had an impressive 1326 finishers last year. That total was held down by dangerous heat which prompted all sorts of precautionary measures.
With the heat index hovering near a dangerous 110 degrees much of the day, the organizers were prepared to make the race a fun run if the heat index was over 100 by race time. They also checked Doppler radar every ten minutes for the Fire Department in order to gauge the path of oncoming storms. Fire truck hoses were brought onto the course with hoses stationed near the finish line if necessary.
Amazingly enough, 33 more finished the race than the year before and with decent weather the number would have likely exceeded 1600. Many registrants were unable to get to the starting line and the race day signup, which was over 400 in 2004, was more subdued.
“We think that we can get 1800 runners with favorable conditions ,” predicted Cronin, who attributes numerous reasons for the runaway success.
“People love Westfield and this race is different that many others. It is a
night race which the runners respond very well to. It brings people
downtown on a night which is less busy than other summer nights,” noted Cronin..
“In the past, it was 43% attended by residents of Westfield and the five surrounding towns. So it proves that this race has a far reach beyond the neighboring community. “
After a packed start on the main streets, the course winds its way through Mindowaskin Park before heading down Tuttle Parkway past Roosevelt School The course heads down Edgewood Avenue and the two Mile mark is on Effingham Place. The last mile is an uphill straightaway down Elm Street
However, the end of the race only signals the beginning of an entertaining and pallet satisfying evening. There will be a DJ and live music by the Michael Craig Band and lots and lots of pizza. It will be a team effort of the downtown pizzerias and restaurants.
Westfield’s top running store, The Westfield Running Company has made its mark in many aspects of the race. The co-owners, Gene and Amanda Mitchell of Franklin Lakes in Bergen County are the respective men’s and women’s record holders and have won two men’s and two women’s titles respectively. They opened their seventh store in Westfield the day of the 2003 race. Gene Mitchell had finished second in 2002 and 2003 but has won the past two years.
Runnerup last year was another Running Company member, Brian Harris of Clinton, who manages the Westfield store and should be among the leaders again this year.
“We recognize the importance of this race,” said Harris.
“Westfield is a very good running town and this is one of the most successful races around.”
Harris recently won the Cranford Firecracker Four Mile on July 4 and would not think of missing this race.
“This is a pretty easy race for me to enter. There is no other race closer to where I work,” said Harris.
“Our store is strategically located neat the beginning and end of the course, so it gives us the opportunity to meet with and help runners before and after the race,” added Harris.of the store, located at 17 Elm Street. Another new sponsor this year is Overlook Hospital of Summit.
For the fifth sraight year the race production will be handled by Mark Zenobia, of On Your Mark Productions,” He does a terrific job ,” said Cronin who also mentioned the Westfield Jaycees who provides many volunteers for distributing pizzas. In addition, volunteers from the Downtown Westfield Corporation, the Westfield Y, and the Girl Scouts also assist. Businesses also support the event by sponsoring the event and providing promotional items for the runner’s bags
The first 600 registered runners will receive embroidered caps and the first 1500 get T-shirts, which use a dri-fit technology which retails for over $20.
The pre-registration fee is $20 and is $25 the day of the race. In addition, runners will have plenty of pizza to eat-no matter how long the race takes them.

The father of East Brunswick 10K

After twenty years of participating in the East Brunswick 10K as both a runner and volunteer (usually both) I finally got to meet the person whose name has been on so many of those long sleeve shirts. This year the legendary New Brunswick track coach John Ragone was an honorary starter of both the 5k and 10k to lend a historic footnote to the races he helped start.

I was hoping Mr. Ragone wasn’t too disappointed at the small turnouts for the two races and that he realizes the challenges of attracting runners to fall races that aren’t marathons or marathon tune-ups. More and more the running choices tend to be either very long or very short. The 10k’s, which used to be so easy to find, are slowly being blanched from the race calendar, replaced by the easier to manage and run 5k.

I still have vivid memories of my first EB 10K from 1986 and one of the best was when the full race results came in the mail about two weeks later. It was sent courtesy of the race director, George Kelly, who was also a software developer. This was a decade before Compuscore and its ilk and was certainly ground breaking at the time. Up to then the only races that ever sent results were the very large ones like Asbury Park. I still have this priceless record of the ninth annual race and it speaks volumes about the quality of racing in that time period. I barely made the front page, 95th out of 463 in 39:39! The ageless one, Roger Price, then 37 was a mere 21st in 34:29, a time exceeded by only two runners this year. Over 1/3 of the finishers were under seven minutes a mile on a course that was very similar to this year’s.

Our own Dave Hoch finished sixth in 32:57 and John Kane was 44th in 36:36 but many of those top finishers have long since left the running scene, making Roger all the more remarkable for twenty plus years of consistency.

Did it mean that runners were better than they are today? The answer seems obvious and the reason could be that there were more good runners who were in their early period of racing, while today many of the runners like myself have long ago run their best race and out there for fitness. Running a pedestrian 49:14 left me sore for several days, a depressing thought but still better than most 49 year olds. I ran as well as I could and had an enjoyable and competitive finish with three other runners, two of whom I beat. The clock time left me accomplishing my modest goal of breaking 50 and it wasn’t my worst time at this race.

East Brunswick was also ahead of its time as one of the few races giving out long sleeve shirts. I’m pretty certain they’ve given out long sleeve shirts every year since, many of which are in my regular rotation of shirts.

East Brunswick 2005 was as well organized a race as I’ve run this year, with a goody bag that was the envy of all other races, chock full of usable items. The course continues to be a perfect combination of rustic roads with some challenging hills and inviting straight-aways that lend themselves to fast times for those fit enough.

While the race in many ways is not what it once was, it had a nice increase in 10k finishers this year and I am certain there was nary a person unhappy with the fabulous amenities. With the new energetic leadership of Catherine Glamkowski, I think this race is in good hands for many years to come, something that should leave Mr. Ragone with a
nice feeling as we near our fourth decade. Long live the 10K!

Running and Baseball

This column was originally written in October 2004.

And on the sixth day I slept. and slept and slept some more. Thankfully the series ended because I couldn’t take much more. It was like running five marathons in five days but my legs weren’t sore just my eyes. Because of a rainout Friday night the Yankees and Red Sox played five straight days of riveting baseball games that ran the whole gamut of emotions. I won’t reveal which side I was rooting for but like most of the Eastern Seaboard I was entranced by what transpired in the best rivalry in sports. There is no second best. There is nothing even close that approaches the history, the different cultures of the two cities and the huge chasm between the unparalleled success on one side and the unmatched anguish and heartbreak on the other. And if New York and Boston aren’t big enough rivals just consider this; Their marathons occur approximately a week after baseball ends in the fall and a week after baseball resumes in the spring. The Yankees and Boston even fought it out last spring during the Boston Marathon in the annual Patriot’s Day game.

So why is this in a running blog?

Well for starters, there are probably no two activities different than going out for a run and following a baseball game. Running is relentless, inexorably moving forward, usually with a finite goal of either time or distance. Baseball, on the other hand, takes its sweet time delivering its story uncaring whether you need to be somewhere, or whether you should be asleep or whether things should be getting done. And for me the game isn’t enough. I have to hear the commentary and the fan reaction and see if I’m thinking the same way the experts are. And at work, everybody has an opinion and people take sides.
Some take it more seriously than others. Some don’t realize their lives won’t change no matter who wins. I’m happy to see that I finally have that awareness although it took a long time.

So why is this in a running blog?

Well for starters, the weather for most of the series was pretty awful for spectators sitting in those ancient open air stadiums-cool and clammy in the high 40’s to low 50’s . You saw them huddled in their winter clothes hoping they would eventually remember what their hands felt like.Beer and soda were disdained. Hot chocolate and coffee were hoarded just for hand warmers. By the end of a game a spectator could have spent enough money keeping warm and well fed to afford a pair of good running shoes. And all I kept thinking was could I please get weather like this for all my races especially my marathons.

Great! But why is this in a running blog?

When I figure that out, I’ll let you know but right now I’m too drained and going through withdrawal. It’s going to be five long months before the Yankees and Red Sox play again. Thankfully I’ll have running to sustain me through the baseball free winter.

Rain cools off Contact Race

At a little after two pm on Saturday afternoon, August 21, 2004,the sky opened up in torrents of rain and heavy wind gusts just like the weather forecasters had been ominously predicting all week. The wind was so vicious that it picked up the volunteer tent and split it in two. But the weather soon improved, as the rain eventually stopped and the stifling humidity broke and the ninth annual Fanwood Contact We Care 5K
proceeded according to schedule.

“The bad weather actually happened at the best time ,” said race director Mark Zenobia of On Your Mark Productions (OYMP). “We had already set up and covered everything and it was better that the thunder and lightning didn’t happen around race time as they had predicted.”

“We’re pleased with the turnout ,” said Jeff Stirrat, director of Contact We Care. “We had over three hundred applicants again and might have done even better if the weather forecast had been better.”

The overall winner was 27-year-old Tirhazovin Khalid of Parsippany,NJ in a time of 16:11 , breaking a two-year streak of Scotch Plains Fanwood High School runners. The previous two winners Bob Wallden and defending champion Zack McGuire chose not to run.

Walter Biner, a 2003 Scotch Plains Fanwood High School(SPFHS) graduate was the first Scotch Plains finished, third overall in 16:41 improving on his ninth place finish a year ago.

“I have been training hard this summer on hills in Watchung Reservation so I felt ready for this course,” said Biner who will be running cross-country at the University of Massachusetts this fall. Biner’s high school coach and current Raider Cross Country coach Jeff Koegel was proud of his former pupil.

“Walter came to me at the beginning of the summer looking for help with his training, so I shared my philosophy on college-level summer training with him. He really dedicated himself to logging the type of miles you need to succeed at the 8K distance,” said Koegel.

“A lot of the miles that he ran were not easy miles, either. It's very easy, living in Scotch Plains or Fanwood, to stick to the flatlands, but he has spent a lot of time running on the other side of Route 22 on the hills.”

Although she did not repeat as women’s champion, Raider senior Mary Shashaty improved her 2003 time by 33 seconds, running 19:47, 13 seconds behind the overall women’s winner Kim Keenan-Kirkpatrick of Pittstown, NJ . Shashaty needed medical assistance after the race because of breathing difficulties but was pleased with her race.

“I think I’m ready for a good season. I ran very well today,” said Shashaty.

“Although we didn't discuss any expectations before the race, my goal was for Mary to run under 20:00, which is a big barrier for high school girls. She had only done so once before, at last year's Watchung Conference meet ,” said Koegel.

“I think she could have run faster had she not been suffering from an exercise-induced asthma attack during the race. I truly believe that she could have run about 20 seconds faster if her respiration had remained normal throughout the race .”

The top Fanwood finisher was junior Josh Zinman who lopped 56 seconds off his 2003 time with an 18:06, good for sixth overall and propelling Zinman to the top of the SPFHS
team.
“I’m sure this was a big confidence boost for him going into the fall having run nearly a minute faster than last year. I think he still can improve on that quite a bit. You have to remember that this was his first race since May 22, “ said Koegel.
.”His training has picked up over the past few weeks and it is starting to show now. He still needs to work on his form a good bit.”

Raider sophomore Allie Hoynes-O’Connor was top Fanwood finisher with a time of 21:09 “ I know she was disappointed that she didn't break 21:00, but I think she will just use that as motivation. I am hoping that Allie will get herself down to the low-20:00's this fall, “ said Koegel.

The most improved Raider runner was sophomore Adam Biner,Walter’s younger brother, who improved from 21:04 last year to 18:54 this year, 13th overall. “He seems to be picking up his effort in training, and he's obviously way ahead of where he was at this point last year. The key now is to get him used to being a varsity runner and dealing with the psychological pressures that accompany that ,” said Koegel.

The top family performance was by the Bencivengo family of Fanwood, where the father 49 year old David was able to outrun his twin thirteen year olds, Greg and Lana in times of 19:46, 20:28 and 22:00 respectively.

In addition to the main event over one hundred children between the ages of two and eleven participated in races from 25 to 200 yards and six wheelchair racers competed in a one-mile race.

“It was a great day ,” said Stirrat.
“We can hardly wait for the tenth annual race next year”.

2004 Contact We Care Preview

The naysayers said that a Saturday evening race at the height of the summer vacation
would never work but the Fanwood Contact We Care 5K have been proving its doubters wrong for eight successful years.
and by late Saturday night there will be a ninth piece of evidence that a well run summer race that pleases its entrants will always draw a loyal following.

If past races are any indication, the race should draw over 300 runners to the 5K events
Saturday night. Under the direction of Mark Zenobia of On Your Mark Productions
(OYMP) and with the help of Frank Gousman and the dedicated volunteers from
Contact We Care the race has become a staple of the late summer running
schedule Debuting in 1996 with 288 runners, the race has drawn between 300 and
400 the past eight years.

“ It’s a solid, local family event...with a tough but fair course. It has good amenities and an eight year history ,”
said Zenobia.

Scotch Plains Raider distance runners both past and present have dominated the 5K the past two years.
Last year 2004 graduate Zack McGuire won the men’s race in 15:56 and senior Mary Shashaty captured the women’s
race in her first road race. The previous year 2002 graduate Bob Wallden out ran McGuire to win by
ten seconds. According to coach Jeff Koegel, who finished third here in 1997, the Raiders will be hard pressed to make this a three-peat.

“The only way it would be three in a row is if one of my alumni wins it, but I don't know if you're planning on counting
on that. No one currently on the team is going to win it- I'm more than a bit disappointed in most of their fitness levels right now, “ said Koegel.

Leading contenders among recent Scotch Plains alumni are Walter Biner and Michael Dixon who have had some strong performances in summer races. McGuire is not expected to enter this year and last years’ top runner Brian Kopnicki
will be preparing for an important time trial at his new school, the College of New Jersey.

Koegel’s women runners led by Shashaty have a better chance of winning the race for a second straight
year. “That's a possibility, but that all depends on who shows up, which you can never
determine in a road race the way you can in a conference or county XC race.
You never know if some area college girl will show up and use this race as a
tune-up before she goes back to school for training camp, or if one of the top
state-level runners will jump in,” said Koegel.

“I have no concern over her winning the race or not, just as I didn't last year
with her or with Zack. It was nice that she won the race, but neither of us
even spoke or thought of it before the race. The sole purpose of us coming and
running this race is to see what kind of fitness level we have at that point and
to see where we need to go with our training from there,” added Koegel.

Another rising Raider women’s star, sophomore Allie Hoynes-O’Connor should finish among the top women.
O’Connor missed last year’s race but was the top freshman distance runner last year and looks forward to running
the race.
“I live right along the course and have been watching this race from in front of my house for several years ,”
said Hoynes-O’Connor.

Fanwood resident Don Hessemer will be running the race for the ninth straight years. “I try to never miss this race,” said Hessemer. “It’s really great that a town like Fanwood can have such a good race.”

The festivities start at 5 pm with a kids sprint for ages 2-11. The races
increase in distance for each age group The main event goes off at 5:45 pm. The
men’s record was 15:25 by Amilcar Duarte in 1998 and the women’s by Jodie
Dariano , a 17:53 in 1998.

The course starts on Martine Ave and crosses LaGrande and South Avenues before
turning right on North Avenue. The one-mile mark is passed as the runners make
a hairpin left onto Midway. The runners go left on Martine and right on south
before crossing the railroad tracks over Sheelen’s Crossing. After going left
on South they run a short distances on 2nd before going right on
LaGrande,passing the finish line and the two-mile mark. They then head left on
Helen Street before making another left onto Coriell and another left on
Martine before turning left one more time back onto La Grande where the finish
line sits in front of the park.

“It is a fair,challenging course with four good upgrades”, said Koegel. After
the race will an invitational wheelchair race at 6:30.

The proceeds from the race benefit Contact We Care a 24 by 7 telephone
hotline serving residents of Union, Essex, Middlesex and Somerset Counties. It
trains and supervises volunteers who listen, understand and assist callers to
work through their problems. The hotline number, 908-232-2880, receives over
1,000 calls per month.