Summer Solstice: Mendy wins again!

As expected, the Gunkers turned in several top-notch performances at the Summer Solstice 15K in Minnewaska State Park on Wednesday night. A good field of over 180 runners, including some top local talent, braved the threat of inclement weather and made this benefit for the Lou Gross Memorial Fund a great success. Race director Steve Schallenkamp took a break from beating everyone (though not a break from talking very loudly) and put on an excellent race as usual.

Mendy Taylor easily ran away with the women's title, her fourth victory of the young season. Her 56:02 set a new women's course record and beat FOG runner-up Connie Grace by nearly two and a half minutes. Anne Gullickson PR'd for the Solstice course, running an excellent 60:11 to finish fifth overall.

Summertime Gunker Lukas Siska had a great 15K debut, running 50:57 for third overall to lead the Gunk men. Yours truly had a good workout, if not the strongest mental performance of my career, placing sixth in 53:18.

Other results from Solstice:

Gunkers
Kevin Roach, 18th, 59:18
Chris Peone, 23rd, 59:53
Brian Nagle, 25th, 60:00
Pat Lopiano, 27th, 60:24
Mark Mulpeter, 33rd, 61:35
Norman Goluskin, 69th, 69:07

FOGs
Wayne McDaniel, 11th, 57:57
Marisa Hanson, 13th (3rd female), 58:24
Barry Henck, 30th, 60:57
Jan Cyr, 101st, 76:08
Winter Eyres, 102nd, 76:08
Dan Winfield, 112th, 78:16

Full results are available here.

Onteora Mile

Anne Gullickson continued to show impressive range this spring, as she followed a 3:05 at Boston and a 19:32 Freihofer's 5K with a convincing win in the women's race at the Onteora Mile last weekend. Her 5:56 took the women's title by nearly 50 seconds. Anne's son Gavin continued his fine spring, running 5:06 (he's 14 years old! That's nuts!) for fourth place overall, edging out masters extraordinaire Steve Schallenkamp (fifth in 5:09). Other fine performances were turned in by Gunkers Pat Lopiano (14th, 5:41) and Brian Nagle (15th, 5:47).

Complete results are available here.

The Onteora Mile was the fifth race in the Onteora Grand Prix Series. Two-time defending champ Steve Schallenkamp extended his overall lead with his fifth-place finish; he appears well on his way to a third consecutive series championship. The next race in the series is the Highland Rail Trail 8K on July 19.

Violet Avenue Twosome

The Gunkers dominated the Violet Avenue Twosome last weekend, sweeping the top three places overall and most of the category awards as well. The race, hosted by Gunkers Jon and Tomi Stern, pits two-person teams against each other, each team member running 1.5 miles on an out-and-back course.

Mike Trunkes, who splits time competing for the CPTC and the Gunks, teamed up with summertime Gunker Lukas Siska to take the overall title in 15:14. Lukas' 7:35 and Mike's 7:39 were the two fastest splits of the day. Second overall and first in the Co-ed division were C-Boy and Mendy Taylor, running 16:30. Mendy's 8:07 was the fifth-fastest individual split of the day, and by far the fastest by a female runner. C-Boy's 8:23 was good for the eighth-fastest split on the day. Gunks teams swept the second and third spots in the Co-ed division as well; Anne and Gavin Gullickson teamed up to run and excellent 17:51, and coach Beth Glace and Pat Lopiano placed third in 19:16.

Steve Schallenkamp anchored the third-place overall, and second in the all-male division, team, running 8:17 for his split. High schoolers and Gunk offspring Jordan Stern and Gabby Mancuso teamed up to win the all-female division in 18:52. Norm Goluskin and Don Davis ran pretty fast for a couple of old guys, taking the men's 60-69 division in 21:35. Norm's 10:18 works out to a 6:52 pace, which, if I do say so myself, is moving.

Freihofer's Run for Women

The Shawangunk women took center stage last weekend, traveling to Albany for the Freihofer's Run for Women, one of the largest and most prestigious all-female races in the world. Undaunted by a world-class field of over 3000 runners, the ladies turned in a gaggle of top-flight performances that solidified their status as the top women's team in the Hudson Valley.

As she has all spring, Mendy Taylor led the way, charging to a 22nd-place finish overall (8th American) in a sparkling 17:35, a 49-second PR. Mendy seems to get better and better each week, and has the rest of us wondering how fast she can actually go. She wound up fourth in her age group, leaving in her wake, among others, age-group world record-holder Marisa Hanson and Olympic gold medalist Joan Samuelson. (Lest you think Joanie is finished at 51, she still can run sub-18 minutes and sub-2:50 in the marathon.)

Gunks marathon ace Anne Gullickson turned in her finest 5K in years, running a stellar 19:32 for 60th overall and fourth in her age group. Fellow 40-44 age grouper Tomi Stern ran an excellent 20:29 to place eighth in the bracket. Alyson Homo-Schank ran 21:52 for eighth place among 35-39 year olds, and Gayle Mancuso was right behind in 21:59, placing seventh in the 45-49 bracket.

The next generation of Gunks women put on a fine show as well, with Gabby Mancuso running 19:29 for tenth among 15-19 year olds, and Jordan Stern running a solid 22:09. The Mancusos placed second in the mother-daughter team division and the Sterns placed third among 118 teams. The club team of Mendy, Anne, and Tomi finished an excellent fifth overall in the Open division. (Had Anne, Tomi, and Gayle entered as a master's team, they would have placed second.)

Full results are available here. Amazingly, every one of the Gunks women placed among the top 200 in a race of over 3000 finishers. For the team to come away with such a slew of individual age-group awards and high team placings is an amazing testament to their talent and dedication. Way to go ladies!