Spring Sprint 5k @ Shaupeneak

A new addition to the race calendar, the Scenic Hudson Spring Sprint can lay claim to being the toughest 5K in the area. The brainchild of Gunker Jason Taylor, the Spring Sprint covers some wicked, nasty singletrack in the beautiful Shaupeneak Ridge Park, a hidden gem just off Route 9W in Esopus.

A nice Gunk contingent turned out for the inaugural Sprint, with Charlie Gadol leading the way with his third-place overall finish. Paul Muessig followed closely in fifth. Coach Beth outkicked Steve Schallenkamp for 10th overall (and third female).

Gunkers
3. Charlie Gadol 26:21

5. Paul Muessig 27:32

10. Beth Glace 30:38

11. Steve Schallenkamp 30:39

19. Rachel Schabot 35:12

42. Maggie Schoonmaker 46:11

You can view full results here and race photos here.

Kingston Classic: The HEAT is ON!

Damn, it was hot in Kingston for the Classic 10K. The area's premier road race saw unseasonably warm, humid conditions that limited finishes to a record-low number of 418. The winning time of 31:01 was the slowest in at least 10 years.

Top Gunker honors went to road warrior Brian Nagel, who placed 48th in 44:11, good for the win in the 55-59 age group. Pat Lopiano was close behind, placing second in the group in 44:39 (53rd overall).

Other Gunkers:
72. Norman Goluskin 48:06 (1st 70-74)
78. Jason Taylor 48:51
90. Doug Heller 50:14
91. Anne Gullickson 50:15

FOGs
19. Mike Halstead 38:12
20. Robert Muller 39:07
24. Connie Grace 40:09
26. Wayne McDaniel 40:35 (1st 45-49)
37. Mark Wilson 42:00
69. Kristen Hjeltnes 47:48
73. Abidi Bouazza 48:27
101. Winter Eyres 51:13 (1st 20-24)

Boston 2009!

It was a smaller Gunks contingent than last year at the fabled Boston Marathon, but the group's size did not diminish the quality of the performances. One in particular stood out. Kevin Roach, coming off a fantastic 2:57 at New York, set his sights on a PR--and got one, running a brilliant (and palindromic) 2:55:52, a nearly two-minute PR and good for an amazing 58th place in the ultra-competitive 40-49 age group.

Other great performances were turned in by Gunkers Muark Mulpeter (3:15), Rosibel Landau (3:42), and Mary Denitto (an amazing 3:52 at 61 years old!).

Check the Boston website for more information.

Lowe's 5K/Ray's Run

Two mainstays of the early-spring racing calendar, the Lowe's 5K and Ray's Run, attracted the usual slew of solid performances from the Gunkers. Lowe's, in late March, was a hot-spot for New Paltz runners, as Coach Mike Trunkes brought the SUNY team out for their first race of the spring. Mike's athletes took three of the top 5 places in the race, including overall winner Joe Gentsch in 16:58. Mike himself led the Gunkers with his third-place finish in 17:20 (first master). Mendy Taylor ran her first race since sustaining an injury last October, placing third for women in a credible 19:48. Welcome back Mendy! Brian Nagel ran a fine 20:25 to win the 50-59 age group, and Steve Schallenkamp placed third in the same category in 21:22. Complete results can be found here.

Steve co-directed Ray's Run for the umpteenth year, putting on another fine event by all accounts. Gunk participation was limited by volunteering the Boston Marathon, which was run the next day. However, the "exchange" program with the MHRRC that was championed by Steve over the winter paid off, as the Mid-Hudson Runners paid back the Gunkers for their fine showing at Ed Erichson with an excellent turnout. Among Gunkers, Pat Lopiano placed 16th overall, good for third in the 50-59 age group.

Winter Updates: Some random races

Plenty of FOGs out at the Celebrate Life Half Marathon in March, as well as the Race Around Briggs (where we did not get a team together as usual...Steve, why can't we ever make that happen?), so I won't go into detail here, except to mention that Pat Lopiano and Steve Schallenkamp represented the group quite well at Briggs.

Trail racing: at the infamous Mudders and Grunters trail run in Westchester, in addition to an outstanding win by SRC store manager and Gunker/FOG Justin Harris, Paul Muessig ran a strong 42:28 for the exacting 5-mile technical course, good for first place in the 50-59 age group. And there was a slew of good performances at the Mt. Penn Mudfest 15K, a perennial favorite of Gunkers and FOGs, which I detailed on the SRC blog.

At the world-renowned Cherry Blossom 10 mile in Washington, DC, C-Boy continued his excellent 2009 with a brilliant 1:00:50, a new PR for the distance, which landed him fifth in the 50-54 age group. Myron Baker ran a strong 1:07:32 for third among 60-64-year-olds.

Winter Updates: MHRRC Races

February and March saw the start of the Mid-Hudson Road Racers 2009 calendar. The Gunkers made a concerted effort to show up in force for the Winter Run 5 mile in February and particularly the Ed Erichson 5- and 10-milers in March. C-Boy again led the way, though he continued a disturbing trend that carried over from last year of losing to women. Women who run really, really fast.

Winter Run 5-mile

2. Chris Peone 30:03 (1st male)
7. Kevin Roach 30:59
10. Mark Mulpeter 31:41
11. Anne Gullickson 32:15 (3rd female)
12. Brian Nagle 32:49
17. Steve Schallenkamp 34:41 (3rd 50-59)

Ed Erichson 5-mile

5. Brian Nagle 32:50
11. Steve Schallenkamp 36:11

Ed Erichson 10-mile

4. Chris Peone 1:03:13 (1st master)
8. Kevin Roach 1:06:59 (3rd master)
9. Mark Mulpeter 1:07:58
11. Anne Gullickson 1:09:52 (3rd female, 1st master)
17. Doug Heller 1:15:49

Full results are available here.

Winter Updates: Viking Run

Now that we've gotten used to nice warm weather, running in shorts, and clear trails up on the mountain, I thought it was just about time to post some results from the winter.

Honestly, I don't know what happened over the last few months. My apologies for not getting any race result updates since basically January. No excuses. But now that the spring season is in full swing, it's time to get this show on the road.

I'll post a few results in semi-chronological order. Fortunately for you I wasn't at any of the races we've missed, so I won't have much to say about them.

I'm reserving this first update post for the Viking Run, since as usual the results were dominated by Gunkers and FOGs, and as usual C-Boy led the way with a fine fifth-place finish.

Gunkers:
5. Chris Peone 43:08
8. Gavin Gullickson 44:58
9. Tomi Stern 45:15
13. Rosibel Landau 45:48
14. Fred Stewart 45:58
18. Pat Lopiano 48:06
24. Anne Gullickson 49:17
28. Jason Taylor 50:37
33. Patti Lankhorst 52:01

FOGs:
2. Brian Hickey 40:03
3. Robert Muller 43:35
12. Myron Baker 45:42
23. Mike Halstead 49:08
39. Mary Denito 54:45
59. Doug Freese 61:31

Full results are available here. If I've missed anyone please email me and I'll add you.