RACING IN MORRIS COUNTY IN MAY Morris County is the scene of several races in May and the variety should satisfy runners of all types. Those who like straight out street racing will be at Chester next weekend, or in Madison. If trails and paths have appeal there is a couple of those the next weekend. If night racing has an appeal then there is one in Madison in the middle of the month. Memorial Field on the main street of the little boro of Chester is the location of the Xercise 5K that is taking place next Saturday, May 3rd. Registration starts at 7:15 a.m. with the 5K going off at 9:00 a.m. Next Sunday, May 4th, on the other side of the county, Madison High School will be the site of the Madison High Five 5K (www.madisonpublicschools.org) that starts at 10:00 a.m. |
On Saturday, May 10th, the Morris County Park Police are hosting a 5K run (www.morrisparkpolice.org), at 9:00 a.m., at Loantaka Brook Reservation that will take runners through the trails in the reservation.
Runners who like a tougher kind of course will be at Lewis Morris Park on Sunday, May 11, for the Morris Mauler 5K trail race, Spring Edition. Note that it is pre-registration only. Check out the website for more details (www.runnersmecca.com).
River Road Park in Bedminster is the site of a first year race on Saturday, May 17th . The Bedminster 5K will start at 9:00 a.m. on a course that is described as a flat out and back on a hike and bike path. No mention is made of age group awards but the top three men and women overall will be recognized.
That same weekend, on Sunday, May 18, the second annual Tanner Birch and Kyleigh D’Alessio Memorial 5K will take place at West Morris High School in Chester Township. Like the Bedminster race, no mention is made of age division awards but prizes will go to the top three boys and top three girls.
The largest race of all in May in Morris County is the Wyeth 5K Run with Pride on Wednesday evening, May 21st at the Giralda Farms corporate campus in Madison. It features corporate team racing for the likes of Foster Wheeler, Roche, Maersk, Schering Plough, Picatinny, AT&T, Verizon, Alcatel Lucent, Novartis, ADP, and of course, Wyeth.
SPRING MARATHONS
Next Sunday is also the date for the New Jersey Marathon, Half Marathon, and Marathon Relay (www.njmarathon.org) in Long Branch. The race has grown into one of the largest road races in the area with several thousand already registered.
This past Monday many Morris area runners were in Boston for the oldest marathon in the country and the top New Jersey man and woman are Morris County runners. Ben Reynolds of Chatham finished in 2:25:23 for fourth in his M40 division. Roxbury High School girl’s track coach Sherry Sikora of Succasunna finished in 3:03:21.
REICHER SET BACK, WILL FINISH ON MONDAY
Jody-Lynn Reicher will finish her ultra run in Port Jervis on Monday afternoon it has been projected, a day and a half later than what had been planned. Reicher left Port Jervis on Monday, April 21st at 8:15 a.m. and reached Cape May Lighthouse on Thursday, April 24th at 6:15 a.m.
Although unexpected events, mostly related to the heat, have slowed her progress she was in good spirits when I spoke with her yesterday afternoon while she was on a break.
“Things happen that you can’t predict when you do a run like this,” she said. “Everything is OK. I’m just going to finish later than I thought I would.”
Reicher has been catching two, one hour naps during two hour breaks each day. She said that she was just finishing a burger and hot dogs and was feeling good. She was in Burlington County, well south of her destination at the northern tip of Sussex County. Reicher’s progress can be tracked at www.ultrasforcharity.com.
SNEAKER FACTORY MEN AND STRIDER WOMEN TAKE SECOND AT CLINTON COUNTRY RUN 15K
Yesterday’s Clinton Country Run 15K was won by Michael Anis of Highland Park in 51:50 with out-of-stater Deborah Gaebler of Irvington New York winning the women’s race in 1:00:19. Richard Burke of Morristown finished third in 53:05 to bring in the Sneaker Factory men’s team in second place in the USATF-NJ team division.
Diane Ross of Flanders placed fourth woman and brought her Morris Country Strider team in for second place. Raritan Valley Road Runners took the top spot on both sides. Jeanne Pare of Mendham, running unattached, placed third woman overall in 1:01:33.
MASTERS FIVE MILE CHAMPIONSHIP IN SUMMIT NEXT SUNDAY
Many Morris runners will need to be in Summit next Sunday for the Our House Five Miler that is the USATF-NJ Masters Championship. All the clubs will have their Masters teams on the line for the start at 1:00 p.m.
Originally published by the DAILY RECORD of Morris County, New Jersey on Sunday, April 27, 2008
Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2008
