The Rose City Runners were busy competing at various races in April. On April 13, the Run for Rachel 5K, was held in Livingston  Unlike the first two races that were competed for all age divisions, this 5K was only a USATF-NJ Championship race for Open Women. The weather turned cold right before the opening horn at a little after 9:30 in the morning. Eventually 613 runners would cross the finish line including 5 women representing our Open Women's team for the Rose City Runners. 

So how did we do in our first competitive Women's 5K race as a club? The answer is Excellent!  Our team was represented in this Open 5K race by Kimberly Borin, Mecca Cerny-Geisendorpher, Betty Fisher, Barbara Franz, and Kathleen Lifland. Out of sixteen teams entered in this Championship race, our runners came in sixth place. Our top Woman runner for the day was Barbara Franz in a very competitive time of 22:13 for the 3.1 mile race. Our best place finisher for her age group was Kathy Lifland, who once again won the 50-54 Women's division, in a time of 22:30. Other runners who cracked the top ten in their age group were Barbara Franz (5th in 40-44 age), Kimberly Borin (9th in 40-44 age), and Betty Fisher (9th in 50-54 age). Mecca Cerny-Geisendorpher just missed making the top 10 by coming in 11th place in the 25-29 age group. 

The Rose City Runners were well also represented at the 112th edition of the Boston Marathon. By far the best performance came from the Secretary and web guru of our Club , Barry Lass, who not only broke through the 3 hour barrier but he destroyed it with a smoking time of 2:55:47. Barry's average pace over 26.2 miles was 6:43 per mile! Wow! 

Along with Barry, two more of our runners were under their qualifying times to return for the 2009 Boston Marathon. They were Dick Helmer (3:42:27) and Lynn Castrataro (3:49:13). Both Dick and Lynn claimed the weather was too hot but their times showed that they are still elite runners in their age groups. 

Two more of our runners had already qualified for the 2009 Boston Marathon by running outstanding marathon races last Fall and Spring. Both running their first Boston, Barbara Franz finished in 3:51:48 and Arlene Driscoll finished in 4:14:59. 

Two of our newest members of the Rose City Runners also turned in runs to be proud. Denise Byrnes finished the run from the Town of Hopkinton to the City of Boston in 3:59:34 and Paddy Smith completed the run in 4:00:43. 

We did have one other runner from our Club who finished the 26.2 mile course. Nearly an hour behind his friend Barry, a guy named Washburne was lucky to finish in a time of 3:52:29. Both men plan on running the 2008 Chicago Marathon on Columbus Day (October 12, 2008). Chicago is almost full so if you want to join them in the Windy City you need to register soon. Click here for application: Bank of America Chicago Marathon   

The fourth USATF-NJ Championship race for 2008, the Clinton Country Run, was held at Bundt Park on April 26. The 15K was a USATF-NJ Championship race for Open Men and Open Women. The weather was cool before the opening horn from the fire engine at a little after 9:30 in the morning. Eventually 214 runners would cross the finish line including 12 people representing our Open Men's and Women's team for the Rose City Runners. 

Our Women's team was represented in this Open 15K race by Kimberly Borin, Mecca Cerny-Geisendorpher, and Christine Cooke. At the award  ceremony  following the race, our women were announced as finishing in third place but the updated race site at Compuscore now lists them as finishing in fourth place. In any case, they all had great runs! Our top Woman runner for the day was Kimberly Borin in a very competitive time of 1:15:47 for the 9.3 mile race. We had a tie for best place finisher for her age group between Mecca and Christine, who both won medals for third place. Mecca was third among 25-29 women in a time of 1:18:43 and Christine was third among 30-34 women in a time of 1:23:24.  

On the Men's side, we were represented by Andy Bria, Karl Fenske, Michael Flynn, Gary Galang, George Grosso, Lou Grunfelder, Doug MacGibbon, Murray Resinski, and Mark Washburne. Our men's team finished in sixth place for the 15K. Our top runner by time and age place was Murray Resinski, who finished first among 35-39 men in time of 56:36. Also winning a medal was Andy Bria, who finished in second place for 30-34 year old men in a time of 1:07:26. Newcomer to Rose City, Michael Flynn, just missed a medal by coming in fourth place among the 35-39 men in a time of 1:04:43. Also breaking the top ten in their age groups were Karl Fenske (fifth in 55-59), George Grosso (eighth in 60-64), and Doug MacGibbon (ninth in 60-64).  

Our next USATF-NJ Championship race is the Our House 5 Miler, for Masters Men and Women, run in nearby Summit on May 4.  If you are a Masters runner, we really could use you for this race since a few people have already indicated they cannot race in Summit because they are running the New Jersey Marathon or the 5K in Madison that day. Please signup for the Our House soon as pre-registration ends on April 28 when the price jumps from $16 (includes $2 USATF discount) to $20. Applications can be found at www.compuscore.com.         

In early May, we also have another Championship race to consider. On May 10, the Newport 10,000, for Open Men and Women, will be raced in Jersey City.  The application for this race can also be found at www.compuscore.com and, as always, once you have registered inform me so I can place you on the team.