FEW RACES UP AGAINST ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHON
Last year as I looked at the race calendar for the first weekend in November, the traditional placement of the ING New York City Marathon that takes place next Sunday, I mused that it was a perfect weekend to hold a race as there were none going on in the area.
One savvy race director, Dave Hoch, of East Brunswick has plucked his Morris Mauler 5K, Hibernation Edition, that took place last year on November 21st, and set it down in fertile ground on the calendar. It will be run this Saturday, November 5th.
You’ve all seen the application, and some of you have run the race and know the course. It is a combination of trail and cross country terrain with the emphasis on trail. The course is described, quite accurately I am told, as being the toughest 5K race you’ve ever run. On Hoch’s Hillometer Chart it is rated a 9.1 with 10 being the toughest. Although some of the descriptions on the application appear to be tongue in cheek runners cannot complain of not being warned.
The course records would bear this out. Dan Feder of Princeton, who routinely runs a road 5K in under 17 minutes, holds the men’s record of 18:50. Similarly Joy Jaworowski of Jersey City, who runs around 20 minutes, has the women’s best time of 22:39.
The race is run at Lewis Morris Park in Morris Township, which is reached, via Route 24 west of Morristown on the way to Mendham. The start time is 10:30 a.m. More information is at www.runnersmecca.com.
The Mauler will have some competition from the Run for Runaways at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater that is also next Saturday. Last year the race had extraordinary entry fees, which I noted in this column. Those fees have dropped to $20.00 for pre-entry with a two dollar discount for USATF-NJ members, which go up to $25.00 on race day, putting the race right in line with many races in the area.
The course will be like a pleasant walk in the park when compared to the Mauler as it is run on paved paths within Duke Island Park.
The Run for Runaways donates all of the proceeds from the race to the Somerset Home for Temporarily Displaced Children, a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing services to youth and young adults who are at risk of homelessness or maltreatment.
Registration can be done on line up until Friday, at www.runforrunaways.com and on race day. A two mile walk begins at 9:00 a.m., with the 5K going off at 10:00 a.m. Kiddy dashes take place at 11:00 a.m.
SUNDAY COULD STILL USE A RACE
Both of the aforementioned races will take place on Saturday. I hold to my view that New York Marathon Sunday is a perfect time for a race. Not everyone is a marathoner, and not every marathoner runs New York. While some folks like to go in to the marathon to help out a friend, many do not.
My bet is that a lot of runners would be happy to get in a 5K race on Sunday morning and then go home and watch the marathon on tape or CD.
CROSS COUNTRY RACE AT HOLMDEL SHOWED INCREASE IN RUNNERS
Last Sunday’s USATF-NJ Cross Country Championships drew 142 men and 63 women who took the challenge on the Holmdel Park course that high school runners love to hate. In 2004 the numbers were 128 and 51, respectively.
The winner of the men’s race was Tim Mulligan of Whiting who finished in 16:03. Team competition reigns in cross country and Mulligan’s Fleet Feet Open team had three men in the top five, with Carlos Martins of Kearny second and Marty Owens of Lewisburg Pennsylvania fifth. Fleet Feet scored 35 points to the Sneaker Factory team, which placed second with 50 points.
The women’s winner was Edann Brady of Allentown Pennsylvania. Brady, who did not run for a team, finished in 18:57. The top Open Women’s team was the Sneaker Factory with 24 points.
Many of the same runners will be at Deer Path Park in Readington this morning for the USATF-NJ 8K Championships. The men’s race will start at 10:30 a.m. with the women’s race an hour later.
Originally Published on Sunday, October 30, 2005 in the DAILY RECORD of Morris County
Copyright MADELINE BOST, 2005