RELAYS OFFER DIFFERENT FUN ON THE RUN
You could run 26.2 miles, all by yourself, and of course that would be a marathon. But run 26.2 miles with some buddies taking turns covering the course and now you have a much more enjoyable event – a relay. In this instance the 26.2 miles are the Jersey Shore Relay,( www.jsrc.org ) that is coming up on April 22 starting in Seaside Heights and finishing in Asbury Park.
The course is divided into five legs, and thus each team may consist of five members, or any other number below that. The Madison based Rose City Runners have entered two teams. Much like the River to Sea relay that will take place this summer, there is a staggered start based on the projected finishing time. The slowest teams will go off at 8:20 a.m. with subsequent starts every twenty minutes.
RACES LATER THIS MONTH OFFER CHOICES
Being a runner in New Jersey is like being at Disney World. You don’t know which event to do next. While this coming weekend has no local races due to the Easter Holiday, the next weekend, April 22 and April 23 sports three.
In 2005 runners were delighted to see the return of the Harvest Festival 5K course. While the course was the same, the race, which is on Saturday, April 22nd, is organized by the Morris Knolls Baseball Diamond Club not the Harvest Festival.
The appeal of the course is the net downhill, which results in very fast times on the certified course. The net downhill is because the race course is an open loop that starts at a higher elevation on Diamond Spring Road, with the finish in front of St. Clare’s Hospital on Pocono Road.
Last year the race was won by Mark Bahnuk of Hackettstown in 16:39 with Jeanne Pare of Mendham winning the women’s side in 18:55. Nearly 200 runners finished the race. The only downside is the early start time of 8:00 a.m. Registration begins at 6:45 a.m. at the Denville Community Church on Diamond Spring Road near the start.
The Sparta Main Street 5K on the same day has a 9:30 a.m. start time, with activities lasting all day. In addition registered runners can pick up their race packets on Friday night from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and also enjoy a free pasta meal.
Although the course is considered challenging, close to 300 runners finished the race in 2005. Andy Latincsics of Newton won it with a time of 16:05 with Kelly Bradley of Pennsylvania the women’s winner in 19:37.
On Sunday, April 23rd, the Miles for Matheny event takes place in Peapack and features not only a 5K road race, but also bike races of 12, 23, 32, or 50 miles. With the Midland Run 15K now gone, the Miles for Matheny might be considered a shorter substitute. Fields of horses and cattle, and rolling to challenging hills make for a mini Midland. Erik Prince of Chester won the race in 2005 in 16:56 with Julie Corbin of Mendham the women’s winner in 19:26. Just under 300 runners finished the race.
Besides the lovely course, the race features a true picnic type post run feast at the Matheny School in Peapack. Note that runners must park at the Pfizer Headquarters on Route 206 and then take a shuttle bus to the race site at Liberty Park in Peapack.
On Saturday, April 29th, the 29th Woods and Lakes 5K and 10K will go off from Birchwood Lake in Mountain Lakes. No one under age 30 is allowed in either of the races, making for a unique experience for most runners. No fields of cows and horses adorn the course, but plenty of mud, logs, sand, roots and the occasional frog are the features of this unusual race that is part trails and part road.
Both races go off at 10:00 a.m. Division winners can expect interesting and adult oriented prizes.
Published in the DAILY RECORD of Morris County New Jersey on Sunday, April 9, 2006
Copyright, Madeline Bost, 2006.
