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Hundreds turn out for Turkey Trot
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| | | Coach Bob Szymanski shows the kids at the 1-mile starting line where to go. Photo by John Westermann (click for larger version) | |
December 02, 2009 | 03:39 PM
As they do every year on Thanksgiving morning, hundreds of hardy distance runners gathered at the Miller Avenue Elementary School in Shoreham to challenge the hilly terrain, raise some money for community programs and burn off some of those anticipated extra calories. Shoreham-Wading River track coaches Bob Szymanski and Paul Koretzki hosted the event that is now in its 35th year, and is truly a celebration of the local running community.
"This race is basically a large family gathering on Thanksgiving, with so many people that have been coming for years," Szymanski said. "The parents in this district are a good example to their children. A lot of the kids see that their parents exercise every day because they believe in fitness and longevity. We try to make the day as kid friendly as possible. We added the staggered start in the mile so the kids won't get trampled and we give them their awards right away because we know some people want to get away as quickly as possible."
Shoreham seventh-grader Matt Gladysz won the kids' mile in 6:08. "I started out fast and then got into a good pace and then at the end I sprinted," Gladysz said. Matt's older brother Jimmy runs for Sacred Heart University and was there to cheer his younger brother on.
Rose Andrews followed a similar strategy to victory. "I like to start fast to get away from the pack, and then I just start passing people until the sprint at the end," she said.
Wildcat junior Kevin Sanders (4:49) edged sophomore John Lee (4:53) in the adult mile. "John was near me the whole race," Sanders said. "This was a good day to run. I thought it would be colder out."
Bobby Andrews, a redshirt freshman at North Carolina State won the 5-mile run. Andrews is training for a junior national event in Spokane, Wash., in February. In second place was Sean Norberg of Lock Haven University. Ray Mock of Buffalo State was third and fourth place went to Rocky Point's Chris Cusmano, a recent graduate of Columbia Law School.
The first female 5-miler was Tara Farrell of East Quogue, who explained why she missed a personal best. "I just had a baby (Seth Patrick Farrell Jr.) five months ago, so I'm just happy to be running again," she said.
A few local runners who participated in the race were Stony Brook's Paul Landes; Port Jeff Station's K.C. Brett, Erin O'Shea, Kristin Landau, Louis Stavios, Shane Wolff, Katie Aretakis, Patti Aretakis and Betty Wolff; and Port Jefferson's Don Nenning, Nicole Nenning and Matt Hanley.
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