Two for Two: Delmar Dash Sees Macknight, Flower Run to Victory

Snow covered the ground in the early morning hours prior to the 28th annual Delmar Dash, but the sun made an appearance along with stiff winds and chilly temperatures putting any attempt on Tom Dalton’s course record out of reach. None of the adverse conditions, though, seemed to bother Eric Macknight, who cruised to victory in the men’s competition with a time of 25:22. A truly remarkable time given the headwind in the fourth mile. That left the rest of field to battle for second-place which was taken by Aaron Lozier who ran 27:08. Chuck Terry made a strong challenge to Aaron Lozier for second but pulled out of the race due to a calf injury. John Farley from the Willow Street Athletic Club captured third place in 27:21.

The women’s open competition saw 17-year-old Julia Flower repeat her victory from the Running of the Green clocking 29:35 to beat runner-up Karen Bertasso (30:04) by just under 30 seconds. The top 3 ran the first mile together at 5:45 before Julia Flower pulled away with consecutive 5:41 & 5:46 miles. The headwind took its toll on everyone, slowing down the top women’s runners to 6:19 per mile or slower. Brittany Winslow from Willow Street Athletic Club finished third in 30:35.

The Masters and Seniors age groups saw impressive performances, as well. 44-year-old Volker Burkowski led the Masters men with a 28:42, finishing 13th overall. Volker’s 57-year-old WSAC teammate, Derrick Staley, finished 15th overall in 29:02 to lead the Seniors men (but not by much, as 51-year-old Tom Kracker finished second in the category with 29:36). Bob Irwin (29:53) and Ryan Mitchell (30:54) rounded out the 40-year-old group, while Christian Lietzau (30:47) finished third among senior men.

Emily Bryans (48) left her Masters women competitors in the dust (or flakes) by running 30:54. Sally Drake (34:57) finished second in the age group, edging out Beth Ruiz (35:15) who placed third. Among Seniors women, Beth Stalker demonstrated that Derrick Staley wasn’t the only 50-year-old who could dominate a race. Beth (58) ran 33:13 to easily outdistance Nancy Taomina (36:18) and Mary Buck (36:29).

The Delmar Dash was the second event in the newly inaugurated USATF club championship series. ARE Racing Team composed of Aaron Lozier, Richard Messineo, Pete Rowell, and Nick Webster followed up their narrow Running of the Green victory by winning the Men’s Open division over Willow Street Athetic Club. Willow Street Athletic Club swept the women’s team honors winning the Open, Masters, and 50+ Age Graded categories. Willow Street Athletic Club won the masters team category powered by the strong runs of Burkowski and Staley. Adirondack Athletic Club won the 50+ Age Graded mens team based on the strong performances of Tom Dalton, Tom Kracker, Dave Class and Chris Buckley.

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