Pace Setter : March 2016

Messineo, Flaherty Race to Winter Marathon Wins

A stiff westerly wind and 40 degree temperatures were an improvement over the previous Sunday’s -15 degrees (and -30 degrees wind chill) that might have greeted runners if the 43rd edition of the HMRRC Winter Marathon had not been postponed by a week. But it still seemed cold to the 100+ runners and 85 volunteers who participated in the event.

The weather didn’t seem to bother Rich Messineo, though. Rick clocked an impressive 2:43:20 while running the 26.2 mile SUNY/Harriman Campus course entirely alone. The first female was Jennifer Flaherty, who ran 3:37:04. Nolan Graham (2:55:19) and Michael Hoffman (2:59:37) joined Rich in the sub-3-hour club. Erin Newcomb (4:05:30) and Kerrianne Sanicola (4:10:24) finished 2nd and 3rd among female competitors. A total of 41 runners completed the full marathon. For complete results, click here.

Twenty-three teams competed in the relay portion of the event. Team Turner bested male and female rivals by posting a combined time of 2:53:47. The winning team included Willow Street AC runners Molly Turner, Erin Lopez, and Karen Bertasso.

Race directors Dana Peterson, Ed Hampston, and Clay Lodovice did their usual great job organizing the event, aided by some 85 volunteers (every one of whom thank the directors for changing the race date!).