Font ResizeA solid field of 292 runners finished the race, but no one was faster than Abraham Ng'etich. The 28-year-old lists his hometown as Mount Vernon, N.Y., but he originally hails from Kenya. Sound familiar to you?
The White Rose, of course, was the last local race that drew elite athletes from the region to participate. With the departure of long-time race director Clay Shaw after last year's race, it appeared that the days of elite runners winning the White Rose were over.
As Lee Corso of ESPN would say, "Not so fast, my friends."
Ng'etich, who placed third at last year's White Rose, made the trip and was rewarded for his victory with a $250 prize. His time was 25 minutes, 17 seconds. Mark Stallings of Wilmington, Del., was second in 25:24, and Matt Wagoner of New Cumberland was third in 25:36. York's top finisher was Matt Marcini, who placed fourth in 25:59.
According to Shaw, Ng'etich left the White Rose with Stallings, took the train to Philadelphia and ran the Camden Bridge Run on Sunday. He placed second at that race to 2006 White Rose Run winner Alene Reta of Ethiopia.
It's what these guys do.
On the women's side, Maureen McCandless of Hummelstown dominated the race to
Lynn Knothe of Wilmington, Del., was second in 33:44, and she was followed by three York runners: Cathy Butler (33:49), Jenny Motway (34:17) and the incomparable Dianna Golden (34:50).
Golden was also the top female Masters (age 40-and-up) finisher, which is an amazing accomplishment at age 56. David Rizzuto claimed that honor for the men, placing seventh in 28:42. Greg Cauller at age 50 also deserves mention, finishing 10th in 29:14.
"The race went off without a hitch, and I think that everyone had a great time," said new race co-director Patrick Hickey. "We had a terrific turnout and an awesome event. I couldn't be happier with how things transpired. Many thanks to all volunteers and participants."
The big winner on the day was the Crispus Attucks Learning Center, as all proceeds from the race go that worthy cause.
Hickey urged runners to check out www.yorkwhiteroserun.com for complete results and lots of pictures from the race.
This race was the seventh and final race in the York Hospital Running Series, so visit the official Web site of the YHRS at www.yhrunningseries.com for the final standings.
Braille Awareness 5K: This is a new event taking place Saturday in Shrewsbury, and it is another in the ever-growing list of races with worthwhile causes.
Here's a warning: If you go to the event Web site (www.BrailleAwareness.com), where the slogan is "Running Feet for Reading Fingers," you are going to get sucked into this one.
The race was created by Molly Slenker of Shrewsbury, whose son, Abram, was born blind last fall. Abram is now 11 months old, and he is prominently featured on the Web site. The event is a benefit for ForSight Vision (formerly the York Blind Center), obviously a cause close to the Slenker's heart.
Registration begins at 7 a.m. at the Shrewsbury Fire Dept., 21 W. Forest St. The one-mile walk starts at 8 a.m., and the 5K gets under way at 8:30 a.m. The entry fee is $20 for the walk and $25 for the 5K.
Partners in the Park 5K: It was a milestone year for this event as race director Hal Darr was honored for 25 years of service. It was also his last race as director and quite possibly the last hurrah for this unique event.
"I was fortunate to have my wife Carolyn and Tammy (Klunk) of York County Parks to help these past 25 years," said Darr. "I know that without either one of them the race would not have been possible."
This is the race that combines times of two runners in a variety of groupings by age, gender and family relationships.
The top pairing was the dynamic duo of Aimee Taylor and Dave Rizzuto, who completed the curving course at Rocky Ridge County Park in 37:21.
"As far as I know it will be the last year for this race," Darr added. "I will continue to run, but I need a break."
After 25 years, I think it is safe to say that he earned one.
Marathon mania: Clay Shaw does a lot more than organize races and pull in elite runners. Shaw and his wife, Karen Mitchell, are still running marathons routinely. In fact, the couple recently ran two in a span of 13 days.
First, they tackled the Twin Cities Marathon in Minneapolis, Minn. Next up was the Green Mountain Island Marathon in South Hero, Vt. Those were marathon states No. 41 and 42 for Mitchell (Shaw reached the 50 marathons in 50 states milestone years ago). Next up is the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa, Okla., on Nov 22.
Upcoming events
--- Melissa A. Glenn Memorial Fall Flash 5K: This new race, also slated for Saturday, is being put on by the Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. at Wrightsville Elementary School (300 Chestnut St.), and the race begins at 8:30 a.m. For more information, call 684.5249 or check out the official Web site at www.parivertowns.com.
--- Zachary Clouser & Jeremy Wildasin Memorial 5K: This third annual event, which includes a one-mile walk, will take place at Dover Area High School on Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. The race honors two Dover students who died in 2007.
Clouser graduated in 2005 and died while serving his country in Iraq. Wildasion, who would have graduated in 2008, died a few weeks after Clouser in a car crash. The funds from the race go to college scholarships for future Dover graduates.
Go to www.doverxc.com/ZachAndJeremy5k/2009/index.htm for more details.
--- Winter Series: The 2009-10 Winter Series is right around the corner, and applications are now available at www.yorkroadrunners.com. Mark your calendars for the first race, the Dover 10-Miler, which is set for Nov 22 at 1 p.m.
The entry fee for the series is still just $20, which covers all eight events, or the fee is $8 if you just want to run the one-mile races. Contact series co-coordinators Margaret Moore (winterseries@verizon.net or 843-4202) or Gretchen Walter (runninggoddess1@yahoo.com or 542-5994) for more details.
M.C. Helsabeck covers local running and biking. E-mail him at mhelsabeck1@comcast.net.
