2002 LONG ISLAND ENDURANCE RUNS: SOME “DEFINING MOMENTS”

by Mike Polansky, President

Greater Long Island Running Club

 

The annual Long Island Endurance Runs always seem to represent a defining moment for the Greater Long Island Club and for so many of the folks who are part of the event.   

 

For Race Director Nick Palazzo and Assistant Race Directors Vincent Croce, Don Butchin and Bob Sherman, this year’s event was clearly a triumph over adversity.  The worst weather conditions possible – cold driving rain and very high winds – greeted us at Oyster Bay’s Fireman’s Field on race morning.  The conditions made it even more difficult than ever to keep the runners on course over the roads of Oyster Bay and Huntington townships and to keep the Aid Stations going full strength.  We managed to cope with the downed power line on Lloyd Harbor Road that forced us to turn the 50 milers early and convert the 50 miler into a 48 miler.  It was not an easy day for anyone, but the Club and its volunteers made the best of terrible conditions, and we were rewarded with the thanks of the 45 finishers (24 in the 50 K and 21 in the longer event).

 

        It was a defining moment for the four budding ultra superstars who out-endured their more seasoned rivals to score as the top male and female finishers in the 50 K and the “50 miler”.  29 year old Tracy Visconti who kept a steady pace throughout and won the 50 Miler, and 32 year old Tim Henderson, who gritted out victory by less than four minutes in the 50K, truly established  themselves as among the toughest ultra runners in the New York Metropolitan area. 27 year old Brooklyn attorney Elizabeth Watson made her winning 7:29:06 finish in the Women’s  50 Miler” look  easy, and even went for


a cool down jog after finishing.  25 year old New Englander Jennifer Bateman turned in a convincing 4:33:05 win, scoring by 14 minutes over veteran endurance athlete Gail Marino in the Women’s 50 K.

 

        It was a defining moment for Helma Clavin, who proved once again that, at age 59, she needs to concede nothing to a very tough 50 mile course.  It was a defining moment for David Redman, who showed the same cheery disposition and warm smile at the finish as he had exhibited at the start -- toughness is David’s middle name!  By the same token, it was also a defining moment for some folks who were having “bad days.”  2001 USATF 24 Hour Run champion Rudy Afanador just can’t handle cold weather as well as he does hot weather, but he gritted his teeth, survived a couple of wrong turns along with the weather, and turned in a very credible run despite just not feeling anywhere near his best.  The same is true for Juan Oliveras and Carolyn von der Heydt, both of whom have clearly had better days at the 50 mile distance, and John Cantwell, previous winner of the 50K.  But, like Rudy, Juan, Carolyn and John showed the spunk and determination  that is so characteristic of these outstanding athletes, and all three battled to the finish with smiles on their faces-- showing the strength of character that truly defines an athlete.

 

        It was a defining moment for Jeanette Mitchell, who joined the ranks of GLIRC’s “Long Feet Society” by successfully completing her first 50K, scoring with tears of joy in her eyes as the third woman OA in the 50K and first GLIRC woman to cross the finish line.  It was a defining moment for Audrey Gaccione, who completed the 50K with seeming ease, and whose confidence in her status as an ultrarunner increases with every event she does, as she looks forward to her first 50 miler in November.  It was a defining moment of a different kind for Pat Delaney, who went to the starting line with a painful hip injury that caused her to “drop down” from 50 miles to 50K, but -- notwithstanding the pain -- bulled her way through the course with the determination that is her trademark.  It was part of a yearlong series of defining moments for Sam Soccoli, who continues to defy Father Time and follow up his strong finish in the Umstead  100 miler in April with still another ultra finish at the age of 70.  It was still another of a  lifetime of defining moments for Jim McDougall, who has been competing at every distance from 100 yards through 100 kilometers over the past thirty years, and never loses the boyish enthusiasm for our sport that has characterized his entire running career.  It was a defining moment for Sherry Bellovin, who proves to herself every time she participate in an ultra that she most definitely has “the right stuff” of which ultra runners are made.  Unfortunately, it was a defining moment of another sort for Khanh Duong, whose justifiable pride in his brilliant 50K finish was somewhat dampened by his discovery that his wallet and car key had fallen out of his jacket somewhere on the course!  (We sincerely hope that everything worked out for Khanh, and thank George Devoe for helping make Khanh’s difficult situation a bit easier by driving him around the course in a vain attempt to find the wallet and car key, and ultimately drove him home to get his spare car key!)

 

        Finally, it was truly a defining moment for all of those who worked so hard to overcome the adversity of the day, and to provide this venue for the athletes – for our Race Director Nick Palazzo, an outstanding ultramarthoner who knows how to “give back” to the sport in the best possible way, for Vinny Croce, Don Butchin and Bob Sherman, who once again put their entire hearts and souls into this event, as they do time and again for so many, many other GLIRC events, and  the title “assistant race director” truly doesn’t convey all that they did on the day of the event and the days leading up to it, for folks like Rich Innamorato, Rich Czarnowski, Howard Kestenbaum, Bob Lasky, Carl Grossbard, all of whom put in FULL days as volunteers, for ultra runners like Mel Cowgill and Ira Brotman, who weren’t up to running on this particular day but chose to “give back” by being course volunteers, and again to each and every one of our wonderful volunteers – they endured the elements with smiles on their faces and a cheery word for all the participants.

 

The tentative date for the 2003 Long Island Endurance Runs is Saturday, May 17.  We are considering changes in the format of the event (including the possibility of moving it off the roads and staging it on the Nassau Greenbelt Trail).

Results 2002   

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