Fat Ass 50km, Mid-Hudson Version

Saturday, January 3, 2004

Norrie State Park, Staatsburg, NY

Course: 10 repeats of a hilly, road 5km loop

 

1. Rainer Koch, 23, Germany 3:27:06

2. Bob Sweeney, 36, NY 3:34:50

3. Steve Marsalese, 38, NY 3:44:17

4. Andrei Aroneano, 49, NJ 4:06:06

5. Dave Getz, 46, NY 4:28:11

6. Pete Colaizzo, 39, NY 4:32:55

7. Don Villeneuve, 63, NY 4:55:59

8. Cheng-Hua Lee, 33, NY 5:00:10

9. Doug Freese, 58, NY 5:05:26

10. Nick Palazzo, 56, NY 5:05:26

11. Bruce Boyd, 65, CT 5:21:20

12. Robert Lazerson, 48, NY 5:23:10

13. Jackie Simonsen, 42, VT 5:36:39

14. Leo Saposnick, 57, NY 5:37:42

15. Erika Abraham, 65, NY 6:04:53

16. Dick Hoch, 63, CT 6:06:59

17. Deborah Redding, 49, NJ 6:13:05

18. Al Grigull, 66, NY 6:28:36

25 starters

 

 

Rainer Koch of Germany notched the fifth-fastest time in race history (3:27:06) as the Mid-Hudson Fat Ass 50km returned after a one-year hiatus. The 2003 edition was canceled due to a snowstorm.

 

Koch, who is living for a short time in New Jersey, blitzed the field from the start and outdistanced two-time race champion and four-time USA 100km team member Bob Sweeney, who was second in 3:34:50. Sweeney had a busy fall racing season, including the World 100km in Taiwan in November and the Sunmart 50 in Texas in December. After a well-deserved training break, he used this race as a kickoff to his 2004 training.

 

Steve Marsalese arrived late but made up for lost time and was the only other runner under 4 hours. His time ranks him ninth all-time in race history. The first Mid-Hudson Fat Ass was held in 1996, making this the eighth running of the race.

 

Cheng-Hua Lee of Albany, NY, easily outdistanced the womens field of five runners with an eighth-place overall time of 5:00:10. Ironman triathlete Jackie Simonsen made the long trek from northern Vermont and placed second among women and 13th overall in 5:36:39. There were 18 finishers.

 

The weather for this years edition was about as good as it gets for New Yorks Mid-Hudson Valley in January. There was light rain and temperatures in the mid-30s to about 40 degrees and the course was free of ice and snow. The ninth running of the Mid-Hudson Fat Ass is planned for early January 2005.

 

Pete Colaizzo