An Interesting story from the Joe Kleinerman 12 Hour-June 14,2003-R.Inamorato
Spring was almost over. But judging by the weather, you would have never known the season has ever begun. Malcolm Gillis from Alabama called. He recently turned 70, and was looking for a 50-kilometer venue to attempt a new age group record. You see Malcolm had visited the Metropolitan area for a previous record attempt. In 1998, Malcolm ran 3:41 at a Broadway Ultra Society (BUS) 50-km in Saddle Brook, NJ to set a 65-69 Age Group World Record. Yankee-land had been good to him. Why not test the ultra waters in the North once again?
But my response was not encouraging. There were only two 50-km road races in the area, and they occurred in February and March. I informed Malcolm that he would have to wait until next year or find another region. Malcolm then asked about pursuing his quest at the Joe Kleinerman 12-Hour, scheduled on June 14.
This 12-hour run included an interesting characteristic. The race loop at Crocheron Park in Queens measured 51 yards short of a mile or .9709. Thirty-two circuits equated to an exact 50-km split; 64 loops were 100-km. And the course had been certified and validated. In essence, the Crocheron loop was an ideal location for a record attempt. Malcolm was convinced and bought a plane ticket. But two weeks before the event, Malcolm fell on a training run and had hurt his knee. No matter, Malcolm still planned to come to the Kleinerman.
Malcolm was not the only one entering the 12-Hour less than 100 percent. David Luljak also had Kleinerman aspirations and who could blame him. David had won the 12-Hour twice before, and was the owner of the race record of 87.8 miles. Davids resume featured 4 top three finishes at the National USATF 24-Hour Championship, including the National title in 1997. He also had completed 541 miles in a 6-day race. But David had taken a sabbatical from serious competition. He had changed his job, relocated to a new residence and he and his wife, Barbara Christen have celebrated the birth of twins in October 2000. Sometimes running has to take a back seat.
David was primed for a comeback, and felt the Kleinerman would be a good test. But David also fell in training just weeks before the 12-Hour. He chose to ignore it. (David would later discover he fractured his left scapula.) David was still coming to the Kleinerman.
Alicja Barahona also encountered a pre-Kleinerman mishap, but hers came in competition. During Memorial Day weekend, Alicja completed the grueling Grand Union Canal 145-Mile from Birmingham to London, England. En route, Alicja fell and broke a couple of ribs but not her will. She still continued to finish second overall and was first woman. Instead of resting her ribs and on her laurels, Alicja entered the Kleinerman at the last minute.
Despite their injuries, the three runners would shine. Malcolms objective was the American 50-km record for his new age group. The previous mark of 5:36 seemed very reachable. Malcolm started at an 8:45 pace. Surprisingly to him, there were about a dozen other Kleinerman participants with him. They were also doubling as pacesetters. The peloton started to thin and Malcolm would settle into a comfortable pace at 9 minutes per mile. He also found himself as one of the early leaders. But Malcolm was running for a time not to win, and he got it. He passed 50-km at 4:41:06, almost an hour faster than the old the mark.
Malcolm kept jogging and walking at a pedestrian rate like a warmdown. I thought he would soon retire from the event, but did not. After about 9 hours, Malcolm started hammering again. He did not know what the 100-km American age group mark was, but felt why not at least complete the distance? He put on a flurry at the end with a series of 10-minute miles and reached 100-km at 11:47:55. He told me later that he believed the old mark was in the 16-hour range, but is now pending confirmation. The 12-hour record also may be his. His efforts may have netted him a three-bagger. Yankee-land had been good to him again.
David and Alicjas objectives were to win. David also wanted to run well, but would pace himself wisely. He started slowly and did not take the lead until 50 kilometers. Dave then settled into his customary steady pace and the race was his. He would eventually win by 10 miles. But there was a furious battle for 2nd. At 50 miles, seven runners were combating for the runner-up spot. The magnificent seven were Alicja Barahona, Lee Dickey, Spencer Ellis, Tim Henderson, Byron Lane, Philip McCarthy and Doug Pobgee. Defending mens champ, Byron Lane would ultimately secure the place position followed by Tim Henderson.
Alicja had previously won three Kleinermans, but her best performance of 68.7 miles only earned 3rd Woman in last years event. Gail Marino and Hanna Benna-Shoan impressively beat her and finished one-two overall. Both Gail and Hanna would be at Crocheron again, and Alicja was hoping to settle some old scores. Alicjas strategy was to go out hard at a pace that Gail and Hanna could not answer. At the marathon mark, the Barahona lead expanded to 15 minutes and was widening. Her only concern at the race was her rib injury. After 10 punishing hours, Alicja was slanting to one side. Her pace slowed considerably, but she was still able to prevail to win her 4th Kleinerman. Gail Marino finished strong to take 2nd and Heidi Tadesse from Ethiopia was a surprising 3rd.
But all the performances were not easy. There were other obstacles to contend with. It was called weather.
The Northeast climate this spring had not been cooperative. It had been a series of cold rainy days, interspersed by a few days of unexpected heat, followed by more chilling rain. The conditions for race day were not that much better. The morning greeted the Kleinerman field with precipitation but within hours, the sun would shine brightly. Maybe too brightly. But it all changed in the afternoon.
Just before the 9-hour mark, air masses were colliding. The sky was developing an ominous look. Thunder and lightning was in the horizon, and a perilous situation was emerging. The Crocheron loop was on high ground, and had been previously susceptible to lightning storms. Add one more to the Crocheron log. The lightning got closer and closer, and I would be faced with a difficult decision. Safety always comes first, but you hate to stop a race. You always hope the storm would pass. This one did, but first it would attack the race staging area from directly above. I pulled the runners from the course. There was some grumbling by some, not wanting to stop as the race clock kept ticking. I ignored the complaints. Luckily, the storm did not last long. The disruption was only about 16 minutes. Some runners even ran better after the break.
The other star on this day was Joe Kleinerman himself. At age 91 and currently wheelchair-bound, Joe was not able to attend the event, but was there in spirit. Joe was a founding father of New York Road Runners (NYRR) and one of their eight Presidents. He was also a long-time BUS official. In the ensuing weeks, the lobby of the NYRR Building was named in his honor. Furthermore, a full-page story in the New York Daily News paid homage to this icon of Metropolitan running. It was a very fitting tribute.