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| Photo by Robert Yaskovic/NJH Competitors jockey for position Saturday morning at the start of the Main Street
5K in Sparta. Andy Latincsics, left, of Hampton, won the race with a time of 16:05. | |
By Laurie Gordon
Special to The Herald
SPARTA -- Intermittent rain, including one downpour, was not going to be a problem for local elite runner Andy Latincsics.
Latincsics ran away from the field at Saturday's Main Street 5K. The Hampton resident ran 16:05 for a clear-cut win.
It was Latincsics' third time running the race and second win.
"I won it back in 1999. I've been looking forward to it for a while and was hoping for another victory here, especially
since I know a lot of the runners and because it's a Sussex County race," Latincsics said.
"It's always a nice race but I'll tell you, that last mile is definitely nasty with the uphill. It's a great challenge,
though, and it's always fun to race close to home and win a race in Sussex County."
Latincsics deemed his time "not bad," since he was feeling a little under the weather.
"It was a solid time for me as it's not an easy course and I am fighting a cold," he said. "It really didn't rain until
we were nearly done and it actually felt a little good. The rain was almost a non-factor."
Latincsics' lifetime personal best in the 5-kilometer distance is a 14:35, which he ran in 1990. Within the last year,
his fastest is 15:30.
Kelly Bradley, of East Stroudsburg, Pa., was the female champion. Though she lives over the border in Pennsylvania, Bradley
has become a regular at local events since she teaches eighth grade language arts at North Warren.
"There were lots of turns in the course, which I like," Bradley said. "The hills were definitely a challenge... pretty
grueling, but I did enjoy the nice downhill finish."
Bradley ran 19:37 for a decisive victory over second-place finisher Maureen Sara of Glens Falls, N.Y. Said Sara, "My brother-in-law
talked me into doing the race. Only thing is, he kind of left out the part about the hills." The 43-year-old ran 21:38.
The second-place male finisher was Drew Davis, who came to the race from East Stroudsburg with Bradley. "It was a good
one," he said, "Hilly and a good tune-up for me before the Summit 5-Miler I'm doing in a few weeks."
Though he competed in the Boston Marathon on Monday, Sparta's Bill Bosmann, who's 54, finished the race in 19:05 and placed
11th.
Ryan Hutchison was the winner of the Fun Run.
"I won it last year too," the 11-year-old from Sparta said. Hutchison, who attends the Mohawk Avenue School, said this
will be his last year in the fun run. "I'm ready for the full 5K race now and I'll definitely do that next year."
A number of people either ran or walked The Main Street 5K for The Robie Foundation. Proceeds
from their race entries went to Pass it Along, the race beneficiary, but pledges they raised went to The Robie Foundation.
"We were thrilled with the number of people who participated for the Robie Foundation, and the
amount of money that has already been raised for the Foundation through the race and is still coming in is just great," said
Robie Foundation Event Coordinator Kathleen Gagg.
Gagg finished in 29:21 and said, "I was happy with how I did in the race, but more than the run, it
was about raising funds and increasing awareness for The Robie Foundation."
The Robie Foundation is named for Robie Masterson who,at age four, had a condition called
Patent Ductus Arteriosus, also known as a heart murmur. The Foundation's mission is to educate parents whose children have
been similarly diagnosed.
"One of our big goals is to get families to get their children a baseline echo cardiogram," said Rob
Masterson, Robie's dad. Masterson, who also ran in the race, added, "Women know they need to get baseline mammograms. We want
it to become 'Robie's Law' for kids to get baseline echo cardiograms."
Race director, Andy Ball, was pleased with the day.
"Hey, so it rained but people didn't seem to really mind," he said.
Hundreds enjoyed getting out there and doing something healthy and afterward filtered into the Sparta Athletic Club tennis
court area to enjoy the Business Expo, prizes, give-aways and the awards ceremony.
Of the rain, said Karen Gaba, of Lafayette, who placed second in her 40-44 age group, "You can't let it get to you. If
you planned to race, you just go for it."
Shawna Benjivenni, of Sussex, added, "If it rains, you just pick a different pair of sneakers to wear. Ones where you don't
mind if they get a little wet. That's what I did... though now I wish I'd brought my good ones!"
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