By Rob Potter
WURTSBORO — March 30, 2007 — Scores of runners gathered in Wurtsboro last Saturday morning to test themselves against a course that features many challenging uphill and tricky downhill sections.
A total of 93 runners registered for the sixth annual Wurtsboro Mountain 30K, which was conducted by the Sullivan Striders Walking and Running Club.
Stephen Marsalese of Rye won the race, crossing the finish line in a time of 1 hour, 58 minutes and 52 seconds.
Taking second place was Mike Bakker of Garrison. He finished in 1:59:49, less than a minute behind Marsalese.
“It was a really nice race and I’m very happy to finish first,” said Marsalese, who placed second each of the two previous years he ran the 18.6-mile race.
But Bakker made it tough on Marsalese.
“He took the lead on the uphill sections, but I passed him going downhill late in the race,” Marsalese said. “Then I kept looking over my shoulder for him and just tried to hold on [to the lead].”
Marsalese added that he hopes to defend his title in the 2008 Wurtsboro Mountain 30K.
Bakker noted that the downhill sections of the course were key factors.
“I was better going uphill, but Stephen was better running downhill,” Bakker said.
Bakker improved on his third place finish a year ago.
“I am thrilled with my time today,” he commented. “I was 12 minutes faster than last year. It would have been great to win, but you have no control over who the other runners are going to be at a race.”
Cheryl DeBraccio of Scotia won the women’s division. She crossed the finish line in a time of 2:21:20, which placed her 11th overall.
This was DeBraccio’s first Wurtsboro Mountain 30K. She decided to run the event after learning about it from her friends Martha DeGrazia and Tom Adams. DeGrazia, who won the 2003 Wurtsboro Mountain 30K, and Adams joined DeBraccio in running Saturday’s event.
“It’s a great, well-organized race,” DeBraccio said. “The course is beautiful and there are some hills which are challenging.”
DeBraccio added that she planned to return for next year’s race.
Miriam Loor, who served as President of the Sullivan Striders for the last two years, was the director of Saturday’s race. She noted the event was a success because of the 20 volunteers who set up several water stations along the course and helped out in other ways.
Loor also thanked Gusar’s Pharmacy of Monticello for being a major sponsor of the race.
“Emil Motl and everyone at Gusar’s really supports our races,” she said.
Loor added that the Wurtsboro Mountain 30K is one of the few races of that distance in the region.
“It’s a good, low-key race,” she said.
The top 20 finishers were:
1. Stephen Marsalese, Rye, 1:58:52
2. Mike Bakker, Garrison, 1:59:49
3. Jeffrey Lease, Newburgh, 2:07:37
4. John McCormack, Mahwah, NJ, 2:10:32
5. George Shurter, Middletown, 2:12:23
6. Kevin Baltzer, Ridgewood, NJ, 2:14:17
7. Jeff Gross, Deer Lake, 2:14:52
8. Micah Hoernig, Monroe, 2:17:43
9. Jim Clancy, Walden, 2:19:21
10. Kieran Garvey, New York City, 2:20:36
11. Cheryl DeBraccio, Scotia, 2:21:20
12. Matthew Gordon, West Point, 2:22:08
13. Frank Colella, Scarsdale, 2:24:55
14. James Groome, Allendale, 2:25:40
15. Khanh Diep, Cornwall, 2:28:14
16. Scott Coddington, Wurtsboro, 2:29:46
17. Robert Hollis, Mahwah, NJ, 2:30:59
18. Paul Salerni, Douglaston, 2:31:18
19. Emmy Stocker, 2:32:07
20. Scott Davis, Wappingers Falls, 2:32:37.
In addition to Scott Coddington, there were several other Sullivan County residents who ran in the race. They included: Mary Harjes of Bloomingburg, who was 57th in a time of 2:54:04, Carlos Loor of Thompsonville (68th, 3:06:08), Dennis Toscano of Liberty (75th, 3:19:18), Suzanne Meier of Bloomingburg (81st, 3:29:47), Nancy Figueroa of Grahamsville (82nd, 3:31:49) and Abby Billias of Kauneonga Lake (87th, 4:17:55).
Four relay teams competed in the race. The first place team, with a total time of 2:14:15, was the LaBurt-Colel team, which included Suzanne LaBurt and Frank Colella. The other teams finished as follows: 2. Krajick-Zuide (Frank Krajick, Carl Zuidema), 2:23:14; 3. Stutz (Laurie Jones, Jan O’Keeffe, Lisa Stutz), 3:04:14; 4. Loor-Gueren (Rene Loor, Kimberly Gueren), 3:05:55.
The age group winners were as follows:
20-29 Female: 1. Nicole Zebrowski, Jersey City, NJ, 2:44:17; 2. Meghan McMenamy, Hoboken, NJ, 2:47:44; 3. Carissa Carroll, Hoboken, NJ, 2:52:14
20-29 Male: 1. Kieran Garvey, New York City, 2:20:36; 2. Matthew Gordon, West Point, 2:22:08; 3. Andrew Keenan, Fairlawn, 2:41:24
30-39 Female: 1. Denise Kumrow, Mahopac, 2:33:58; 2. Kathryn Stoker, Norwalk, Conn., 2:49:55; 3. Melissa Holleran, Jersey City, NJ, 2:56:13
30-39 Male: 1. Micah Hoernig, Monroe, 2:17:43; 2. Scott Davis, Wappingers Falls, 2:32:37; 3. Robert Leder, Stamford, 2:34:45
40-49 Female: 1. Valerie Kilcoin, Middletown, 2:36:20; 2. Marie DuSault, Washingtonville, 2:38:54; 3. Margie McGoldrick, Chester, 2:41:25
40-49 Male: 1. John McCormack, Mahwah, NJ, 2:10:32; 2. Kevin Baltzer, Ridgewood, NJ, 2:14:17; 3. Jeff Gross, Deer Lake, 2:14:52
50-59 Female: 1. Martha DeGrazia, Slingerlands, 2:34:01; 2. Benita Auge, New Windsor, 3:10:46; 3. Carolyn Negrycz, Monroe, 3:24:15
50-59 Male: 1. George Shurter, Middletown, 2:12:23; 2. Jim Clancy, Walden, 2:19:21; 3. Paul Salerni, Douglaston, 2:31:18
60 and Above Female: 1. Erika Abraham, Cornwall, 3:54:59
60 and Above Male: 1. Thomas Adams, Schenectady, 2:33:23; 2. Edward Dillon, Carmel, 2:35:14; 3. Ralph Abramowitz, Flanders, 2:46:47.