By Eli Ruiz
MOUNTAINDALE – More than 50 runners and walkers “trained” in Mountaindale last weekend as part of the Rails to Trails 4 Mile Run and Two Mile Walk hosted by the Sullivan Striders.
More than $2,000 was raised and will go toward the continued maintenance of the O&W Rails to Trails project which runs along the former tracks of the Ontario and Western Railway, granting the old railway a second life as a hiking, running and biking path.
The railway path, on which the race was held, connects Mountaindale to Woodridge and South Fallsburg to Hurleyville within the Town of Fallsburg.
Starting out in the 1890s, the railway distributed coal downstate and north to the Port of Oswego on Lake Ontario and to points west, over the Great Lakes. Passenger service on the O&W assisted in the growth of the then nascent, resort industry in Sullivan County as well as in the lower Catskills.
Raymond Revel of Wurtsboro took first place in the runners division by a wide margin over second place finisher, John Sellstrom, of Liberty with a time of 23:44.3. Sellstrom finished almost 2 minutes behind Revell with a time of 25:12.1.
John Manza – whose wife, Race Commissioner, Maryann Manza, organized the event – ran in the race and called Revel "a very very strong runner."
In third place was 46 year-old Donald Thurston of Pine Bush, with a time of 25:19.4.
The first place finisher for the ladies was Rachel Quin of Goshen with a time of 29:07.4. Coming in second for the women was Jacque Schiffer of Olivebridge and third place went to Kelly Irving of Woodbourne.
Kim Flynn of Wurtsboro finished first in the 2-mile walk with a time of 21:22.3 with second place going to Barry Lewis of Woodbourne who crossed the finish line at 23:37.7. Seventy-seven-year-old Gloria Kantrowitz of Woodridge took third place in the walkers.

Race Results
Overall Female Open Winners
1. Rachel Quinn, Goshen 29:07
2. Jacque Schiffer, Olivebridge 30:21

Overall Male Open Winners
1. Raymond Revell, Wurtsboro 23:44
2. John Sellstrom, Liberty 25:12
3. Donald Thurston, Pine Bush 25:19

Female 1 to 12
1. Hayley Weiner, Woodridge 1:00:37

Male 1-12
1. Jakob Millman, Mtndale 55:47

Male 13 to 15
1. Logan Mednick, Rock Hill 38:19

Female 16 to 19
1. Caroline Bertholf, Loch Sheldrake. 34:31

Female 20 to 29
1. Pollyana Palhano, Monticello 40:24
2. Jamie Crofoot, Middletown 41:28
3. Cristina Bendl, Monticello 42:04
4. Tina Scanlon, Woodridge 59:21

Male 20 to 29
1. Marc Gamss, Brooklyn 26:13
2. Stephen Mulvihill, Monroe 26:29
3. Sam Miller, Harris 27:44

Female 30 to 39
1. Kelly Irving, Woodbourne 32:50
2. Eliza Filipowski, New York 40:51
3. Megan Millman, Mtndale 55:47

Male 30 to 39
1. Matt Katz, Brooklyn 28:46
2. Brian Burns, South Fallsburg 29:29
3. John Murran, Fallsburg 33:05

Female 40 to 49
1. Nancy Figueroa, Grahmsville 35:57
2. Diane Picariello, Wurtsboro 37:32
3. Jill Weiner, Woodridge 42:48

Male 40 to 49
1. Erik Sellstrom, Liberty 26:47
2. Mike Moran, Monroe 30:50
3. Martin Nowak, Middletown 34:49
4. Ken Benjamin, Glen Wild 36:13

Female 50 to 59
1. Susan Sheeley, Claryvill 33:00
2. Sharon Phillips, Middletown 36:45
3. Abby Billias, Pine Bush 39:25
4. Gladys Nieves, Rock Hill 40:25
5. Eilleen Wohltjen, Hurleyville 40:57

Male 50 to 59
1. Frank Colella, Campbell Hall 26:21
2. Dean Diltz, New York 28:07
3. Tom Manza, Monticello 28:23

Female 60 to 69
1. Beverley Garzon, Parksville 47:34

Male 60 to 69
1. Lorne MacDonald, Sussex 32:04
2. John Monchak, Tafton PA 33:25

Male 70 and over
1. William Rosenberg, Wallkill 34:58
2. George Realmoto, Mddltown 41:30

TWO MILE WALK
1. Kim Flynn, Wurtsboro 21:22
2. Alexander Depuy, Woodbrne 22:52
3. Sam Shaddock, Woodbourne 23:10
4. Daniel Milov, Green. Park 23:10
5. Kailan Schreier, Mtndale 23:36