It’s Gapak and Gleeson at the Brooklyn Half!
Second NYRR team points race of 2007 brings out top talent
Brooklyn, April 14, 2007—The race for the top spot in the NYRR points competition hit the road this weekend at the NYRR Half-Marathon Grand Prix: Brooklyn.
While many New York-area distance runners headed north and east for what is predicted to be a cold, windy, rain-drenched Boston Marathon on Monday, 5,000 New Yorkers took advantage of sunshine and seasonable temps as they lined up on the boardwalk in historic Coney Island for the third leg of the NYRR Half-Marathon Grand Prix. The popular series began in Manhattan in January, continued in the Bronx in February, and will conclude with races in Queens in September and Staten Island in October.
Close to three miles of the course ran on the boardwalk, twice passing the world-famous Cyclone before exiting onto Surf Avenue. At that point Edward Gapak, 23, of the Warren Street Social & Athletic Club and David Nash of the Brooks-Manhattan Track Club were leading a pack of runners along the broad, straight thoroughfare. Thanks to the cooperation of city agencies, the runners had the use of the full roadway.
Seemingly comfortable on his home turf, Brooklyn resident Gapak stretched his lead as the race continued up Ocean Parkway, then veered right on the Prospect Expressway toward Prospect Park. In the end, Gapak blew away the competition breaking the tape on the park’s Central Drive in 1:09:21. He was more than a minute ahead of runner-up Hector Rivera, 36, of Clifton, NJ, who finished in 1:10:43. Jacek Boral, 35, of Brooklyn, running for the Polish Runners Club placed third in 1:12:04. Gapak’s victory was his first in NYRR competition.
“Edward’s been training very hard,” said his Warren Street coach, Rick Pascarella. “He’s getting ready for the Kentucky Derby Marathon in two weeks. This helped to see where’s he’s at in his training.”
The women’s race was a nail-biter, with Manhattan resident Abbi Gleeson, 25, running for New York Athletic Club, taking the crown in dramatic fashion. Gleeson, who also won the NYRR Gridiron Classic 4-Mile in February, finished in 1:23:25 as just six seconds separated the top three women’s finishers. Amanda Pisano, 22, of Manhattan and Columbia Road Runners, placed second in 1:23:30 just one second in front of Felice Kelly, 26, of Manhattan and the Nike Central Park Track Club (CPTC).
Gleeson’s victory helped NYAC easily cement the win in women’s team points competition as they placed four runners in the top 15 and bested Warren Street, 75 points to 157. Also finishing strong for NYAC were Erin Flynn (fifth, 1:24:22), Michelle Rorke (11th, 1:26:48), and Lesley Higgins (15th, 1:27:58). The open women of the Greater New York Racing Tea placed third.
The West Side Runners (WSX) led the way in the men’s open team points competition, placing three runners in the top 10 and five in the top 20 as they beat out CPTC 60 to 88. Urban Athletics followed in third place. WSX was led by Diego Vanegas (seventh, 1:14:17) and Roberto Puente (eighth, 1:14:20).
The top masters male finisher was Piotr Karasiewiz, 45, of Brooklyn and the Polish Runners Club (1:15:03) and the top female was Cindy Pomeroy, 45, of Windsor Locks, CT, and the Westchester Track Club (1:25:38).
After a severe snowstorm forced the cancellation of the NYRR 8000K as a team points event on March 17, the Brooklyn Half represented the second team points race of 2007. CPTC now leads the men’s open division, followed by WSX in second and Warren Street in third. NYAC leads the women’s division, followed by GNY in second and CPTC in third.
The NYRR team points competition continues on April 29 at the Fifth Annual Run as One, TGL Classic Presented by JPMorgan Chase.
Edward Gapak of Brooklyn and the Warren Street Social & Athletic Club won the 2007 NYRR Half-Marathon Grand Prix: Brooklyn in 1:09:21.
