Local Runners Are World-Class at NYRR New York Mini 10K
Westchester Track Club dominates open team competition
New York, June 7, 2008—When it comes to lining up with the best in the world, the women of the Westchester Track Club (WTC) feel right at home. That’s because they come from a long WTC tradition of turning in world-class performances, both here in NYC and elsewhere. That history continued today as WTC placed three finishers in the top 10 and bested all other teams in this NYRR team-points event.
The top New York-area finisher was WTC’s Aziza Aliyu, who was seventh overall in 33:56. It’s been a great year so far for Aliyu, 22: she’s won three NYRR races so far this year, including the Healthy Kidney 10K on May 17, and she’s brought her 10K PR down to 32:43. But she’s in fast company with teammate Buzenesh Deba, 20, who ran 35:23 today to place ninth overall. Both women are natives of Ethiopia, live in the Bronx, and race often and well throughout the Northeast.
WTC’s third runner, Salome Kosgei, just 27 years old, was 10th overall in 35:35, making a nice comeback after giving birth to her first child six months ago. Sharon Lemberger, 34, ran 37:16 to place 14th overall and fourth for WTC, and Emmily Chelanga, 27, was the team’s fifth scorer with her 21st-place overall finish in 37:58. WTC bested the second-place New York Athletic Club open women today, whose scorers were Caroline Bierbaum (36:56, 13th), Stephanie Lenihan (37:29, 16th), Jamie Sutherland (37:38, 18th), Abbi Gleeson (38:06, 23rd), and Erin Flynn (38:46, 28th). The third-place open team was the Nike Central Park Track Club (CPTC), with scorers Loretta Kilmer (36:39, 12th), Maria Pavkovitch (38:16, 24th), Sarah Alaei (38:31, 25th), Allison Lind (38:58, 30th), and Felice Kelly (39:14, 34th).
Local runners took the top masters (over-40) finishing spots: Eileen Patrick, 40, of Manhattan, placed first in 39:03, closely followed by runner-up Zofia Wieciorkowska, 45, of Stratford, CT, and the Warren Street Social & Athletic Club (WS), who ran 39:06. Deborah Gaebler, 43, of Irvington, NY, and the Greater New York Racing Team, was the third-place master in 39:45. In the masters team results, WS finished first, followed by Moving Comfort New York (MCNY) in second and CPTC in third. MCNY topped the 50+ team category and the Millrose Athletic Association women won the 60+ division.
This was the 37th running of the NYRR New York Mini 10K, the world’s original women-only road race, founded by NYRR in 1972. The Mini is always special to New York-area women, many of whom take pride in returning year after year to celebrate the tremendous progress in women’s running. In 1972, women were granted official entry into the Boston Marathon for the first time, and the longest event for females in the Olympics was 1500 meters—less than a mile. NYRR staged the Mini, named for the miniskirt, to help raise the profile of the sport for women; the field of 78 participants was considered huge at the time.
In a fitting tribute during Running Week, NYRR’s celebration of its 50th anniversary, this year’s Mini included two women who have been pivotal in women’s running history: Nina Kuscsik and Kathrine Switzer. Kuscsik was the first woman to officially win the Boston Marathon, in 1972; she also won the New York City Marathon in 1972 and 1973. Switzer was the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon, in 1967, and she won the 1974 New York City Marathon. Both women spoke at today’s awards ceremony.
"Every year this race produces history, and this year was no exception," said Switzer. "In 1972, 1500 meters was considered a really long distance for women. This year—just look at all of you."
