Westchester Track Club Leads the Way at NYRR Team Championships

[Men's Photos] [Women's Photos] [Men's Video] [Women's Video] [Men's Results] [Women's Results]

New York, Saturday, August 16, 2008—The NYRR Team Championships provides a chance to show team pride, renew friendly rivalries, enjoy the camaraderie of other runners, and claim bragging rights in the metropolitan area. And no team in the open divisions had more to celebrate today than the Westchester Track Club (WTC).

Both of the individual five-mile races were decided by just two seconds. Four of the top five finishing spots among both the men and women belonged to WTC, including women’s winner Aziza Aliyu, whose time was 27:18. As an appreciative crowd in Central Park cheered the leading ladies to the finish line, Aliyu out-kicked teammate Buzunesh Deba (27:20).

“She’s too fast and too strong,” a smiling Deba said after giving Aliyu a congratulatory hug. “We ran great as a team. That’s what I like.”

Seeing runners in the light-blue tops of WTC shine at the NYRR Team Championships has become an annual occurrence. “We’re big on team pride,” said WTC runner Madeline Marecki of New Canaan, CT, who finished 16th in 29:45. “We also have a great coach in Mike Barnow.”

“Our runners are very dedicated, and we have a grass-roots love of the sport,” added Shebna Olsen of WTC, who ran 33:14.

The top overall finisher was Evance Rotich of Kenya, who ran a 23:29 and wore the West Side Runners (WSX) singlet. In the final quarter-mile, Rotich abruptly ended a three-man duel against Girma Tola (23:31) and Worku Beyi of WTC (23:40) and sprinted to victory.

“I thought I could out-run the other two at the end, and I did it,” Rotich said. “It was a very challenging and very competitive race.”

But because Rotich had never run before for WSX in an NYRR race, his time will not count toward the team results. Official team results in all divisions will be posted Tuesday, August 19.

Beyi, a crowd favorite because of his strong results in past NYRR Team Championships, ran well again this time, but finished third. At every mile of the men’s race, shouts of “Go, Worku!” and “You can do it, Worku!” came from the sidelines.

“I have a lot of friends in Central Park,” said Beyi. “My muscles felt tight today. I ran a 5K on Thursday in Boston. I finished third in that race too, but I felt a lot stronger that day.”

Afterward, Beyi joined scores of other runners at the results board near the finish line to check on individual times and team standings. Runners gave each other high-fives, back slaps, and friendly jabs as they compared individual and team results.

The top three men’s masters (40-49) runners were Paul Thompson of Warren Street Social & Athletic Club (WS; 25:23), Birger Ohlsson of the Nike Central Park Track Club (CPTC; 25:51), and Stephane Bois (26:37). In the 50-59 division, Greg Diamond of Taconic Road Runners (TRR) finished first in 27:49, followed by Alan Ruben of CPTC (28:27), and Jaime Palacios of WSX (28:56). And in the 60-69 group, Sang Lee of the Korean Road Runners Club led the pack in 31:30. Julio Aguirre of the Greater New York Racing Team (GNY) was second (31:54), and John Samsel placed third (32:44). Official team results in all divisions will be posted Tuesday, August 19.

Among the women’s masters, the top three finishers were Grace Behrens of WTC (31:11), Gordon Bakoulis of Running Divas New York (RDNY; 31:16), and Deborah Gaebler of GNY (31:33). In the 50-59 group, Marie Wickham of RDNY led the way (33:45). Emmy Stocker of TRR was second (35:48) and Kathy Iwasaki of GNY (37:10) was third. And in the 60-69 division, Sylvie Kimche of CPTC was first (36:31), followed by Judith Tripp of the New York Flyers (40:53) and Susan Siderman of the Mercury Masters (MERMS; 41:37). Official team results in all divisions will be posted Tuesday, August 19.

The NYRR Team Championships races are among the most competitive on the NYRR annual calendar. Even top-placing runners can feel humbled. “In races, I always go out with the intention of relaxing and having a good time, but I get out there and it’s like I’m 15 all over again, wanting to just bash my rivals,” said Jim Stemm, 48, of Warren Street, who placed seventh in his age group. “You can’t not care, especially in this race, and even if you’re old.”

Others, like WTC’s John Samsel, 64, who placed third in his age group, feel inspired by the performances at the front of the field: “I do care about my own personal effort, but I’m also mindful of the guys on my team who are out there doing sub-five-minute pace.”

And for some runners, like Gillian Blake, 40, of GNY, older means faster, and the Team Champs race is added motivation. “I felt fantastic today—the competition was great,” she said. “Since I turned 40, I’m more conscious of the masters runners. I really like the age-graded results because you can see how you’re improving.”

Evelyn Gonzalez, 51, of the Mercury Masters and Jersey City, NJ, ran 47:35 in her first NYRR Team Championships. Commenting on the return of sunny skies and humidity one day after thunderstorms hit the metropolitan area, she said, “It was a little hotter during the race than I expected, so we made a few stops for water along the way.”

Gonzalez’s teammate, Diana DiMeo of Staten Island, ran 47:37. DiMeo, 62, plans to run the ING New York City Marathon for the 14th time, but the Team Championships is also an event she cherishes. “I always look forward to the Team Championships because this is where you get to socialize with all the other runners,” she said. “Now, we’re going to have a picnic.”