By Rob Potter
ROCK HILL — Although a powerful storm system dumped several inches of snow in parts of Sullivan County only a few days before, a total of 181 athletes competed in last Saturday’s Falling Colors 8K Run/5K Walk amid some great running weather for the month of November.
The start line and finish line for the eighth annual event were both located near the Emerald Green Clubhouse in Rock Hill.
The race is held each autumn by the Sullivan Striders Running & Walking Club, which uses the proceeds to award scholarships to local high school seniors who were members of their school’s cross country and/or track and field teams.
“Thank you all for being here; it’s a special day,” Sullivan Striders President Dennis Toscano said to all of the competitors.
This year’s run/walk was dedicated to Andy McKean, a founding member of the Sullivan Striders who recently passed away. McKean was on the hearts and minds of many of the competitors and the T-shirt each runner received for competing had the words “in memory of our friend Andy McKean” printed on the back.
During the post-race awards ceremony, Tom Manza, another founding member of the Sullivan Striders, talked about McKean, who served as the club’s vice president for two years.
“We all really miss Andy,” Manza said. “He was a great runner and a great human being. We are glad to have his wife Karen, daughters Shannon and Morgan and several other members of his family with us here today.”
Manza noted that Karen donated several of Andy’s running books for the event. The books were given out as prizes to the top finisher in each men’s and women’s age group for the 8K run.
The top three men’s and women’s finishers in the run and walk as well as the top three finishers in each age group for the run also received either a dwarf Alberta Spruce tree or a Colorado Blue Spruce tree.
Tim Billias of Rock Hill was the overall winner of the 8K run. He crossed the finish line in a time of 28 minutes, 38 seconds.
The first woman to finish was Jean Norton of Wurtsboro. Her winning time of 31:59 also placed her ninth overall among the 135 runners in the 8K.
“Lately I have been competing in triathlons and marathons and this is the first 8K race I have run in a while,” Norton said. “I feel OK about my time. This is a great race and the weather was perfect for running today.”
Norton said she was thinking about Andy McKean while competing in the race.
“Andy was a great friend and competitor,” she commented. “Many times we would be running together near the finish line of a race and encourage each other to finish strong.
“When I approached the line today, I saw the clock and really wanted to break 32 minutes,” Norton continued. “I was happy I was able to cross the line in 31:59. It felt like Andy was out there with me again, pushing me to the finish line.”
Complete race results are available online at fastfinishes.net
The top overall and age group finishers were as follows:
Overall Male
1. Tim Billias, Rock Hill, 28:38; 2. Martin Seybold, Lake Ariel, Pa., 29:46; 3. Micah Hoernig, Monroe, 30:11
Overall Female
1. Jean Norton, Wurtsboro, 31:59; 2. Misty Verma, Hopewell Junction, 34:53; 3. Edna Harrison, Modena, 35:40
Overall Male Walker
1. Bob Barrett, Smallwood, 35:38; 2. Barry Lewis, Woodbourne, 40:09; 3. Peter Kowalczyk, Ferndale, 41:18
Overall Female Walker
1. Kim Flynn, Wurtsboro, 29:56; 2. Myriam Loor, Thompsonville, 35:38; 3. Linda DiPaola, Kauneonga Lake, 39:33
10-12 Male
1. Evan Taggart, Livingston Manor, 54:16; 2. Mike D’Auria, Livingston Manor, 54:16
13-14 Female
1. Debbie Spannagel, New Hampton, 37:24; 2. Rebekah Spannagel, New Hampton, 43:14
15-19 Female
1. Danielle Schnitzer, Wurtsboro, 36:57; 2. Sarah Phelan, Montgomery, 42:56; 3. Stephanie Haddad, Hancock, 48:53
15-19 Male
1. Jonathon Shrira, Hancock, 33:52; 2. Greg Gnevara, Hancock, 34:03; 3. Caleb Carter, Hancock, 34:47
20-29 Female
1. Allison Miraglia, Wurtsboro, 47:12; 2. Lauren Ross, New Paltz, 55:51
20-29 Male
1. Zach Weinman, Jeffersonville, 33:41; 2. Peter DeVoe, Glen Spey, 34:09; 3. David Kennedy, Honesdale, Pa., 35:07
30-39 Female
1. Elizabeth Walsh, Washingtonville, 35:50; 2. Barbara Ferrante, Middletown, 37:39; 3. Karin Gorr, Hortonville, 41:25
30-39 Male
1. Erick Sellstrom, Liberty, 31:03; 2. Tom Stratton, Liberty, 31:18; 3. Michael Bassett, Rock Hill, 32:21
40-49 Female
1. Daria Petraglia, Goshen, 38:53; 2. Karen Porzelt, Middletown, 39:25; 3. Marie DuSault, Washingtonville, 40:41
40-49 Male
1. Donald Thurston, Pine Bush, 31:39; 2. Dean Diltz, Sugar Loaf, 31:46; 3. Marco Pabon, Middletown, 32:18
50-59 Female
1. Christine DeVries, Hopewell Junction, 38:16; 2. Nina Snyder, Bloomingburg, 46:20; 3. Eileen Wohltjen, Hurleyville, 47:17
50-59 Male
1. Ken DeVries, Hopewell Junction, 30:32; 2. Doug Carter, Chester, 32:33; 3. Peter Weinman, Jeffersonville, 34:17
60-69 Female
1. Margaret Kowalski, Beach Lake, Pa., 54:41; 2. Ann Singer, Suffern, 57:07; 3. Kathleen Davies, Hillburn, 58:54
60-69 Male
1. Dick Paterson, Milford, Pa., 34:56; 2. Kent Laudeman, Ft. Montgomery, 36:40; 3. Lorne MacDonald, Sussex, N.J., 40:16
70 and Over Female
1. Mary Heinle, White Sulphur Springs, 59:06
70 and Over Male
1. John Schultz, Wilmington, Del., 46:33; 2. Phil Brennan, Milford, Pa., 46:34; 3. Herb Waterman, Middletown, 47:19