Chris Mammone of the Bellmore Striders missed this year’s Kings Park 15 Kilometer Run earlier in March in order to compete in the USATF 15K Championship in Jacksonville, but he came home in plenty of time to score a convincing victory in the March 27 33rd annual Nationwide 10K Run for ASPIRE through the streets of Plainview and Old Bethpage. Chris’s 21:31 finish brought him home 18 seconds in front of runner-up Aaron Robertson of upstate Rouses Point, with Mike Petrina of the Sayville Running Company scoring in third place OA. Top Master was Paul Murphy.
Mammone’s Bellmore Strider teammate Jodie Schoppman was a repeat winner in the Women’s Division, with a 36:33 finish that was 31 seconds faster than her winning time in 2009. Overall 2008 women’s winner Deborah Gaebler of Irvington, New York scored as the top Masters female this year.
The Run started and finished at the H.B. Mattlin Middle School on Washington Avenue in Plainview, and gave the runners a great tour of the Plainview-Old Bethpage community.
Local runners came home from the 10K Run for ASPIRE with lots of trophies. The top local finisher was 26-year-old Jeff Lorber of Jericho, who finished in 25th place overall out of 583 finishers, and third in the highly competitive 25-29 age group. Other local award winners were 13-year-old Sara Bernstein of Painview won the third place trophy in the women’s 14 and under age group, Heidi Smolevitz of Woodbury, who took third place honors in the women’s 15-19 age group, and Bert Jablon of Syosset and Odd Sangesland of Plainview, who finished 1-2 in the 80 and over age group
Special thanks and congratulations to Race Director Bob Windorf of the host Greater Long Island Running Club for another job well done, and to the very generous Tony Wiszowaty of Nationwide Insurance for continuing his support for this event again. The Runner’s Edge and Mizuno also returned as much valued sponsors.
The Town of Oyster Bay, under the leadership of Town Supervisor John Venditto, has been a very loyal supporter since the Run’s inception. Diane Ramos and her colleagues of the TOB Recreation Department once again put out an incredible effort to make this Run one of Long Island’s finest community events.
As always, the entire net proceeds of the Run are turned over to the ASPIRE Program for the support and rehabilitation of young amputees, victim of sarcoma and traumatic amputations.
