The recent general meeting of the Greater Long Island Running Club was also the club’s Awards Night, and among the highlights of the evening was the presentation of prestigious Gladys Simonsen Memorial Award to Michael Gonzalez of Farmingdale.
The meeting was held in the auditorium of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library with an audience of over 200 club members and their guests.
The Gladys Simonsen Memorial Award is presented annually to the Master’s (age 40 plus) runner who has shown the most improvement over the course of the year, and Gonzalez was an obvious choice in 2011 based on his incredible performances at every distance from 5K to his first marathon in October.
The award is presented in memory of Gladys Simonsen, a determined and enthusiastic runner and triathlete, who was always trying to improve her performance. Unfortunately, she was taken from the Long Island athletic community at far too young an age.
“Mike Gonzalez is a talented and determined athlete with an incredible work ethic,” noted Coach Melnik as he presented Gonzalez with his award. “He truly earned this award through his efforts.”
