Top local finishers included Jean Bohan of Oyster Bay and Jeri Cavagnaro of Locust Valley
Leonora Petrina of New Zealand (and now Bayport) scored as the overall winner of the 29th Annual Runner’s Edge Long Island Women’s Run on July 14, as a record field of 455 runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes crossed the finish line on the track at Farmingdale High School. It was Petrina’s third consecutive win in the event.
Top local finishers included Jean Bohan of Oyster Bay, who scored in 19th place overall and second in the 40-44 age group, and Jeri Cavagnaro of Locust Valley, who won the fifth place award in the 65-69 age group.
Ms. Petrina’s 17:00 finish, while slightly slower than her two previous winning times, was sufficient to give her a 56 second winning margin over runner-up Laura Cummings of Bay Shore, with Heather Williams of Northport rounding out the top three. Emily Brust of Mastic took top wheelchair honors and Maria Michta of Neconset was the Race Walk winner. Top Masters finisher was 54-year old Elizabeth Waywell of Dix Hills, who crossed the finish line in ninth place overall.
Ms. Petrina also won the Paula Wunderlich Memorial Award as the first finisher from the host Greater Long Island Running Club.
London Olympic 20K Race Walk Next
Not surprisingly, Maria Michta’s winning time of 24:05 in the Race Walk Division was nearly four full minutes in front the her nearest competitor, Lorie Sheinwald of Old Bethpage. Ms. Michta’s last race before the Farmingdale Women’s Run was her winning 20K Race Walk performance in the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, and her next race will be the Olympic 20K Race Walk in London.
The heat and humidity certainly played their role this year, but the earlier starting time of 8:30 a.m. took a bit of the edge off, and the ice cream, watermelon, and Glen Wolther-supplied sinful pastries at the finish line made everyone forget how tough the run might have been.
It was an early morning for everyone. Betty Tiska of Syosset, a regular volunteer on the WaterFront Center’s Christeen in Oyster Bay, was up at 4:45 a.m. to leave for Farmingdale and help officiate at the GLIRC LI Women’s 5K Run.
The Runner’s Edge running and multisport specialty store served as the title sponsor once again (thank you Bob Cook), and the matrimonial law firm of Mejias Milgrim Alvarado returned as the presenting sponsor. Randi Milgrim, a partner in Mejias, Milgrim Alvarado, made a valient effort to top her 2011 34:15 finish, but her 2012 finish of 35:02 gives her some strong incentive for 2013. Danny Kulchinsky and Mayfair Diamonds and Fine Jewelry also returned as a presenting sponsor, and Adriana Staiano was the lucky winner of a $2,000 retail value pair of diamond earrings generously donated by Mayfair as the grand prize in the post-run raffle. Other generous sponsors were the always generous All Round Foods (thank you Glen Wolther), Clif Bar & Company, and Saucony. Thanks as well to Booth Sponsors True Sport Care and European Wax Center.
