Port Washington runners came out on top at the annual Lynn, Gartner, Dunne and Covello Sands Point Sprint on Aug. 5. For the 5K sprint, more than 225 runners traversed a unique combination of paved roads and runner-friendly woodland trails at the Sands Point Preserve at the tip of the Port Washington Peninsula.
This year’s sprint benefited ACDS (formerly Association for Children with Down Syndrome), which serves Long Island children and adults with Down Syndrome, autism and other developmental disabilities and their families.
With race management handled by the Greater Long Island Running Club, awards were given in five-year age groups running from 10 and under through 90-plus as well as to Clydesdale/Athena award winners.
Overall winner Nick Petsky of Garden City navigated the course in 17:50 while overall women’s winner for the second consecutive year Michele Grieco of Massapequa finished at 20:52.
While Petsky took first place, Port Washignton runner 15-year-old Luke Ellwood finished second overall at 18:05 and won an award plaque in the 15 to 19 age group. Nineteen-year old Aaron Siff-Scherr came in third overall with 18:08 and scored second in the 15 to 19 age group. To stack up the Port success, Jack Ellwood scored seventh overall and third in the 15 to 19 age group with a finishing time of 18:55.
Other Port Washington residents who won awards in the sprint included Joseph Ferrara who was first in the 35 to 39 age group with a time of 24:05, third woman in the 15 to 19 age group Courtney Koeda (24:49), first woman in the 35 to 39 age group Patty Gualpa (26:56), second woman in the 35 to 39 age group Miriam Doherty (29:20), first woman in the 50 to 54 age group Mary Small (29:20), 8-year-old Belinda Beyer who took first woman 10 and under (39:32) and 88-year-old Vera Allen who was the first woman in the 85 to 89 age group (57:21).
—Submitted by the
Greater Long Island Running Club
