HANNA JONES, CONOR BRADY, AND EVA SCHMIDT KERI EISENBERG PHOTO

A Thousand Supporters Show
for Brooklyn Runner

BY SANDY FOLZER

BROOKLYN, NY--While Greg Hamilton was preparing for an ultramarathon, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in June of 2009. Now he is undergoing chemotherapy and wants to have surgery if it is not successful. A good athlete, Greg now has difficulty climbing the stairs to his apartment. Since he was an assistant manager at JackRabbit running store in Brooklyn, colleagues and others organized a 5K race in Prospect Park on August 25 at 7 p.m. They wanted to help Greg with his medical expenses since insurance only pays for some of his treatment. Race coordinators at JackRabbit and Citytri had hoped to register more than 50 runners since expenses would be covered by that number. Any more than 50 runners would insure some money for Greg’s treatment.

What a surprise when 1000 runners wanted to register!! Only 800 numbers were available, which didn’t deter these runners. They had come to support Greg so were willing to run without a number. As Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz said in his welcoming remarks, “Greg, know that you have Brooklyn at your back.” Greg was present to witness this overwhelming support.

Of those with numbers who finished, there were 379 women and 298 men, almost 20% more women than men. The evening was hot and humid and the course was challenging. The course followed trails inside Prospect Park, with many turns and climbs. As always, the uphills seemed to outnumber the downhills. And as with steeplechase events, there were many water holes to maneuver. (Actually there were only two water holes, but the switchbacks necessitated revisiting them several times.) In short, it was not an evening for PRs. The three top women were: Francis Laros, age 46, who won in 18:49; Miriam Beyer, age 32, in 21:11; and Bridget McKenna, age 27, in 21:37. The three top men were: Patrick Hynes, age 27, in 17:12; Terry Moore, age 23, in 17:57; and Kelsey Louie, age 34, in 18:03. Laros, the first woman placed sixth overall, remarkable for a woman of 46.

GREG HAMILTON WITH BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT MARTY MARKOWITZ. KERI EISENBERG PHOTO

MALE

20-24

1. Joshua Korth 19:05
2. Al Nelson 22:09

25-29

1. Greg Close 19:03
2. Matthew Decker 19:05

30-34

1. Karl Paranya 18:34
2. Thomas Howard 18:44

35-39

1. Doug Dklar 19:45
2. Mike Goetty 20:20

40-45

1. Noah Isemberg 20:14
2. Charles Anderson 20:59

45-49

1. Christopher Stoia 21:32
2. Todd Colby 21:56

50-54

1. Patrick Guilfoyle 20:05
2. John Kosa 22:31

55-59

1. John Shostrom 20:01
2. Greg Moore 23:45

60-64

1. David Pitches 22:46
2. Yves Roger 28:00

65-69

1. John Dulik 32:19

RICHARD WHITE FINISHES SECOND IN HIS AGE GROUP. KERI EISENBERG PHOTO

FEMALE

20-24

1. Lauren Laroche 22:56
2. Mary Beth Watson 24:40

25-29

1. Helen Dole 21:43
2. Anna McCusker 22:21

30-34

1. Hanna Jones 22:22
2. Rachel Kliegman 23:25

35-39

1. Sandi Rowe 24:01
2. Amy Rogers 25:57

40-44

1. Tif Luckenbill 27:05
2. Laura Napier 27:20

45-49

1. Jeannine Bardo 22:19
2. Maggie Deschamps 22:57

50-54

1. Sanah Wenk 27:10
2. Katie Davis 31:46

55-59

1. Regina Cahill 25:44
2. Joan Levinstein 26:35

60-64

1. Carolyn Kubitschek 32:11

65-69

1. Sandra Folzer 27:20
2. Anne Perzeszly 45:57