Dutchess County Classic

Sunday was the Dutchess County Classic road race -- the signature event of my home club, the Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club. The race drew a record crowd of more than 1,400 entrants on a perfect morning.

There were several blog-related notables in attendance:

-- Chris Gould, Marist alum and dad of sophomore Kelley Gould, got fifth in his age group in the half marathon in 1:32:30. From what we heard, he had a severe asthma attack toward the finish that was scary for all involved. We're glad he got through it OK, and still ran a tremendous time. Nicely done, Mr. Gould!

--Louis Caporale, Marist running alum from 1999 and the alum who holds the distinction for having been the first to donate to the Marist Running Alumni Fund this summer/fall, ran a very respectable 1:38:14 in the half marathon. Nicely done, Louis!

--Steve Perks, longtime John Jay High School and MHRRC coach (not to mention a good friend of mine and our program), completed the half marathon in 1:53:02, getting fourth in his age group. Steve and Marlene live in North Carolina now, but they are up in the area frequently visiting family and running races. I wasn't at the race, but just looking at the results, it appears Steve ran with/finished with one of his former JJHS stalwarts Eric Schwark of Hyde Park -- who happened to be Kelley Gould's coach at Carmel High School. And while we're talking about former JJHS stalwarts, the men's 5K winner (Dan Jordy) was another Perks' product. It all connects!

--Chris LaTuso, the son-in-law of women's coach emeritus Phil Kelly, ran a very solid 1:43:53 in the half marathon.

--Krys Wasielewski, my good buddy and Junk Yard Dog teammate from Dover Plains, was fifth in his age group in 1:41:56 -- a day before turning 57. Happy Birthday today, Krys! His/our JYD teammates, Mike (Big Dog) Murphy won the 60-64 AG in 1:41:36 and Barry Schnoor (Hilltopper Half winner) ran 1:42:12. Woof, woof, men!

--Lastly, my 5:45 a.m. training partner Tony Ferreri ran 1:25:05 and won the 45-49 AG. Why Fast Tony bothers to run with a slug like me, who probably couldn't come within a half hour of him on race-day, is one of life's greatest mysteries.

After running many, many Classic marathons through the years, I passed on this year's race in favor of visiting my family in New Jersey and celebrating my mother's 78th birthday.

Blog on, brothers and sisters ...