Valentino wins Turkey Trot/unique award

Mark Valentino wins the award for most unique winning trophy in a Turkey Trot. Mark reports that his parents wanted to use the trophy for the gravy on the dinner table but he said he "wasn't on board with that." Indeed! Mark's pre-race preparation included a trip to the Islanders' game on Wednesday night. Nicely done!

Turkey Trot 25km: Omar Perez defends his title

Congrats to Omar (BRO-mar) Perez, on the right in this photo, for defending his Turkey Trot title out at Arlington High School. Omar, proudly sporting his Marist Track gear, led the 25-kilometer (15.5-mile) race from start to finish and posted an excellent time of 1:33:09 (6:01 pace). He finished ahead of Jamie Stroffolino (on left, in red), who was a little over a minute behind at 6:05 pace. If you have never run the 25km Turkey Trot course, trust me when I say it is HILLY. Omar's time is excellent, given the terrain and the fact that he did it solo. Also, Jamie is one of the area's best marathon runners, consistently in the low-2:40s -- he was 136th at this year's NYC Marathon in 2:43:21. Nice job, Omar!

Manchester Road Race: Will and Vess among top finishers

At the famous Manchester Road Race in Connecticut, the world-class 4.748-mile race, Marist Running Alums Will Griffin and Adam Vess were among the top finishers. Will was 25th overall in 24:00 (5:01 per mile) and Vess was 32nd overall in 24:23 (5:09 per mile). Perhaps there were other Marist Running alums in attendance, but it would be needle-in-haystack time trying to search through nearly 13,000 names.

Keenan gobbles up competition at Atlanta Half Marathon

Congrats to Marist Running alum John (JK-Trey) Keenan for his sizzling half marathon debut on Thanksgiving Day at the Atlanta Half Marathon. John placed 8th overall out of 6,728 finishers and third overall in the 25-29 division in 1:15:18. That's an average of 5:44 per mile ... NICELY DONE!

Thanksgiving thoughts: Of smoke detectors and loving memories

You can call me a lot of things. One of them would not be “handy man.” For whatever reason, I did not take that carpentry gene from my father, who worked with wood and built things and fixed things throughout my entire youth. Me? I can replace a burnt out light bulb with one that works. Most of the time. Beyond that … all bets are off. So a few weeks ago, while most men would have sniffed at a simple task, one that could be accomplished in minutes without a thought, I was stressing out. It had to be done, and there was extreme deadline pressure! I’ll explain.

As many of you know, Heidi’s beloved mother, my beloved mother-in-law, passed away suddenly and way too soon about a year and a half ago. The void in our lives is still palpable, every day to be sure, but especially during this and every holiday season. One of the ongoing tasks we have been dealing with was trying to sell the house, the loving home where Heidi and her brother grew up with their parents. These are never easy things to deal with, and the hiccups in the process have been plentiful. It gets compounded when lawyers and real estate agents get involved, and the bickering over seemingly trivial things can border on the comical. So it was a few weeks ago. On the day before the scheduled closing, there was a bit of a dispute over whether there should have been smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in the house before closing, or if there would be a $100 off the sale price for the new owners to take care of it themselves. Lawyers were putting their foot down; no closing until the detectors are in place. But, wasn’t that $100 rebate thing already in the closing contract? This is the equivalent of huffing and puffing over … well, nothing. For those keeping score at home, this dispute represented a fraction of the sale that amounted to this: 0.00054 percent. Again. Virtually nothing. But, lawyers being lawyers, this was the deal. Put those detectors in. Or else. Cue the Soup Nazi voice: No closing for you!

So here it is, a Wednesday afternoon, and Idiot Coach needs to get two smoke/CO detectors from Home Depot and install them in the house before the Thursday morning closing. Piece of cake. Right? Right. OK. Bought two Kidde detectors at the cost of $84 and change. Now … to install them … uh-oh. Handy man? Yeah, right! Reading the instructions, it says that you mark two holes with a pencil, drill the holes, insert the screws to mount the bracket plate, and snap/install the detector on said plastic plate. No problem. Wait. Where’s our drill? Yes. We have a drill. No. I do not remember the last time we used it. I could not find the drill. Darkness is descending. I gotta get these things mounted. Drill be damned, I’m going over there. What’s it like trying to screw these tiny screws into the wall without a drill? Funny! After a few drops and misses, the screws went in. The plastic was on the wall. Securely? Not so much. The detectors mounted. Walking gingerly, gently, slowly, trying not to breathe, I leave the house – hoping those suckers stay on the wall for at least the next 24 hours.

Feeling pretty good about myself – check it out … I’m a regular Bob Vila! – I get in my car and listen to Mike Francesa. Then, the cell phone rings. It’s Heidi. She’s assuming I’m still fumbling with the Phillips head screwdriver. Trying not to be smug, I turn down the radio and announce I’m done. Wait! You have to go back, she says! Pictures of those devices, mounted, need to be taken as proof! Swell. My darn FLIP PHONE will have to do. I go back to the house, realizing that I left the front door wide open (Idiot Coach, indeed!). To my mild surprise, the detectors are still on their respective walls. I snap “pictures” with my “phone” and text them off. I lock the front door this time and leave.

And then it dawns on me – it hadn’t dawned on me a few minutes earlier, when I went to leave the first time – that this was it. This was the last time I’d be in this house. I did not grow up in this house. I did not have a bedroom in this house. My parents did not live there. But there sure were a lot of loving memories here.

--Thanksgiving 1992, just a few weeks after I started dating Heidi. I was nervous at first but felt right at home soon after.

--Many other Thanksgivings, and many other meals, after that.

--Falling asleep in that big comfy oversized chair in the basement, with a football game that I had no interest in acting as background noise.

--Christmases.

--Birthdays.

--Bonfires.

On and on and on.

As we prepare for Thanksgiving 2013, here at our home, we do so with our mother’s memory still alive and well. There was nothing like a “Grandma Mimi dinner” or a “Grandma Mimi Thanksgiving.” Oh yeah, we still miss her all right, every single blessed day.

Most of you reading this have dealt with similar losses throughout the course of your family lives – some of you quite recently, with the feelings still acute. The holidays can be tough times as the memories become more vivid and flood back in a rush. The sadness, and the longing, is real. But to paraphrase “Tuesdays with Morrie,” the wonderful book by Mitch Albom: “Love never dies.” So as we prepare for Thanksgiving and other holidays, we keep the memories alive by honoring the loving life that she, and all of our loved ones not with us anymore, lived. Love never dies. That is something to be thankful about, today and every day.

If the shoe fits: Old sneakers for a great cause

For those who have been in the vicinity of what used to pass as a track office at the McCann Center in the past several months ... well, it just got a lot neater today. We have been collecting old, worn-out and well-past-their-prime sneakers for the past three months, and today we finally connected with our very worthy cause: Gifts from the Heart for Downs.

Ulster County resident Kimberley Adams founded this wonderful organization several years ago. The organization provides gifts and makes dreams come true for those living with Down Syndrome. Kimberley has two adoptive children who have Down Syndrome -- Matthew (who is in the photo above) and Judy (who, to date, has collected more than 158,000 dimes for her "Dimes for Down Syndrome by Judy Adams initiative; look it up on Facebook and LIKE it). Also in the photo above is freshman distance runner Nick Salamone, who helped load the sneakers into the back of Kimberley's Mazda 5 minivan behind the McCann Center. Kudos and thanks to all team members who helped donate and sort the sneakers, today and over the past several months. Sophomore distance runner Lizzie Peper has done a great job in mobilizing the team effort. And today, team captain Ken Walshak cleared out my office by heaving the bags of old shoes from the balcony of the racquetball court down to the floor below.

This shoe drive, for lack of a better term, is ongoing. So keep the sneakers coming, from near and far. And don't worry about the tidiness of my office. This kind of clutter is wonderful. Kimberley takes the sneakers and gets a per-pound amount for them, which she in turn puts toward another gift or dream come true for someone living with Down Syndrome.

  Last point: For those keeping score at home, you'll notice in the photo above and the one I just inserted on the left (taken by my daughter Natalie on her iPod; I don't do selfies!) that I am currently clean shaven. Take note of that bare facial skin, because that is the last time you will be seeing it for quite some time. That's right. The Winter Beard is coming back, in full force. Junior distance runner Pat Rynkowski started the momentum several weeks ago. The conversation went something like this:
Rynkowski: Hey Pete, why don't you grow that beard like you did a few years ago?
Idiot Coach: Because I am happily married and want to stay that way.
Rynkowski: Oh. Come ON Pete, we all LOVED it.
Idiot Coach: Yeah. Well. Heidi doesn't exactly love it. Who do you want me to keep happy; her or you guys?
Rynkowski: Us. Of course.
Idiot Coach: OK. I'll think of something.

Well. Here's what I have come up with, sort of in line with the sneaker collection. I will go the entire winter season, roughly 100 days, without shaving or trimming my beard. In an effort to put some meaning to this nonsense (and to justify my hirsuteness at home), I will informally collect per-day donations for each of my razor-free days (a penny per day = $1; a nickel per day = $5; a dime per day = $10), and I will convert all the currency to dimes and give them to Judy Adams as she strives to reach a quarter-million dimes for Down Syndrome.

And yes. I will periodically post non-selfie selfie-type photos of my mountain man progress throughout the winter.

Track schedule, 2014

Several program followers have requested our 2014 track schedule, so here you go. Parents and family members, please check with your favorite student-athletes in advance to ascertain whether they will be competing at upcoming meets. Not everyone will compete at every meet.

INDOOR TRACK

Saturday, December 7, 2013: Boston University Early Opener, Boston University

Friday, January 10: NYU Gotham Cup, NYC Armory

Saturday, January 18: NYU Team Challenge, NYC Armory

Fri/Sat, January 24-25: John Thomas Terrier Invitational, Boston University

Friday, January 31: Metropolitan Championships, NYC Armory

Fri/Sat, February 7-8: David Hemery Valentine Invitational, Boston University

Friday, February 14: Lafayette/Rider Winter Games, NYC Armory

Friday, February 21: MAAC Championships, NYC Armory

Fri/Sat/Sun, March 7-9: IC4A/ECAC Championships, Boston University*

OUTDOOR TRACK

Saturday, March 29: Monmouth Season Opener

Thursday/Friday/Saturday, April 3-4-5: Colonial Relays, William and Mary

Friday/Saturday, April 11-12: Metropolitan Championships, site TBA

Saturday/Sunday, April 12-13: Bucknell Bison Invitational

Thursday/Friday/Saturday, April 17-18-19: Mt. SAC Relays*

Saturday, April 19: Stony Brook “Wolfie” Invitational

Thursday/Friday/Saturday, April 24-26: Penn Relays*

Sunday, April 27: Yale Springtime Invitational

Friday, May 2: Vassar Twilight Open

Saturday/Sunday, May 3-4: MAAC Championships, Rider

Tuesday, May 6: UAlbany Last Chance Meet

Friday/Saturday/Sunday, May 16-18: IC4A/ECAC, Princeton*

Thursday/Friday/Saturday, May 29-31: NCAA East Regional, Jacksonville*

TBA: USATF Junior Championships*

IC4A results: University Division and Coaches race

The men ended the season on a positive note. Sophomore Johnny Lee earned All-East honors, and our 1-5 spread was a fantastic 21 seconds. After a rocky, up-and-down season, the men put it all together for a positive finish on a sunny day.

IC4A Championships, University Division

Team standings

1-Fordham 77, 2-Monmouth 131, 3-Pittsburgh 157, 4-New Hampshire 161, 5-Marist 173, 6-Binghamton 176, 7-Rutgers 188, 8-Fairfield 203, 9-UMass 239, 10-Siena 267, 11-St. Francis 271, 12-Manhattan 278, 13-NJIT 304, 14-Temple 322, 15-Robert Morris 389, 16-Sacred Heart 401, 17-Colgate 480, 18-Seton Hall 484, 19-Loyola 546, 20-Hofstra 590

Individual finishers, 5-mile course

22-Johnny Lee 26:34.9 *IC4A All East

30-Charlie Ropes 26:43.4

32-Ryan Scrudato 26:45.0

41-Bryan Buttigieg 26:50.6

48-Mark Valentino 26:56.8

64-Nick Salek 27:12.1

68-Pat Rynkowski 27:16.7

74-Jake Hensler 27:24.2

81-Ian Dorset 27:30.2

82-Billy Hild 27:30.7

186 finishers

IC4A Coaches Race, Men’s 5-mile results

2-Omar Perez 27:15.6

3-Spencer Johnson 27:25.0

5-Pat Deedy 27:33.8

8-Mark Vuono 27:42.2

9-Stefan Morton 27:44.8

10-Nick Salamone 27:47.6

11-Doug Ainscow 27:55.3

12-Tommy Lappas 27:59.5

13-Ty Gamble 28:03.1

14-Justin Tampellini 28:15.1

15-Nick Hughes 28:16.9

27-Eddie White 30:18.4

Men's XC in photos: Datos ends a stellar senior season

In a fall filled with missteps and misfortunes -- many of them among his classmates -- our team rock in terms of consistency, good will and great attitude was senior captain Ryan Scrudato, who ended his senior season with another solid performance. Ryan was there, every day in every way, at practice and at meets. We will miss Datos, but we have two more track seasons of fun, racing and sun's-out-guns-out moments.

Men's XC: Our two late-season surprises

Thanks to Ginny Townsend for sharing this midrace photo of junior Bryan Buttigieg (sophomore eligibility in XC) and sophomore Charlie Ropes. Butti, with the headband, flowing locks and killer mustache, was not even supposed to be on our XC roster this year. He came in to preseason is phenomenal shape and kept building from there. Charlie (aka Batman) overcame an early season bout of never ending illness to put together one of the better November racing seasons in recent memory -- third man at MAACs, individual title at Vassar, second man today at IC4As. Nicely done!

A glimpse at the future in the present

The 2013 Marist College men's XC team freshmen class, my not-ready-for-prime-time runners, from left: Eddie White, Pat Ginty, Zach Toner, Spencer Johnson, Stefan Morton, Nick Salamone, Saad Baig, Brian Edsall, Jake Hensler. This group has forged an excellent work ethic, which must be continued now and into the future to ensure success in the coming years. Should be fun to watch them grow up together.

ECAC Championships: Women's University Division and Coaches Race results

A solid day for our ladies. We missed junior captain Erin Thompson's presence in the lineup, as our gap from 4 to 5 was a bit too much to overcome on this day in our effort for a top-3 finish (but we were close!). Overall, a solid finish to a strong season.

ECAC Championships, University Division

Team standings

1-Pittsburgh 83, 2-Sacred Heart 95, 3-Holy Cross 126, 4-Marist 149, 5-Monmouth 158, 6-Fordham 180, 7-Binghamton 215, 8-Towson 224, 9-Robert Morris 243, 10-Fairfield 262, 11-St. Francis 274, 12-Temple 316, 13-Siena and Seton Hall 324, 15-Manhattan 334, 16-Hofstra 386, 17-NJIT 484

Individual finishers, 5-kilometer course

7-Kristen Traub 18:34.4 *ECAC All-East

22-Janelle Solviletti 18:58.8 *ECAC All-East

26-Nicki Nesi 19:04.4

30-Michelle Gaye 19:12.9

72-Marissa Porter 20:12.2

78-Tara Nuccitelli 20:16.6

82-Brianna Freestone 20:20.9

88-Annie Gould 20:32.4

102-Jaime Durso 20:45.4

105-Olivia Lappas 20:49.6

112-Bryn Gorberg 21:01.4

139-Kim Schwartz 21:46.6

ECAC Coaches Race

Individual results, 5,000-meter course

17-Jackie Bunce 21:23.5

23-Mariella Bilello 22:18.8

26-Lizzie Peper 22:37.9

27-Allison Dellicarri 22:58.3

29-Kristi Licursi 23:21.6