Bianca wins!

Congrats to very recent (2017) Marist Running Alum Bianca Luparello, who won her first post-collegiate race while attending the NATA (athletic training) convention in Texas. Bianca didn't want me to list her winning time, and we will respect her wishes. However! We are very proud of her, no matter what the clock says. She had a season-ending injury that curtailed her final season of track this spring. She is just getting back into running shape and clearly this was a good effort and return to the sport. She also connected with Marist Running Alum Andrea DiTrani down in Texas. Good stuff, and congrats Bianca!

All-time steeple list: Nicki and Britt!

Got an email a few weeks ago from Peter Larsson of Sweden, who compiles all-time performance lists for track and field (athletics). His cutoff for the women's steeplechase is sub-10:45, which means that two of our Marist Running Alums -- Nicki Nesi and Brittany Burns -- have made his fancy list! Click on this link: http://www.alltime-athletics.com/w3000hok.htm and scroll down to number 15513, and you will find our current school record holder (she's listed as "Nicoletta Nesi") with her time of 10:36.48. If you go down to 18286 on the list, you'll find Britt's 10:43.42.

Also! I just discovered that Nicki's other sub-10:45s are listed here:

17103, 10:40.46
18293, 10:43.43
18726, 10:44.51

Pretty cool stuff.

Adirondack Distance Run: Marist shines

Congratulations to 2017 Marist graduate and new Marist Running Alum Emily Franko for her strong victory at this morning’s Adirondack Distance Run 10-miler in Lake George. This point-to-point, rolling 10-miler starts in Lake George Village and finishes in Bolton Landing. Emily was first female and 10^th overall in a very strong time of 1:07:18. There were 125 women in the race. 

Marist Running Alum and longtime Bolton Landing resident Luke Shane was second overall and ran a big course PR (by 41 seconds) with his time of 58:43 (negative split effort, with 5-mile splits a fancy 29:25/29:15). 

Graduation 2017: Scenes from the gym

Joey's graduation from FDR High School was Friday night. Because of the threat of thunderstorms, it was moved inside to the high school gymnasium, which was pretty warm and sticky. It was still a great evening, as Joey received his diploma from Mr. Pardy, the excellent FDR principal and former football coach at Marist. He did a great job with his speech. Generally, a memorable evening for him and for our family.

Graduation 2017: The 5 Fathers

This photo was taken at the top of Breakneck Ridge, as Joey and four of his best friends (they call themselves the "5 Fathers") hiked on the morning of their graduation on Friday. Fortunately, there were no "breaks" on Breakneck for Joey and his teammates and good friends, who all wore their Fireside Track Club singlets for the occasion. The name is derived from FDR's famous "Fireside Chats" as president. Good stuff.

Graduation 2017: Time flies

The day before our oldest son Joey's graduation from Franklin D. Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park, he went to visit his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Kelly, who is still in the district but at a different elementary school. Here is the two-photo collage that Heidi posted on Facebook, of Joey with Mrs. Kelly on his last day of kindergarten back in 2005, and Joey towering over her as he prepares to graduate from FDR the next day. Here is what Mrs. Kelly posted as a comment: "Joey, your visit today meant the world to me! It's every teacher's dream to have former students come back and say hi. And to see you 12 years later graduating as valedictorian, just made my day! I'm so proud of you! Good luck in college!"

Reaching new heights

Here at Blog Central, we are all about numbers and records and record keeping. So when I got the following email and photo from my good friend and loyal blog/program follower Bob Sweeney, of course I had to post it. From Bob: "Do I become highest running alum? Summited Huayna Potosi in Bolivia last week. 19,974 feet.'' My answer to Bob would have to be an unequivocal and emphatic YES.

Call him Vin Domsel!

Got a text from former team member Dom Fortino, a fine ROTC soldier at Marist who is now spending an inordinate amount of time in the weight room, as you can see. He entered his first bodybuilding contest and got fourth place overall, earning some hardware. I'll be honest when I tell you that I had my battles with Dom because I felt he spent too MUCH time in the weight room for a distance runner, but now I wholeheartedly support that, given his new pursuits. His good friends and former teammates have called him "Vin Domsel" after Vin Diesel, and now you can see why!

"Fossil" fuel propels Gregg!

Thanks to Marist Running Alum Gregg (“Bryan Buttigieg”) for providing the following write-up and photos from a rather unique road race that he ran, won and got an excellent prize for winning.

Hello, HI, greetings from Southwest Wyoming! This weekend is Fossil Fest in the small fossil town of Kemmerer, WY where I am residing for the summer. Events range from a dodgeball tournament, live music, and more. http://www.fossilfest.org/ I was inspired by the spectacular showing at the Walkway events from Marist runners across the board to enter in the 5k this morning. I crossed the line with a winning time of 16:49.  I actually had to stop at the town triangle and yelled "is this way the finish?" And then some girl was getting a flag banner out of a truck to have at the finish line and she's like "Oh no he's gonna beat me to the line" and I'm like "don't worry I'll wait for you" … haha. Not too shabby for 6949 elevation and not much training. I guess my weekend hikes are helping out. 

Met some nice people in town and found out I raced against some sprinters from University of Wyoming (100-200 guys) so there is hope of Tim Johnson wearing that alumni jersey. Winning prize was a $25 gift card to Cabela's, I DIG IT! (Fossil pun). Hope all is well in Poughkeepsie and excited to see what the team has coming this year! Best, Gregg

End of school, part 2: Moving up day

With a few more half-days to go, our youngest son James is almost done with fifth grade. On to middle school in September for the little guy. And so ends a 13-year streak of having at least one child in the elementary school near our house. The journey started in 2004 with our oldest son Joey, continued with our daughter Natalie, and now it ends with James. Today was the “Moving Up Ceremony” at the elementary school. This rather curious activity “celebrates” the kids “graduating” from elementary school. They played “Pomp and Circumstance.” There were programs. There were awards. There was a class song. Parents cried and frantically snapped photos. Yawn.

Hey. Listen. We are proud of all our kids’ accomplishments, but moving from one school to another is not so much an “accomplishment” as a transitional moment, one that will impact our kid far more at the end of the summer than at the beginning of the summer. Was it bittersweet, the end of our elementary school days for our kids, we were asked. Heidi is a bit more of an emotional sort than I am, but in this case we were equal parties in neutrality. The ceremony started at 10 a.m.; somehow, in a miraculous oversight, I had had only one cup of coffee at that point. My yawns were for real. Anyway … Quick! What year did you “graduate” from the fifth grade? Yeah. I thought so. I didn’t remember, either, and not because I’m old. It’s because it doesn’t much matter. We’ll “celebrate” in a few weeks with a family outing at Citi Field to watch the now dreadful Mets. If “Pomp and Circumstance” didn’t make us cry, maybe Lucas Duda striking out a few times will. So long, elementary school. Time for a different bus route, different bus time and different bus destination. Check back with me in seven years, when we are done with school days for good. Maybe there’ll be tears then … but more than likely, there will be cause for great celebration. Especially if I’ve had my proper fill of coffee in the morning. 

End of school, part 1: Field Day, circa 2017

My fondest memories from elementary school had little to do with reading, writing and arithmetic. I remember Field Day being this time of year – often on Flag Day (which we celebrated with pride last Wednesday!) – and getting to be outside in the sun all day as opposed to inside a sweaty and warm classroom. There was also a big tug of war – usually between fourth grade and fifth grade? -- during Field Day.

So whenever we’ve had the opportunity to volunteer at our kids’ Field Day, we always jumped at the chance. This year, with our youngest son James in fifth grade, represented the last Field Day we would be able to be part of. Last Thursday was a warmish day with no rain – this spring has seemed quite rainy, hasn’t it? – so that was good. Until the Responsible Adults of the School started scurrying around with a sense of urgency, walkie talkies in hand. Everybody inside. Doors shut and locked. Windows shut and locked. Field Day is over. Apparently, there was “police activity” in the woods adjacent to the school, something about a domestic disturbance and a person of interest fleeing on foot. Kids and parents inside, doors and windows locked.

It’s 2017. Our kids are used to this stuff, aren’t they? Well. They are! I swear, it seemed the adults were more agitated than the kids. The kids moved steadily to their classrooms, as instructed, as they practice in various drills throughout the school year. The principal praised their behavior, as well she should, but again this is their world, our world. In 2017, a few minutes of outside fun getting preempted for a real-life drill will have to do for Field Day. 

Walkway races: Together at the finish

Thanks to Edsall for sharing a lot of great photos from the race, including these two of the finish. Above: Kennedy, Palmer and Rivas forming a "tres amigos" finish in the half marathon. Left: Alums Christine Coughlin and Annie Gould heading toward the finish line in what would be identical times (1:34:16).

Walkway races: Spanning the generations

As it used to be with the now defunct Red Fox Trot 5km, the Walkway races accomplish two wonderful things for our program:

1-It’s a day in which our runners are like rock stars. Usually, we toil in relative anonymity throughout the year. We are always off campus and away from Marist. While we have success, it is always in the context of competitive, Division 1 running – so we are often simply bit players are a much larger scale. Don’t get me wrong: We are proud of everything our athletes have accomplished and will accomplish in the future. But, we are what we are. On a day like Sunday, when we have our athletes out en masse in a local road race, people notice the red and white runners zooming ahead up front. I hear similar comments throughout the year when local runners or local people see our athletes out on the Walkway or rail trails training. “Wow, they are going SO FAST and just talking like it’s nothing.” To older, mid-pack runners, collegiate athletes in our sport are superhumans. Rock stars for a day!

2-Events like this, in which many alums come back and share the starting line with our current runners, it creates an environment in which the span of Marist Running generations is narrowed. Although these men and women may never have been teammates during their four or five years at Marist, on this day they are most definitely teammates – sharing the same uniform, and sharing the same passion and love for the sport and the Marist Running tradition that bonds us through the decades, even all the way back to the Marty McGowan prehistoric era of the 1970s (sorry, Marty, I know you’re reading and I know you love it when I remind everyone how OLD you are!) But seriously: When I see and hear things like Nicki Nesi and Nick Webster running together in the early stages of the 5km … to Luke Shane going out of his way to congratulate Spencer Johnson on his 2:39:32 (Luke’s long-term goal has been sub-2:40 in the marathon) … to Dietrich Mosel turning around after Mass to personally introduce himself to Father Janczyk and congratulate him on his recent ordination … to many current young men who talk to Billy Hild (the son I never wanted) as though they were teammates for years … to me, that’s what it’s all about. And it’s why the Walkway race will continue to be one of our favorite days and weekends of the year. It is my sincere hope that alums keep coming back. 

Walkway races: Sprinter parents shine

He was perhaps the greatest overall sprinter we have had in our men’s track history. But more importantly, Tim Johnson was one of the greatest PEOPLE to ever inhabit our Marist Track world, and now that he is graduated, we will miss him greatly – as we do the entirety of the Class of 2017. So the text from him yesterday, reminding me that he would like a Marist Alumni Racing Team singlet in size Small, made me smile. (To his credit, he also praised the excellent Marist Running performances in the races on Sunday). 

His request for a singlet made me smile, because sprinters usually don’t request MART singlets. It also made me smile because it allowed me to give him good-natured ribbing about how he’ll have to USE that MART singlet in next year’s Walkway 5km race. Remember, 5 kilometers is akin to a marathon for a short sprinter like Tim. But alas, it was easy to poke him on this, since both of his 50-something parents were at the Walkway races and both ran the half marathon. Christa finished 16^th out of 87 in her age group in a very solid time of 2:05:07. Richard was a bit further back in the pack, but they found me after the race, and both were smiling at the completion of a grueling 13.1-mile race. So yeah, Tim. If both your parents can come back and race the half marathon, you certainly can do the 5km. And yes: They’ll be a nice new MART singlet waiting for you.

Walkway races: Spencer wins the marathon!

Of all the races, obviously the marathon caused us the most concern with potential for heat-related problems. Recent alum Spencer Johnson handled it wonderfully in his marathon debut, with an inspiring and stirring victory by nearly 20 minutes. The roar of the crowd as he came down the finishing stretch was truly special. Spencer shared with me his splits, which were pretty good. He followed the pre-race strategy of taking the first 5-6 miles comfortable before settling into a faster pace. Once he got rolling in the middle miles, he did great. As most of us do, he struggled in the latter stages, but he was able to rally and get a sub-2:40, which is a great way to start his 26.2-mile racing career.

Marathon

1-Spencer Johnson (alum/rising grad student) 2:39:32 (overall champion)

Mile 1: 6:04
Mile 2: 6:12
Mile 3: 6:11
Mile 4: 6:27
Mile 5: 6:05
Mile 6: 6:08
Mile 7: 6:06
Mile 8: 5:57
Mile 9: 5:48

Mile 10: 6:09
Mile 11: 6:10
Mile 12: 5:56
Mile 13: 5:56
Mile 14: 5:57
Mile 15: 5:57
Mile 16: 5:44
Mile 17: 5:37
Mile 18: 5:42
Mile 19: 5:46
Mile 20: 6:00
Mile 21: 6:05
Mile 22: 5:56
Mile 23: 6:18 *dropped my gel pack and turned around to get it
Mile 24: 6:14
Mile 25: 6:27
Mile 26: 6:11
0.31=1:57

Other Marist Running finishers

6-Henry Pratt (philosophy professor) 3:19:44 (second in M40-44 division)

11-David Swift (alum) 3:28:52

22-John Mckee (alum) 3:43:30

Walkway races: Group shot

Nice post-race group shot of some award winners, team members and alums near the podium.

Walkway races: Half marathon dominance

Although we did not have the top finishers in the half marathon, our combined current and former runners took 11 of the top 15 places. Memorable moments included teammates Rivas, Kennedy and Palmer crossing the line together, holding hands, and alums Christine Coughlin and Annie Gould also crossing the line together. Future Forever Foxes and Forever Foxes, mixing it up quite nicely in the results.

4-Dietrich Mosel (rising senior) 1:17:55

5-Alexander Hogue (rising sophomore) 1:18:09

6-Luke Shane (alum) 1:18:32

7-Omar Perez (alum) 1:18:57

8-Chris Rivas (rising sophomore) 1:19:26

9-Mike Kennedy (rising junior) 1:19:27

10-Palmer Weimann (rising junior) 1:19:27

11-Joe Miller (rising senior) 1:20:43

12-Billy Posch (alum) 1:21:44

13-Kyle Hannafin (alum) 1:23:08

15-Will Duggan (rising senior) 1:25:23

24-Anthony Ferreri (alum) 1:32:48

27-Christine Coughlin (alum) 1:34:16 (third overall)

28-Annie Gould (alum) 1:34:16 (first in 19-29)

46-Kelley Gould (alum) 1:40:31 (fifth in 19-29)

63-Lizzy Peper (alum) 1:45:29

Walkway races: 5k dominance

The first race of the day, the College to College 5km, featured fast times and dominant Marist Running performances. The downhill course brought out some snazzy finishing times, with overall winner and recent alum Stefan Morton breaking 15 minutes (14:59) and two-time defending champ and rising senior captain Steven Rizzo placing second in 15:13.

Our women swept the top three spots, with recent graduate Nicki Nesi (18:05) winning, followed by rising sophomore Ali Bartolotta (18:36) and rising junior Jordan Casey (18:38).

Here are the results from the Marist Running world …

1-Stefan Morton (alum) 14:59

2-Steven Rizzo (rising senior) 15:13

5-Nick Webster (alum) 16:28

6-Zachary Ropes (rising sophomore) 16:39

7-Father Jacob Bertrand Janczyk (alum) 17:02

8-Drew Burns (rising junior) 17:50

12-Nicki Nesi (alum) 18:05 (first female)

14-Alexandra Bartolotta (rising sophomore) 18:36 (second female)

15-Jordan Casey (rising junior) 18:38 (third female)

19-Matt Todaro (rising sophomore) 18:46

31-Boushra Belkhir (rising sophomore) 21:28 (third in 19-29)

36-Catherine Ferreri (alum) 22:09

37-Brianna Freestone (alum) 22:09

38-Michelle Gaye (alum) 22:10

90-Tom Todaro (father of current runner) 25:33

100-Alyssa Lafave (rising sophomore) 25:52

Walkway races: Watching and waiting

Thanks to good buddy Sean McMann for sharing this photo of rising sophomore Chris Rivas and me, as we waited in the hot sun for Spencer Johnson to finish the marathon.

Walkway races: Start photo

A Marist Running themed starting line, seconds before the race began at 7 a.m. ...

Walkway races: Mass with Father Janczyk

In what we hope is the start of a nice tradition, Father Jacob Bertrand Janczyk (aka Marist Running Alum Matt Janczyk) said Mass at the Chapel at 12:30 p.m. after the races. It was kind of surreal entering the beautiful chapel while slower marathon runners were straggling in to their sweltering, midday finishes. As we exited the chapel about an hour later (note photo from Selfie King Krys Wasielewski), the final marathoners were coming across campus to the finish. The air conditioned chapel was a welcome relief to all of us, and Father Janczyk said a nice, simple Mass for all of us. After having run a surprisingly fast race – seventh place overall, 17:02! Neat. 

Walkway races: Duggan in the hospital

Scary moment of the day was when rising senior Will Duggan staggered to the finish line of the half marathon, succumbing to major heat illness. Thanks to the prompt response of the medical team, followed by a trip to the ER for several bags of IV fluid, Duggan averted disaster. He was in pretty bad shape in the latter stages of the race. Thank God he is OK. And yes, he was credited with a 15^th place finish in the race, despite being battered and bruised from a few falls in the final yards of the race.

Walkway races: Golf the night before

Several men decided to go golfing the night before the Walkway race. Here’s a photo that they sent from the golf outing under the hot sun, which they would again run under today at the races.

Walkway races: Packet pickup

This year’s pre-race packet pickup on Saturday was at Marist’s McCann Center Gray Gym. Here’s a snapshot of a few of us there, gearing up for Sunday’s race.

Walkway races: A few updates

1. The College to College 5k race starts at 7:15 a.m. now. Fittingly, it starts near a Stewart's Shop, on Creek Road in the Town of Poughkeepsie. Neat.
2. The pre-race packet pickup is tomorrow (Saturday) at the McCann Center's Gray Gym. From 1-7 p.m. It is strongly encouraged -- URGED, even -- to get your number at that time. If you wait till the morning ... well, that won't be a good idea.
3. Speaking of the morning: It's gonna be warm. Yes, even at the start. Hydration is always key, but it will be more key on Sunday. Start hydrating now. Especially if you are doing the longer races.

54 Perry Street

I did not grow up at 54 Perry Street. My parents moved to that address in 2004, well into the old-age retirement phase of their long marriage. The house where I grew up, where they raised our family (that was 84 Grand Avenue), that one got too unwieldy for their 70-something bodies. All those stairs, all those rooms. So, they moved about 1.7 miles to the other side of town, to 54 Perry Street, to a smaller, one-level, three-bedroom home more suited for an old, retired couple.

An address is just that, an address. So is a town, a city, a country … even a name. They are what they are. They come to life as we come to life; they are assigned meaning as we assign meaning to them. But just like a house becomes a home, an address begins to take on a life of its own; it becomes much more than directions for the mail carrier, or a location on Google Maps. And although my parents only lived in that house at 54 Perry Street for a shade over a decade, that home represented all my children knew of their grandparents, who they called Nana and Pop-pop. That was Nana and Pop-pop’s house. That was their safe haven in New Jersey; it was where they slept, padded around in their pajamas, watched Spongebob, ate ice cream, took baths. Similarly, for my parents, outside of frequent doctor appointments or less frequent trips to the grocery store, pretty much every waking and sleeping moment of their time was spent in the small confines of that home. They loved that home, and they personalized each and every room to that home.

Moving out of that home, and into assisted living, in December of 2015 was an emotional moment. My parents cried. They cried over leaving this home, but most likely over leaving the idea of having a place called home as well. The house remained vacant, with the unspoken (and very unrealistic) idea that perhaps one day they would move back there. Then, my father died last year, and with it the unrealistic notion that the home would be their home anymore vanished. After about a year on the real estate market, the home finally changes hands today. As with many things in life, this was not a sudden process; in fact, it was a cumbersome, dragged out series of events, many of which were annoyingly stress-inducing. But alas, after today, 54 Perry Street no longer belongs to our family. Our children, as well as the other grandchildren, no longer have that safe haven in northern New Jersey to call their own.

After removing the final remnants of stuff from the house yesterday, with the help of my good friend Krzysztof and his trusty hand-truck, the finality of today’s real estate closing hit me. After nearly 53 years on this planet, I no longer have a place in New Jersey that I can call home -- a place I can amble in unannounced, turn on the Yankee game, brew a cup of coffee, go to the bathroom, read the Star-Ledger or Daily Record, take a nap. For my parents, I imagine this is how they felt several decades ago, about 3333 Seymour Avenue and 681 East 239^th Street. The phases and stages, circles and cycles, of life … they happen to all of us. Today, it’s my turn to mourn the passing of a street address: 54 Perry Street.

Walkway races: Mass with Father Janczyk

Recently ordained priest and Marist Running Alum Father Jacob Bertrand Janczyk will be returning to campus this weekend to race in the College to College 5K as part of the Walkway Marathon weekend of races. Later in the day, Father Janczyk will be saying Mass in the Marist Chapel at 12:30 p.m. Anyone interested in attending, feel free to walk up the hill and meet Matt (as he was known in college) during and after Mass.

Walkway races: Some additional details

Looking forward to having many alumni and team members back on campus for Sunday’s Walkway Marathon races – marathon, half marathon, 5km. More than 2,000 runners are expected combined in all three races. In the Murphy’s Law category: After a seemingly endless string of relentlessly dreary weather (damp and cool), Sunday’s forecast is calling for above average temperatures and humidity. Of course! As they say: Hydration is key. But with a 7 a.m. start, the early summer warmth shouldn’t be too much of a factor in the shorter two races. Anyway! Here are a few race week notes for one and all:

1.      Packet pickup is on Saturday from 1-7 p.m. at the McCann Center. Please plan on getting your bib number at that time. Don’t wait till Sunday morning.

2.      There will be NO PARKING on the Marist main campus -- only Beck Lot and the East Campus. Everyone should plan accordingly, and plan to walk down to the start/finish area, leaving enough time to get there.

3.      We'll use the Cornell Boathouse as our team and alumni headquarters. Runners can leave their gear, etc., in there, and we'll get some extra bagels and drinks for everyone (although there will be plenty of food under the race tent). Not sure if we'll need wristbands, as we did last year. We’ll let you know on that later in the week.

4.      My special request: Please wear Marist team (or alumni) gear. We want to make a loud and proud showing for our program.

5.      Anyone NOT running may be asked to volunteer on the course (just on the Marist campus). Don't think we'll need too many, and it'll give them a good view of the race.

6.      As we did last year, we'll want to get a nice team/alumni group shot after the half marathon.

7.      Mr. Bucket (“David Swift”) will be having a post-race alumni/family/MAMs shindig at his house on Shamrock Circle. Should be fun. Text or email for details.

That’s all for now. More details may follow later in the week, if there are race updates. Look forward to seeing everyone in a few days.

Crew view

One of the perks of our track season being complete is the ability to attend athletic events of my children. I’ve made it to the past 6 or 7 Little League games for my youngest son James. And on Saturday, in her final crew race (regatta?) of the season, I went to see our daughter Natalie rowing for the FDR team, on the Hudson River. They had a good day. Her lightweight 4 boat won by a whopping 12 seconds and FDR won the team plaque for most points accrued on the day. And so concludes her unique three-sport odyssey for her freshman year – swimming in the summer/fall, bowling in the winter, and rowing in the spring. Neat. 

A different graduation

On Sunday, during the few hours over the past few weeks when it wasn’t raining or threatening to shower, we were up in rural Massachusetts for the commencement ceremony at Williams College. Our niece Emma graduated. It was a bit unusual being at another college’s graduation, after having been to so many of them at Marist (except this year’s … oddly?). The Williams graduation was smaller – graduating class of a little more than 500 students – but equally pretty and powerful. College graduations are memorable and emotional days for students and their families. Glad we were able to get up there.