Results from the 6th Annual Greece Autumn Alliance
By Pete Van Peursem & Bob Dyjak

The 6th Annual Greece Autumn Alliance, a 5 & 10k road race series, had 163 runners who participated in both the Run for Hospice 5K (October 18th) and the Race with Grace 10K (Thanksgiving Day). The Run for Hospice had 811 finishers while the Race with Grace had a record turnout with 1000 finishers (15% increase).

In the men's open division, the 8th Annual Run for Hospice once again featured world class competition, as only 1 of the top 10 men was a U.S. citizen. Canisteo resident, Mark Andrews finished 7th overall (1st American) with a terrific time of 14:32. Mark is one of the top American runners in the Northeast and wins almost every local race he enters. On Thanksgiving morning, the 13th Annual Race with Grace had a very fast field but Mark was able to pull away and cruise to the finish line. Mark set a new course record in the process with a time of 30:05. Mark had a very nice payday ($550) on Thanksgiving as he earned $300 for placing 1st, $150 for the course record and $100 for winning the GAA. Mark's combined time of 44:37 was a full 2 minutes ahead of 2nd place finisher, Scott Bagley.

In the women's open division, Renee Rombaut is making a comeback after being sidelined for over a year with injuries. Renee ran a strong race at the Run for Hospice, finishing 11th overall with a time of 18:03. At the Race with Grace, Renee ran another great race and finished 2nd only to Laura Bloedorn with a time of 37:28. A combined time of 55:31 gave Renee her 2nd Greece Autumn Alliance crown as well as $100 to spend on Christmas presents.

In the men's master's division, Rochester's King of the Roads, Scott Bagley, just recently turned the big four-oh but shows no signs of letting up. The Run for Hospice was extremely competitive as Scott placed 3rd to Kenya's Jackson Kipng'ok (14:14) & Canada's Steve Boyd (14:42) with a time of 15:21 and a $200 payday. Scott ran terrific at the Race with Grace finishing 2nd overall to Mark Andrews with a fast time of 31:16 or just a tad over a 5-minute pace for 6.2 miles. Scott won $150 for his effort plus an additional $75 for the GAA master's title.

In the women's master's division, veterinarian Kathy O'Neill, is another newcomer to the master's ranks and she did not disappoint. She finished 3rd overall master at the Run for Hospice with a fine time of 19:35, good for $200. At the Race with Grace, Kathy finished as 2nd master to Beth DeCiantis with a time of 41:42. Her GAA time of 1:01:17 won her an additional $75.

Bob & I would like to congratulate our Greece Autumn Alliance champions but we also want to thank all of the 163 runners who supported both the Run for Hospice and the Race with Grace this past year. We hope you enjoyed our races and look forward to seeing you in 2004 at the 7th Annual Greece Autumn Alliance.