ANOTHER BANNER YEAR FOR THE 8th ANNUAL RUN FOR HOSPICE
By Karen Morris

Friday, November 21, 2003 defined what the Run for Hospice is truly all about. It was on this date that Visiting Nurse Hospice of Rochester & Monroe County received a check for $32,000! This represents an increase of $9,000, or almost 40%, over last year. A great big THANK YOU, from race director Pete Van Peursem, to everyone who helped make this donation possible.

This multi-event extravaganza includes an elite 5K road race (and wheelchair division), a 10 mile road race, a 2.5 mile fitness walk, 1/4 & 1/2 mile children's fun runs followed by an all-you-can-eat buffet that will rival your favorite party house.

Highlighting this year's run was a 5K photo finish, first time use of the ChampionChip to facilitate finish line calculations, sunny weather (oh so much better than the torrential downpours of '02!), and a new title sponsor for the popular 10 mile race.

5K Race. This race was decidedly the most competitive 5K ever held in Rochester. Elite runners from Kenya, Morocco, Ethiopia, and Canada populated the front of the pack and were chasing a total cash purse of $8,000. The top 5 finishers consisted of 2 Moroccans and 3 Kenyans. The winner, Mohammed Amyn of Morocco, missed breaking the course record of 14:08 and the $500 course record bonus by a mere 2 seconds. In a photo finish, second place finisher Joseph Mwai of Kenya lost by a fraction of a second. Those of us who didn't already know learned that chest position trumps feet when it comes to determining the winner. Nine male runners broke 15 minutes this year. In the previous seven years only 14 have done so.

The men's master 5K course record was lowered by 31 seconds as Jackson Kipng'ok of Kenya, the #1 ranked master's runner in the world, finished 3rd overall & ran a blazing 14:14. John Tuttle's record of 14:45 had stood since 2000. Kipng'ok went home $1,000 richer, $500 for the win and $500 for breaking the record. Second place went to Steve Boyd of Kingston, Ontario who set a new Canadian master's men's record when he finished in 14:42. Rochester's King of the Roads, Scott Bagley, turned 40 in August so this was an early foray for him in the master's class. With the tough competition he placed third among the master's with a time of 15:21 and 11th overall.

In the women's competition five runners broke 17 minutes. The 1st place finisher, Atalelech Ketema of Ethiopia, tied the course record of 16:05. Naomi Wangui (16:30) & Hannah Njeri (16:45), both of Kenya, finished 2nd & 3rd overall. The 1st American woman, Allison Carr from West Seneca, was 4th overall with a great time of 16:46. The first local females were Karen Elliott, finishing 9th with a time of 17:52, and Renee Rombaut who was 10th in 18:03. The women's master winner was Sue Munson of Orchard Park, New York who came in with a super time of 17:58.

10 Miler. The lure of a longer, more challenging race attracted 303 registrants, of which 287 finished, up 50 from last year. $1,500 in cash awards to the top 3 overall & master's finishers, along with $1000 in age group awards was made possible by the generous donation from Rochester Orthopedic Labs. This year's 10 miler was extremely competitive as the top twelve runners beat last year's winning time of 57:38.

The overall male winner was Kevin Collins of Cicero, NY, who ran the distance in 49:29, breaking the course record by over 8 minutes! Kevin has his sights set on the 2004 Olympic Marathon trials. Second place winner, Mohammed Ar-Ar from Morocco, was only three seconds behind. Third place went to Wilson Komen of Kenya with a time of 50:22.

The top female was Laura Bloedorn who broke the course record by over 3 minutes with a great time of 59:22. Shannon McHale (1:01:25) and Adela Flista (1:03:31)) rounded out the top 3.

The top men's master, with a time of 56:12, was Charlie Andrews, a former nationally ranked marathoner. The female master's winner was Beth DeCiantis who covered the 10 mile distance in 1:06:57. Both Charlie & Beth set new master's course records in the process.

Walkers. A record number of 202 walkers enjoyed a 2.5 mile course, separate from the runners, and were escorted by 2 deputies from the Monroe County Sheriff's Mounted Patrol Unit.

Fun Runs. Those lucky youngsters had a choice either a 1/4 or 1/2 mile fun run. New this year was the locale of these events. Rather than North Greece Road as in years past, they were held on the back ballfields of the host church. The safer and softer route was a winner. Clowns from Greece Paint Alley enhanced the experience for the younger set.

Food. The awesome menu included burgers, chicken sandwiches & Caesar salad prepared fresh by the Greece Outback Steakhouse, hot soup from Chili's Grill and Bar, 500 Zweigles hot dogs, 52 sheet pizzas, pasta from Romano's Macaroni Grill, 80 loaves of Montana Mills Bread, 75 dozen Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, cookies from Brad's Cookie Nook & Heritage Bakery, apples and cider from Elmgrove Fruit Farm and 1000 cups of Starbuck's Coffee.

Ya Gotta Love Those Elite Runners. Two elite runners, in particular, deserve special recognition. Sarah Schwald, a Nike "runner sweetheart" from Madison, Wisconsin, waived her appearance fee preferring that the money be used to benefit hospice. Her aunt recently utilized hospice services so Sarah knows its importance firsthand. She is preparing for the 2004 Summer Olympics 1500-meter competition.

Rochesterian Todd Reeser, a top marathoner & gourmet chef, was recovering from the Chicago Marathon which he ran the week before, earning $13,000 with a time of two hours and fifteen minutes (way to go Todd!). So instead of running in the Run for Hospice he rolled up his sleeves and grilled up those 500 Zweigle's hots.

Fundraising. A special thank you to Bryce Walker who collected $2,570 and was the top pledge raiser for the 7th straight year. An additional 24 people raised at least $150 which earned them a very nice prize of their choice. Many more runners met the $60 threshold, which allowed them to have their entry fee waived. All in all, well over $10,000 in pledges was raised this year!

Raffle tickets were sold on site the day of the race, raising at least $1000, as runners & walkers alike vied for a four-day, three-night trip to Las Vegas including airfare for two. Bon Voyage to lucky winner Ed Courtney, the Waterloo High School cross country coach. Thanks to Liberty Travel & AirTran Airways for their generous sponsorship.

Special tips 'o the hat go to: Bob Dyjak who coordinates the 200 plus volunteers; Todd Hall whose disc jockey services under the name Tunes by Todd entertained the runners before and after the race; Dave Linne for organizing the finish line; Monroe Ambulance for providing a dozen paramedics on bike patrol and finish line duty; First Bible Baptist Church for lending its facility; Pastor Grace for being so caring; St. Lawrence Church for allowing the race participants to use the church's 350 parking spaces; for all the generous sponsors including Moran and Kufta, Westside Chiropractic, High Falls Brewing, Sam's Club, Jim Dalberth Sporting Goods & Tom Wahl's ; 9) to the 200+ volunteers who gave up their Saturday morning to work the race.

2004. For next year watch for an even more competitive field, a bigger feast (is it even possible?), a 1/2 hour earlier start time at the request of police to reduce traffic tie-ups and possibly a generous cash purse for the top American finishers.

A Word About Pete

Consider the work required to mastermind and execute this incredible undertaking. We love you Pete!