2011 Westfield Pizza Run

The 10th Annual Downtown Westfield 5K & Pizza Extravaganza got a major reprieve from the blazing summer heat although it was hard to find a person besides Race Director Sherry Cronin who truly appreciated the weather. Most participants including this runner thought it was too hot to run but the weather was ideal compared to the dire forecasts for the next 72 hours as well as past race weather including a cancellation due to severe thunderstorms.

“We dodged a major bullet,” said Cronin after the race.

“Had this race been tomorrow we would have had a lot more heat issues and it was nice to not have to look at the radar continually like past years.”

            Although this was the tenth year of the race, this was only the ninth completion due to the 2008 cancelation and my eighth, having missed the 2007 race due to a broken leg. This was the third year of the revised course that was altered to change a hairpin left turn into Mindowaskin Park in the first 400 yards and changed to a safer left on Euclid that was more accommodative to the huge throng of runners. The new course is a marked improvement over the original and a must because of the growth of the race but it has made the course significantly more difficult with three hills.

It is said that for every finisher there is a story and hundreds of races within the overall contest. Here is an account of one middle aged runners’ travails.

At 6 pm, an hour before race time, Quimby Street is a whirlwind of activity. The prime hub is The Running Company, where a large contingent of Westfield High School runners gathers around assistant coach Chris Tafelski for a last minute pep talk. Tafelski has twice been the top finisher from Westfield and is a valuable asset to legendary Blue Devil Coach Jack Martin. Tafelski has been organizing the highly successful summer running program for several years and always looks forward to the race.

“The pizza run is a fun way to get the kids excited about their summer running.  This is just about midway between the last day of school and the first day of formal practice.  It's been a long time since the kids have raced, and it's going to be awhile until they race again - with so much time devoted to just training, it's easy to lose sight of why you're doing what you're doing.  So it's nice to bust the rust,” said Tafelski

“The kids have done a nice job so far this summer - they have big goals and know what it takes to get there.  I think they're excited to get out there and see what they can do,”

            Blue Devil runners past and present dominated the race with seven of the top twenty places, led by 2011 senior Zach Lizmi in third at 16:50.87.

The Running Company has been synonymous with the race with owner Gene Mitchell dominating the early years of the race with three first place finishes and numerous course records.

Another Running Company participant DJ Thornton, a 2010 Union Catholic graduate improved on his second place 2010 finish by dominating this year. Before the race, Thornton was cautious about his chances.

“I am in good shape so I am just going to try and run my race and taker my chances,” said Thornton, who is entering his sophomore year at Notre Dame.

            After the race, Thornton seemed pleased with the overall experience.

“It was a good race. I ran this race for the first time last year. I had a lot of fun this year."

From the first mile on I was alone. I ran a strong pace."

The Running Company also had the women’s’ winner, Caroline Williams of Westfield who finished in 18:59.83. A former star at Mount St. Mary’s, Williams enters her sophomore year at Columbia University and improved on a third and second place the past two years.

"I'm really excited. I've been doing this race since sixth grade. It came together this year,”
said Williams.

            My pre-race preparation is to try and drink plenty of water and stay inside as long as possible. There is much to partake among the numerous vendors and I hungrily ingest a Balance Bar from the Wells Fargo table. As I make my way to the starting line in front of the Rialto Theatre, the line in back seems to stretch to the train station.

            Mark Zenobia of On Your Mark Productions, which has managed the race since its inception in 2002, tries to warn the runners about the heat and also attempts to move some young runners away from the front of the line.

“If you can’t run under six minutes a mile you shouldn’t be up there. If you stay up there and get trampled it is your own fault.”

            I move back to about the fourth or fifth row, which is too far up for my pace but I tend to start fast anyway. After Cronin and Mayor Andy Skibitsky greet the runners, an air horn starts the race.

            I know right away that a sore ankle has not healed properly to let me push off properly and I am content to just run. The first hill leads us out of Mindowaskin Park and crosses Mountain Avenue onto Lawrence Avenue where we hit the second hill. As we turn onto Sylvania Place the one mile mark of 8:21 tells me that breaking 26 minutes will be a challenge. Water is plentiful from official water stops, sprinklers and people handing out their own cups of water. The most popular shirt among runners seems to be the blue technical shirt from the thunderstorm year of 2008.

            As we eventually wind our way past Franklin School we hit another hill on Prospect Street. Most runners seem to be having fun. As we turn onto Brightwood, the heat is starting to take its toll on me and as we turn onto Embree Crescent, the two mile time tells me what I already knew-I had slowed down to 8:45 for my second mile. I convince myself not to stop and as we turn right onto Clark Street I know that this is the last hill. We make a quick left on Dudley and then it’s back to Elm for a downhill cruse back to Broad Street. I have little energy left to take advantage of this nice finish and even though a strong push could get me under 27 minutes, the time doesn’t bear much significance and I cruise through the finish with my slowest time ever for the race.

            The finish is well organized with several volunteers making sure I am okay. Water is plentiful and the pizza is easy to find.  As I leave to head home, the party is far from finished. The band is playing and runners and their families are enjoying the last pleasant night until Sunday.

2011 firecracker 4 Mile

            It was hot and sticky in Cranford on July 4 which is not surprising but wasn’t enough to keep over 1200 people away and made the 32nd annual Firecracker Four Mile Run a day to remember for the participants and most notably first year race director Jerry Iacovano. The 1246 finishers was a modest increase over the 1196 finishers in 2010 and was abetted by a huge walkup registration, including a large number of young children who competed in the one mile fun run.

“The weather was pretty much what you expect for July 4 but we have learned throughout the years here how to prepare for just about any kind of weather,” said Iacovano.

“Although we haven’t counted everything yet, it appears that the race was a huge success in every way possible,” said Iacovano.

            With defending champion Solomon Too skipping the race, former Chatham High School star Ben Massam 23 of Chatham had an easy time capturing his first title in 19:56.30. Massam pulled away from 22 year old Stephen Mennitt of Edison at the midway point tried his best to maintain an even pace.

“I have tried to stay in good shape after a tough college season,” said Massam, who completed a fine college career at William and Mary.

“I am pleased to run under 5 minute pace on such a hot day.”

            The women’s winner was 25 year old Cat Beck of Highland Park who ran 24:15 to beat former Mount Saint Mary’s star Caroline Williams of Westfield who ran 24:47. The third place finisher, 26 year old Jessica Barr of Cranford was also the top town female finisher. Barr, a former track and cross country star at Cranford under legendary coach Ray White now competes for the New York Road Runners and also works in Manhattan. She is training to run the New York Marathon in November.

“It was very hot out there but I tried to run controlled and was happy with my performance,” said Barr.

            Like Barr, men’s Cranford winner Brian Mahoney also was a Cranford cross country star for White, works in Manhattan, has red hair and is planning to run the New York Marathon, but unlike Barr is an identical twin to brother Kevin, who missed the race with an injury, Mahoney, who also attended William and Mary has been running the race for nearly half of his life and considers it a great way to start Independence Day.

“It is nice that Cranford has such a good tradition on the fourth of July,” said Mahoney, whose older brother Patrick also ran the race.

            But beyond the winners are the majority of runners, who don’t win any prize but have a myriad of reasons for running and often conduct their miniature competitions, often with themselves. An annual highlight at the race is 42 year old David Kother of Scotch Plains, who finished in 40:46 while pushing his two young children in a jog stroller and wearing a large red white and blue Uncle Sam hat. Despite a recently curtailed training schedule, Kother was able to get through the race which has become a yearly event for the Linden detective.

“I wouldn’t think of missing this race. The kids really enjoy it and it’s a fun way to celebrate Independence Day,” said Kother, who added a new member to his family with the birth of his fourth child, daughter Naomi on Wednesday June 29.

“She was a little too young to be out here today but maybe she will be ready for Westfield in a few weeks.”

            55 year old Don Hessemer of Fanwood has been a regular at the race for the past twenty years and while he has run faster than he did on Monday, he was pleased with his 31:56.50 performance that placed him 299^th.

“I paced myself in the heat and ran each mile faster. At my age I have to try and run as smart as possible.”

            Another 55 year old John Montuori of Cranford, a more recent convert to running, ran the Firecracker for the fourth straight year and maintained a sub nine minute pace in the heat.

“It’s easy to get to the race and we see so many people we know. It’s a good start to the day,” said Montuori.

Former Race Director Art Bilenker, a Jaycee and race benefactor once again held court after the race and gave out awards to runners who had the nicest abdominal muscles, had the worst race experience, had the strangest jobs and had the nicest biceps among other things.

“This is nice day for the community. It’s a good day for everyone,” said Bilenker, a dentist in Cranford.

            Other popular activities at the race included free popcorn, yogurt and Good Humor ice cream. After a frenzied start early in the day when he seemed to be holding three conversations at once, Rokicki settled in and after the race could enjoy what was another successful race.

            “We will have a post race meeting in a few weeks to go over what we did right and what we can improve on for the future. This race is always a work in progress and we will look to make changes if needed.” said Iacovano.