What was arguably the best field of wheelchair athletes ever assembled on the North American continent journeyed to Long Island on June 25 for the 9th annual edition of the Salomon Smith Barney North American Wheelchair Championship 10 Kilometer Race.
What an exciting finish! Just over one full second separated the top four finishers - Frans Nietlispach of Switzerland, Krige Schabort of South Africa, Saul Mendoza of Mexico and Aaron Gordian of Mexico. The Women's finish was also a cliffhanger, with only one second separating eight time Boston Marathon champ Jean Driscoll from 2nd place finisher Cheri Blauwet of the University of Arizona.
A total of 73 wheelchair athletes crossed the finish line near Ellsworth Allen Town Park in Farmingdale. The athletes covered a new course this year, with most of the course on the Bethpage State Parkway. Also new this year was a "Hand Cycle" demonstration race.
The event was coordinated by the Greater Long Island Running Club, with the club's Director of Wheelchair Athletics, Nick Katsounis, serving as the race director once again.
Very sincere thanks to everyone who helped make the event happen, starting with title sponsor Salomon Smith Barney for its continued support and encouragement, with special mention to New York Suburban Regional Director Marc A. Sieben, and Regional Administrator Lisa Bardenhagen, and the other public spirited businesses who showed their support for the race and for wheelchair sports generally: Karavas Place Restaurant, Winthrop Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery, P.C., Quest Diagnostics, Leonard's of Great Neck, Statler Chiropractic, j. bussani, inc., Waldbaum's Sports Rehab Network Physical Therapy, Dr. Eric Piesnikowski, Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, the Massapequa Park Bike Club, Quickie Division of Sunrise Medical, New York Fraternal Order of Police, EPVA, Invacare, Hatch, the Katie Kirlin Fund, Kooks Custom Headers, Eagle Sportschairs, Reliance Federal Savings Bank, T.R. Contracting Company Company, Able Newspaper, and LifeStar Response Corporation.
Thanks also are due to the local government officials with the vision to know what this race means for Long Island and for sports for the disabled generally, and the enthusiasm to help ensure the success of the race: New York State Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro, Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto, New York State Senator Kemp Hannon, New York State Assemblyman Steven Labriola, New York State Assemblyman David Sidikman, Oyster Bay Town Councilman Len Symons, and Long Island State Parks Regional Administrator George Gorman, Jr., and to the outstanding men and women of the State Department of Transportation, New York State Police, State Parks Police and Nassau County Police, who made the great new Bethpage State Parkway course a reality and who ensured the safety of the participants.
Thanks also go to the Massapequa Park Bike Club, the Cruise Brothers and the Massapequa Road Runners for helping out as an integral part of the volunteers who made everything happen, and to the great suppliers: South Shore Outdoor, who supplied the shirts and trophies, and Ed Melnik of The Big Finish, for a superb job of course measurement and finish line timing/scoring.
Last, but very definitely not least, extra special thanks go to the super bunch of volunteers from our club: Joan Ackerman, Nancy Ackley, George Avery, Neil Bannon, Sherry Bellovin, Ira and Lenny Brotman, Debby Burton, Don Butchin, Dan Cacace, Terry Carroll, Travis Cisco, Helma Clavin, Phil Costello, Vinny Croce, Bernie Cunningham, Rich Czarnowksi, George Dennis, George DeVoe, Mike DiScala, Al and Shon End, Geza Feld, Laurice Firenze, Gina Gelman, Pam Gilespie, Jeff and Mary Anne Goldman, Betty and Herb Grayson, Larry Green, Carl Grossbard, Joe Guardino, Charlie Hamilton, Norm Hershkowitz, Jeanette Hoff, Jim Hogue, Rich Innamorato, Mark Janiak, Bob Lasky, Nick Katsounis, Michael and Susan Kaye, Colleen Kenny, Bob Kish, Diana Knox, Joe Maiorana, Margarita Marascia, Sean Marcel, Jim McDougall, Kevin McQuillan, Lori Harfenes Melnik, Bill Meisner, Jackie Novak, John Ott, Linda Ottaviano, Nick Palazzo, Howie Pivnick, Mike and Sue Polansky, MaryEllen Porrazzo, Elizabeth Ratner, Curt and Irene Robinson, Ralph Russo, Mike Service, Greg and Bob Sherman, Josh Smith, Kim Solomine, Bob Stegmaier, Joe Sturgess, Mary and David Sussman, Janet/Frank Versaggi, Geri Walsh, Mary Frances Whalen, Bob Windorf, Bonnie Yancoskie, Sam and Sylvia Zinn, and the great folks from Quest Diagnostics: Pam and Rick Sewey and Suzy Smith.
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1. Franz Nietlisbach, 42
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Switzerland
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20:15.24
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2. Krige Schabor, 36
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South Africa
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20:15.50
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3. Saul Mendoza, 33
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Mexico
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20:15.83
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4. Aaron Gordian, 36
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Mexico
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20:16
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5. Martin Velasco Soria, 30
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Mexico
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20:22
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6. Scot Hollonbeck, 30
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Atlanta, GA
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20:23
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7. Ernst Van Dyck, 27
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South Africa
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20:42
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8. Jacob Heilveil, 30
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Bothell, WA
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21:05
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9. Jorge Zepeda, 37
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Mexico
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21:06
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10. Tony Iniguez, 32
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Glen Ridge, NJ
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21:23
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11. Eric Kaiser, 35
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Santa Barbara, CA
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21:54
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12. Keith Davis, 27
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Pacific Palisades, CA
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22:38
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13. Joshua Bruneis, 20
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Hammond, LA
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23:12.34
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14. Paul Nunnuri, 27
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Australia
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23:12.58
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15. Tony Nogueira, 32
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Montclair, NJ
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23:13
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16. Kamal Ayari, 32
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Huntington, NY
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23:16
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17. Nick Enkeboll, 19
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Lawndale, CA
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24:33
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18. Grant Berthiaume, 38
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Tuscon, CA
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24:36
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19. Chris Wadell, 31
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Park City, UT
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25:11
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20. Michael Franklin, 35
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Atlanta, GA
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27:07
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21. Rob Loughlin, 39
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Patchogue, NY
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27:47
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22. Gerardo Maldonado, 29
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Chicago, IL
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28:12.04
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23. Tom McCurdy, 34
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Chubbuck, ID
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28:12.75
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24. Jose Gutierrez, 19
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Huntington, NY
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28:15
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25. Peter Hawkins, 36
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Malverne, NY
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30:22
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26. Theodore Russell, 36
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38:37
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27. John Morales, 30
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Mahwah, NJ
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40:30
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1. Jean Driscoll, 33
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Champaign, IL
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25:16
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2. Cheri Blauwet, 20
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Tuscon, AZ
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25:17
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3. Ariadne Hernandez, 34
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Mexico
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25:20
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4. Rosalba Ramos, 33
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Snellville, GA
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29:39
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5. April Coughlin, 21
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New Paltz, NY
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30:29
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1. Wiley Clark, 44
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Moss Point, MS
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27:18
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2. Bert Burns, 38
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Alpharetta, GA
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27:22
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3. Ian Rice, 25
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St. Louis, MO
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27:31
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4. Carlos Guzman, 52
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Corona, NY
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36:37
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5. Kevin Ronson, 29
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Tucson, AZ
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40:57
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6. Rich Sicignano, 28
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Mount Kisco, NY
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42:02
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7. Jimbo Boyd, 41
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Snellville, GA
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50:21
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1. Judy Siegle, 39
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Fargo, ND
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36:29
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2. Cheryl Leitner, 17
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Toms River, NJ
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39:19
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3. Channon Franklin, 37
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Atlanta, GA
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50:45
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1. Tuyler Byers, 17
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Spokane, WA
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25:27
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2. Sean Eres, 15
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Tucson, AZ
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25:30
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3. Jesse Walsh, 15
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Huntington, NY
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25:30
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4. C. J. Dodge, 17
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Westfield, NJ
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25:54
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5. Robby L. Turner, 18
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Warm Springs, GA
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27:24
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6. Daniel Tidwell, 18
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TN
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28:43
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7. Rick Gropper, 18
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Ridgewood, NJ
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30:38
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1. Amie Stanton, 17
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Gurnie, IL
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25:53
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2. Jessica Galli, 16
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Belle Mead, NJ
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25:55
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3. Shirley Reilly, 15
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Los Gatos, CA
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27:59
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4. Lauren Konetsky, 11
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Levittown, NY
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51:35
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1. Guido Mueller, 40
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Switzerland
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22:19
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2. Scott Parson, 41
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San Jose, CA
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22:40
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3. Butch Martin, 41
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Fishers, IN
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22:41
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4. Kenny Carnes, 44
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Snellville, GA
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24:49
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5. Ulysses Elijah, 43
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Atlanta, GA
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25:48
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6. Charles Gornall, 43
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Lorain, OH
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27:58
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7. Ryszard Moryc, 46
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Poland
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28:18
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8. Joseph Mendez, 46
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Brentwood, NY
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21:07
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9. Louis Molina, 46
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Tampa, FL
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42:50
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10. Eduardo Behamonde, 42
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Mahwah, NJ
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45:17
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11. Jimmy Fulton, 53
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Huntington Station
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45:30
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12. David C. Lowell, 49
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Somerville, NJ
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50:01
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13. Charles Albert, 47
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Bellerose, NY
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52:57
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1. Nanc Spillner, 40
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45:56
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1. Eugene Wellons, 50
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Ravenel, SC
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27:24
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2. Joe Dowling, 61
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Old Greenwich, CT
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42:39
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1. John S. Gilger, 36
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No. Olmstead, OH
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18:38
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2. Tony Nogueira, 32
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Montclair, NJ
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20:44
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3. Helene Hines, 52
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Long Beach, NY
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20:48
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4. Joe Dowling, 61
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Old Greenwich, CT
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22:59
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