Weekend Recap: May 18-19

This past weekend was a very exciting and action-packed one for PPTC. Here's a recap of this weekend's races: Brooklyn Half Marathon, Saturday May 18th

PPTC members did a great job defending our home turf at the 33rd Annual Brooklyn Half Marathon, with more than 160 teammates running in the race and many other PPTCers volunteering and cheering along the course. The weather was ideal for running and many of our members set a new PR. Check out the complete list of all of the PPTC finishers for the Brooklyn Half. Congratulations to all!!!

PPTC had several top ten age group finishers at the race. Big congratulations to Lynda Mules and Marcia Brown who placed 5th in their age groups, Mariela Quintana, who placed 6th, Barbara Rothenberg who placed 9th and Karen Ziga & Colleen Herbert who placed 10th in their respective age groups! Congratulations to PPTC's top 5 male finishers (Michael Olzinski, Keith Williams, Rusty Singletary, Tom Greene and Matt Knecht), and to our top  female finishers (Karen Ziga, Colleen Herbert, Mariela Quintana, Lynda Mules, Rebecca Weber, and Tina-Marie Rosenberer) who all had very impressive races! (Note: NYRR is still making adjustments to the team standings. So, stay tuned to see how our teams fared in the team competitions.) Also, big congratulations to our masters runners who burned up the pavement landing our 40+ women's team in 5th place (led by Lynda Mules, Emily Whitfield and Shea Dean), our 50+ women's team in 9th place (led by Marcia Brown, Linda Ewing and Colleen McCleery), our 60+ men's team in 7th place (with Frank DeLeo, Dennis Geoghan and Yves Roger) and our 60+ women's team into 5th place (represented by Elizabeth Canale, Barbara Rothenberg and Charlene Kohler-Britton). Note: These rankings might change after NYRR makes corrections to their records.

PPTC handed out water with a smile and loud cheers near mile 5, with a hearty team of volunteers that arrived in the park before dawn to make sure runners were adequately hydrated. Thank you volunteers!!! Also, big thanks to our great team of supporters at the Parkside entrance to the park who cheered on their PPTC teammates with enthusiasm and style!

After the race, the temperature was low, but spirits were high, as tired runners were greeted with smiles, warm hugs, tasty treats and beverages at the PPTC post-race picnic. Thank you to all the volunteers who schlepped blankets, food, etc. to the beach for a fun celebration of a great race. Also, big thanks go to Linus Ly and Patty Perlo for making sure our volunteers and runners got captured on camera with tons and tons great photos. See all their great photos  of our team in action.

Last, but not least, we'd like to give a big shout out to our local celebrity Keith Williams, who not only burned up the pavement during his speedy run on Saturday, but also did a great job of representing our club (and rapping) on TV. Check out Keith in On the Run at the Brooklyn Half.

Buckley's and Mild Sprain Races, Sunday May 19th

PPTC members Tom Tobin, Danielle Hansen, Liz Canale and Brian Culley  participated in the 33rd running of the Buckley's Kennedy's 5K in Breezy Point in the rain. John Rice, the son of PPTC member Sean Rice was the overall race winner! Congratulations to John!  The race began in Fort Tilden and went through the streets of Breezy Point, passing by places hit hard by Sandy, including the plot of land where Tom Tobin's house was destroyed by the storm. The theme of this year's race, which raised money for HeartShare and the Breezy Point Cooperative, was "Run...Rebuild...Revive." After the race there was a post race party featuring live music, barbecue, beverages, and rides for the kids. Congrats to all the PPTCers who ran the race!

Geoffrey Vincent did PPTC proud as the sole club member to run the A Mild Sprain Race in Westchester on Sunday in the rain. Here is Geoff's recap... "So while 150+ of you were busy claiming Kings County as our own on Saturday, I ventured north to Westchester on Sunday to make a PPTC mark. While you all chose to run with 25,000 of your friends I ran as one of the 1% with just 246 others in  the second running of A Mild Sprain in Sprain Brook Park in Hastings on Hudson on Sunday."  Geoff braved the elements to conquer the hilly course designed for mountain biking, which was peppered with rocks, downed trees and mud.  Congrats to Geoff for placing 8th in his age group, despite wiping out in the middle of the race. Geoff says, "This is a tough course but a boat-load of fun and I heartily recommend it for anyone venturing into trail racing."

Congratulations to PPTC on a very successful weekend!!! Relax this week and get ready for more PPTC adventures coming soon!!!