2003 HMRRC Pentathlon

Shaker HS Track, Latham, New York

August 7, 2003

Pentathlon 2003

By Vince Juliano

Ask any meteorologist to forecast the likelihood of heat, humidity, and thunderstorms on any given day in August in upstate NY and they would respond in the affirmative. So even though this year's Pentathlon was held in warm and humid conditions, most of us felt we dodged a bullet from an angry Mother Nature.

Three days prior to the event, an afternoon thunderstorm produced a flood in downtown Schenectady that closed most streets under two feet of water. Intense humidity followed the next day, and another round of thunderstorms and fireworks followed the next day. So when Pentathlon Thursday produced warm sunny skies, and slightly less humid air, I breathed a welcome sigh of relief.

Our experienced crew set up anticipating a large turnout due to past year's successes and a fine Pentathlon article that was recently published in the Adirondack Sports and Fitness magazine by Laura Clark. But participation decreased this year due in part to the popularity of the Bridge of Flowers 10K race held two days later in Massachusetts that drew away many Pentathlon regulars. Regardless, the show must go on and it did!

For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of putting on this event for is to watch young talent develop before these runners become the stars of our sport. In 1996, I first watched a 22- year old Zach Yannone in action on the Colonie 400 meter outdoor track during the Pentathlon as he went on to win and accumulate over 4700 points. Zach has since gone on to run a 2:28 marathon and captains the Elite racing men's team, Willow Street AC.

A few years later I watched one of the most exciting Pentathlon events in it's long history as Tyson Evensen defeated 24 year old Nick Conway by a mere 4 points as both runners earned over 4700 points. Tyson has since left the area for college, while Nick has developed into one of the premier runners in the region. This year he won this area's largest summer 5K, Silks and Satins for the second straight year. Following the Evensen Conway battle, I decided to put together a history of runners who earned over 4700 points to highlight their accomplishments and to set a target for future Pentathlon'ers.

In 2000, I witnessed the awesome talent of a young Jaimy Rodriguez as he shattered the all-time scoring record with 4931 points. Jaimy is off to a great start in 2003, as he also ran a 2:28 marathon in his initial try and won the highly competitive Bridge of Flowers Road Race over a stellar New England field.

Last year I realized that real running talent is not confined to Albany, as a Saratoga teenager named Nolan Tully amassed 4852 points to win the Pentathlon in his first try and another Saratoga runner Sean Curran scored over 4700 points.

This year, despite warm and humid temperatures a young Jim Sweeney became the 13th member of the Elite 4700 point Pentathlon club a he easily won the event. What made Jim's point total more impressive, was the lack of comparable competition to push him to greater glory. Don't be surprised if your see Jim Sweeney or Nolan Tully winning higher profile races in the years to come.

This years women's winner was a talented teenager Rachel Bennett. Rachel just missed 2000 points and earned her best mark in the 400-meter sprint when she switched to racing flats to complete the oval in 71 seconds.

The Pentathlon's history is dominated by the men's performances but the future could easily highlight the accomplishments of women. To encourage more women to compete, I have researched the record books to list those women who have reached the rarified air of 3000 points. Listed below is that short but impressive list.

1 Michelle Simone   3783  1992
2 Emily Bryans      3347  1999
3 Inge Aiken        3342  1991
4 Nancy Egerton     3108  1993
5 Vikki McKane      3095  2002
6 Laurel Sutliff    3089  1987
	

Another interesting aspect of this year's event is that all participants with the exception of the overall winners, Jim Sweeney and Rachel Bennett were over 40 years. Leading the masters were 49 years young Richard Clark and slightly younger Susan Burns. Other top performances were run by Paul Bennett, John Haley, Tom McGrath and Martha Degrazia.

Anyone who dares to complete all 5 events on a hot humid night deserves accolades, so here is a special mention to BJ Sotile, Laura Clark, and Ralph Feinstein who earned the minimum 25 points but gave a maximum effort to finish.

Until next year…………….