BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
JERRY WOLKOWITZ staff Freehold’s Matt Piccarello finishes first at Friday’s Born to Run race through the streets of Freehold Borough.
Matt Piccarello wasn’t quite ready to believe what high school coach Rob DeFilippis was telling him.
Home for the Thanksgiving Day holiday from the University of Colorado, DeFilippis, his former coach at Red Bank Catholic, told him he was very fit and capable of winning the Born to Run 5-mile race through Freehold Borough, held Friday.
Piccarello, a star distance and cross country runner for the Caseys, tried to make the University of Colorado cross country team as a walk-on this year. The Buffalos are one of the nation’s cross country powerhouses. They finished sixth at the recent NCAA championships and have the 2003 national champion, Dathan Ritzenhein.
When he didn’t make the Buffalos squad, Piccarello spent the fall working out on his own and picking up what he could from the Colorado harriers. Friday he was interested in getting out and racing again, unsure of where his fitness level was.
"I just wanted to see what I could run," said Piccarello. "I felt I could run pretty well."
An opening mile of 5:15 found him among the lead group of three runners. It was down to two after they toured the back streets of the Borough and entered Topanemus Park at the 3-mile mark. That’s when Piccarello, not sure who he was racing with, picked up on a telltale sign that his competition was in trouble.
"I heard him breathing hard and I knew I had to make a push," he said.
That push in the park carried Piccarello to the win in 26:42.
This was the first time Piccarello, who lives in Freehold, has run the race in his back yard.
"I liked it a lot," he said.
As it turned out, Piccarello needed to make the push in the park not just to get away from the other leaders, but to build a cushion on defending champion Matt Kootman of Red Bank. Kootman closed strongly over the last half of the race to take second in 27:21. A graduate of Middletown South, Kootman is now in graduate school at Boston College.
Iuri Pinto of South River was third (27:45) followed by Scott Higgins of Seaside Heights (28:14) and Chris Peters of Barnegat (28:22).
Rounding out the top 10 were Kevin Parks, Colts Neck (28:35); Chris Chiaro, Jackson (28:43); Jim Schubert, Hoboken (28:53); Rainer Koch, Germany (29:08) and Jason Karp, Bloomington, Ind.
When opportunity knocked, Little Egg Harbor’s Lisa Wilhelm took full advantage. A Born to Run veteran, Wilhelm picked up her first win in the event by leading all the way and posting a 32:32.
"You never know what is going to happen," she said. "I just come to the race to run.
"I’m always there, I place," she said. "This is my first win in quite a while."
Wilhelm said she passed a couple of women runners in the first mile and realized then that she had an opportunity to get the win.
Adele McDonough of Belmar was second to Wilhelm (33:12) with Rachel Provost of Englishtown, 14, in third (33:33).
In the Racewalking Division, Horsham, Pa.’s Colleen Glass was the overall winner in 54:12. Red Bank’s Art Glass was the first male (54:18). Long Branch’s Elliott Denman was third (1:01:29).
Age group winners for the men were: 19-and-under, Pinto; 20-24, Kootman; 25-29, Chiaro; 30-34, Schubert; 35-39, Parks; 40-44, Robert McKinley, Manalapan (30:18); 45-49, Peters; 50-54, Tom Hall, Lincroft (29:47); 55-59, Walt Kaczka, South Plainfield (37:07); 60-69, Jack Cheer, Manasquan (35:18); and 70-and-over, Lawrence Corley, Aberdeen (43:17).
Women’s age group winners were: 19-and-under, Provost; 20-24, Marybeth McDonnell, Middletown (37:07); 25-29, McDonough; 30-34, Stephanie Meisner, Millstone (36:52); 35-39, Robyn Hughes, Mount Pleasant, S.C. (34:32); 40-44, Jacqui Kapinowski, Point Pleasant (35:55); 45-49, Ellie Siev, Manalapan (34:22); 50-54, Jane McGraw, East Northport, N.Y. (39:25); 55-59, Pauline Willis, Long Branch (37:54); and 60-69, Barbara Shannon, Elberon (44:32).
This was the 19th Born to Run race, which is run with the co-operation of the Freehold Area Running Club. The event raises money for the Monmouth County Child Abuse Task Force.
The next FARC event is the Toys For Tots 5K Run at Michael J. Tighe Park, Freehold Township, Dec. 14. The event benefits the Marine Corps Toys For Tots drive. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with the race starting at 10.
For more information, call the club’s hot line at (732) 431-2627, or visit the Web site at farcnj.com.