Rosen repeats for females; Clark edges defending overall champ
By: Justin Feil
The 10th annual running of the Run With Aimee had some of the old that has come to make it a popular race among the local community and beyond, as well as some of the new that keeps the race going strong and keeps attracting new participants.
Dana Rosen, who ran in the first Run With Aimee while still a Montgomery High School student, returned to become the first back-to-back winner in race history when she captured the female title in 18 minutes, 39 seconds Sunday. She improved significantly over her 19:06 first-place finish last year.
"As far as I knew, they’ve never had anyone who’s won it two years in a row," said Rosen, a 27-year-old who lives in Rocky Hill. "That was my main goal to get another one under my belt.
"It was the first year it’s been sunny. I knew these race conditions could help along the way."
Under those same ideal conditions, Michael Newman came two seconds away from making it two back-to-back winners in the milestone race. Last year’s overall Run With Aimee winner finished one second behind Sunday’s winner Kevin Clark, a newcomer to the race and freshman at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I., when Clark kicked by him in the final 20 feet.
"I thought I had it until the end," said Newman, who nonetheless ran 32 seconds faster than he did in winning last year. "With a half-mile to go, I pulled away. Then he came up on me. But it was a better time than last year. We were together from the mile.
"I’ll be back. I didn’t come back to defend. I just came back to run. But at a mile to go, I thought I might have a chance (to win)."
Clark wasn’t even sure he was going to win, and only decided in the final 50 feet to go for it in the race that honors the memory of MHS graduate Aimee Eve Polak.
"I just went," Clark said. "I have never run a road race. We were running with each other after the mile. There was one person in front of us, but right after a mile we passed him."
Clark was in town with his girlfriend, Hillsborough High School graduate Jane Shaughnessy, a sophomore hurdler at Roger Williams. It was his first trip to New Jersey, and after a day of sightseeing on Saturday, he went back to school Sunday a big winner.
"This is my fourth year doing it," Shaughnessy said. "I come home from school just to do this. I didn’t want to do it alone. My mom is in Germany, so I brought him."
Clark proved a very good pick-up. In the fall, the Agawam, Mass. resident was named the Commonwealth Coast Conference Rookie of the Year after helping the Hawks win the conference title as their No. 2 runner. Clark is currently focusing on the mile for the Roger Williams men’s track and field team and didn’t want to go all out Sunday.
"My coach would have flipped if I broke 16 minutes," Clark said. "If I had broken 16, I don’t think I’d be running our next meet."
Clark’s win Sunday continues what has been an incredibly successful year for him. He follows a line of first-time success stories at the Run With Aimee. He and Shaughnessy were planning on returning to Roger Williams on Sunday night, and counting on returning again to the Run With Aimee next year.
There were plenty long-time success stories Sunday like Rosen, who has raced in the last two Run With Aimee races after also starting in the inaugural one. The Run With Aimee is something of a priority, particularly after winning last year. Sunday, she won handily over 13-year-old Diana D’Achille, the runner-up from Denville who ran 19:47.
"I thought at the beginning I saw another woman," Rosen said. "I was quick to leave her. I wanted to get out in front.
"It’s a pretty simple straightforward race," she added. "Because I live in the area, it’s like my home course."
Rosen’s future plans include a marathon in the next year, and a return to the Run With Aimee in 2007. It’s something that has worked out well for her in the past two years.
"I’m going for a hat trick," she said. "You bet.
"It’s local. It’s my local contribution to a good charity. I see a lot of friends from the community."
Behind Rosen and D’Achille in third place among females was Courtney Pierrot, the new fiancée of Michael Newman, giving them claim to fastest couple at the race. Pierrot’s family is closely connected to the Polak family. Behind Clarke and Newman was 51-year-old top masters finisher Terry Permar of Perkasie, Pa.
Outside of the top performances, Sunday proved a special day for the eight participants who have been at all 10 Aimee races. They are: Gary Andreassen, Mark Barnett, Pat Chopay, Ali Abrahi, John Lemmo, Joe Polak and Ken and Rachel Samoil. They were there the first year the race was held in memory of Aimee Eve Polak, who died in a car accident in Apr. 8, 1996. And they were there for each of the next 10 years.
"It’s hard for (Aimee’s mother) Elaine in terms like that," said Aimee’s father Joe Polak, who pushed his grandson in a jogging stroller Sunday. "It’s hard for us to imagine she’s been gone 10 years.
"It’s been part of the healing process," he added of the race. "It’s kind of taken on a life of its own. It just kind of happens now."
It happens with a group of volunteer race organizers, many whom have been doing it the entire 10 years. This year, the race committee got assistance from the Rotary Club of Montgomery/Rocky Hill.
"It’s a lot of the same people," Polak said. "We missed some people, and they called us to help."
There’s a real following of the race, from organizers to participants. This year’s Run With Aimee had the usual in prizes to first- through third-place age group winners, the usual cornucopia of door prizes and to top it off they randomly awarded a bike from Wheel Life Cycles and, for the first time, race organizers drew for a 42-inch plasma television.
"We were trying to give back a little something," Polak said. "We wanted to give a little payback. I think we drew a few extra people with it."
Some new, and plenty of familiar faces from past Run With Aimee races. The sunny weather and 10th-year running made for the largest turnout in race history.

