West Long Branch’s Robert Cavanaugh winces in pain after finishing the George Sheehan Classic five-mile run through Red Bank on Saturday. More than 1,400 runners participated in the event that celebrated its 18th year in 2011. ERIC SUCAR staff A gain and again. That’s the story of Toms River runner Noel Brock Whitall, who won the women’s division in the 18th running of the George Sheehan Classic Saturday in Red Bank for an amazing fifth consecutive year.
Whitall crossed the finish line in 28:39, nearly 55 seconds ahead of Erin Lunney of Middletown, who took second place honors. Marissa Albertu of Long Branch was third with a time of 30:19.
Whitall, who won the Spring Lake Five earlier this year for the fourth straight time, is clearly the dominant force on the local running scene.
The victor said she paced herself a bit more than usual over the first mile because of the heat and humidity, yet still managed to finish ninth overall out of the 1,443 runners who completed the Sheehan Classic.
Craig Segal of Long Branch was the first to finish, with a time of 25:28:03. Segal, a former star at Holmdel High School, where he won the 3,200-meter title at the NJSIAA Outdoor Meet of Champions, has a pretty good track record of his own at the Sheehan. He won the race in 2008 and finished second in both 2009 and 2010. Interestingly, Segal finished nearly five seconds faster a year ago. Robert Cananuagh of West Long Branch was second in 25:44 and Maplewood’s Mike Rolek crossed the line third in 26:08.
Race Director Fred Hinck said about 1,700 runners participated in the five miler, which wound up a weekend of events that also included a series of kids races, a fitness walk and a wheelchair race. He credited the 300-strong army of volunteers who help out throughout the course with making the race a success each year.
TheGSC begins and ends on Broad Street in downtown Red Bank. The course takes runners out of the town onto Ridge Road before heading back to Red Bank via Harding Road. The finish line is at Broad and Wallace.
The Sheehan Classic was previously known as the Asbury Park 10K Classic before moving to Red Bank in 1994. The race included many elite runners (Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Rod Dixon and late Grete Waitz among them), and occasionally still does, but over the years, prize money has been reduced and it’s become more of a community event. Traditionally the race was held during the second week ofAugust, but it was moved to Father’s Day weekend in 2004, as organizers looked to make the weekend a family-oriented event and draw additional participants with the cooler June weather.
The Sheehan Classic is the second event of the Shore Golden Grand Prix, which also includes the Belmar 5 (July 9), the Asbury Park 5K (Aug. 13) and the Pier House 5K in Long Branch (Sept. 5). The series began with the Spring Lake 5 on May 28.
Local runners finishing in the top 25 for the men’s division included Sean Rath of Atlantic Highlands, who took sixth in 28:08; Pete Forgach of Long Branch, eighth in 28:32; Patrick Hill of Rumson, 11th in 29:27; Tom Falvey of Atlantic Highlands, 16th in 30:10; Daniel Polanco of Hazlet, 18th in 30:21; Robert Ballon of Marlboro, 22nd in 30:39; James Mitchell of Colts Neck, 24th in 31:05; and Matthew Jacobsen of Marlboro, 25th in 31:15. Locals finishing in the top 25 for the women’s division included Dactilla Booth of Long Branch, fifth in 30:44; Caitlin Dorgan of Red Bank, sixth in 30:49; ChristineAltland of Hazlet, ninth in 32:28; Kristine Claussen of Atlantic Highlands, 10th in 33:05; Sara Amitrani of Red Bank, 16th in 34:20; Chelsea Knight of Long Branch, 18th in 34:37; Michelle Savarese of Middletown, 19th in 35:08; Lisa Zino of Atlantic Highlands, 20th in 35:01; Jayne Condon of Old Bridge, 23rd in 35:35; and Robin Campbell of Aberdeen, 24th in 35:40.