The Annual Belmar 5 Mile Road Race took place on Saturday, July 9, 2011 in Belmar, NJ.
The night before was rather ominous with a heavy downpour and thunderstorms pounding the Jersey Shore. The conditions forced the cancellation of the kid’s races there due to the hazardous conditions.
But come Saturday morning the sun shined bright and there was hardly a cloud in the sky for the 8:30 AM start. The temperatures were near 80 degrees for the start and they rose steadily as the runners made their way to the finish making for a challenging morning for many.
The 2500 or so runners gathered on Ocean Avenue just before the bridge leading into Avon and is is always done the bridge was open so cars could not come across.
The national anthem was sung in a most spirited fashion with runners standing at attention a few minutes before the start. Wheelchair races took off first making their way down Ocean Avenue heding toward Spring Lake. A few minutes later Race Director Phil Hinck gave the signal for the runners to start and they burst down the avenue in a giant tsunami of runners. From there they made their way down into Spring lake and then back onto Ocean Avenue before heading back around the Lake near the registration area and then a straight away finish for nearly a mile on the north side of the lake just past the Barclay.
Start Photos– Photos of finishers Part 1– Photos of Finishers Part 2
Leading all runners was James Gathoga of Newark, NJ in a time of 25:26. He was followed by Robert Cavenaugh of West Long Branch in 25:44 and then Tim Mulligan of Whiting in 25:46.
After the rce runners were treated to a variety of snacks and refreshments. Awards were presented t the top finishers at the large Gazebo overlooking the lake. Afterwards many runners then headed over to nearby Bar Anticipation for a post-race celebration and party.
Coming up this Thursday July 14, 2011 for runners is the 16th Annual Jersey Shore Running Club Thursday Night Summer Series which includes a ½ mile run for kids 9 and under, a mile race for kids 14 and under and a open 5 K for all. No pre-registration is required just show up at the Wall Municipal Complex located at 2700 Allaire Road in Wall, NJ. Kids start at 6:30 PM and the open 5K at 7 PM.
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