Al Gordon Snowflake 4 Miler

Even the snowflakes shied away from the brutal weather for the race Saturday awaiting warmer temps, but not the hardy Hellgate Team! The sun was shining and the legs were shivering, as the men and women arrived early or stayed late to cheer each other on in the 2 single sex races.

The Men’s team finished 13th overall and the women’s 9th! The Over-40 crowd teamed up to slide in 14th place for the women and 17th place for the men. And our fabulous 50+ women’s lineup finished in 10th place!

Don’t Call It a Comeback!
This race was a milestone for a few of our Hellgaters; making extraordinary returns to the NYRR racing circuit were Soula, Eddie, Andrew, and Hot Mama Kate. It’s great to have you all back on the roads and posting unseasonably HOT times!

-by Jessica Moeller

NAME	Finish Time	Pace/Mile
MICHAEL BISHOP	23:20	5:50
PHILLIP SNELLER	23:48	5:57
JOSHUA MORPHEW	25:23	6:20
EDDIE ROBERTS	26:13	6:33
MARITZA BISHOP	26:56	6:44
ALAN WAGMAN	27:56	6:59
SUZANNE HUGHES	28:26	7:06
KATE SUNBURY	29:05	7:16
EAMONN KEANE	29:23	7:20
XIMENA ROSAS	29:23	7:20
DIANA PITTET	29:39	7:24
DON GUYTON	30:27	7:36
MICHAEL MORRISSEY	30:31	7:37
DEMETRIUS KALOGEROPOULOS	30:45	7:41
JESSICA MOELLER	31:44	7:56
JAY GOTTFRIED	31:50	7:57
LUANN MESTRE	33:08	8:17
ANDREW NESS	33:53	8:28
OLGA POTANAS	35:36	8:54
SOULTANA KOLLAROS	36:04	9:01
ANGI TAYLOR	38:12	9:33
TERESA HASING	55:45	13:56

photos by Jared Mestre

Special Olympics

A thunderous round of applause is due to Ben Wagman (Alan's son) for participating in the Penguin Plunge on January 27th.

The Penguin Plunge is an annual fundraising event benefiting the Special Olympics Connecticut. Participants run, jump or dive into near frozen water wearing only a swimsuit and a bow tie! This year, special equipment had to be brought in to break through the ice to allow participants to careen into the 36 degree water.

At last count, Ben had raised well over $500 in cold, hard cash for the Special Olympics Connecticut and in support of his brother, Evan, who has Down Syndrome. Last year Evan participated in track and field events at both the regional and state level in the State Summer Games.

Bravo boys!

20 Questions with Suzanne Hughes

Q: What is your name?
A: Suzanne Hughes.

Q: When did you start running?
A: About 6 years ago.

Q: Why did you start running?
A: I'd always threatened to run a marathon before I turned 40, I managed to run Long Island 10 days after my 40th birthday.

Q: When did you join the Hellgate Road Runners?
A: September 2003, after meeting LuAnn and Jared running on Roosevelt Island on a rainy Sunday morning.

Q: In a typical week, how many miles do you run?
A: Around 25 miles.

Q: What brand of running shoes do you wear?
A: New Balance.

Q: How many pair do you currently own?
A: I own 7 pairs.

Q:What is your favorite workout (e.g. Hills, Track, Long, Sofa)?
A: I enjoyed the easy Hazen run on a Thursday night, but I don't run very often on a Thursday any more.

Q: Why?
A: Maybe that's why I enjoy it!!!

Q: What is your least favorite workout?
A: That would have to be track, although I know that's what's made me a better runner.

Q: Why?
A: I like to talk and that's not easy when you're racing around the track.

Q: Do you like to run in the morning or evening?
A: Any time with company.

Q: Aside from running, what other physical activities do you engage in?
A: I go to the gym and do cross and strength training.

Q: Do you have a sports hero or idol?
A: Yes.

Q: Who is it?
A: Paula Radcliffe, Deena Kastor and Catherine Ndereba to name but a few.

Q: Favorite course: Out-And-Back, Loop, or Point-To-Point?
A: My favorite marathon was Chicago and I guess that could be classed as an out and back or is it a loop?

Q: After a workout, what do you do with your sweaty running gear?
A: Let it marinate in the laundry basket for a few days before washing it.

Q: What race or races are you looking forward to this year?
A: All the NYRR club points races, I'm excited to see how the club does, and also the Las Vegas marathon.

Q: What race or races would you like to do sometime in the future?
A: I've done 3 of the 5 major marathons, so one day I'd like to do London and Berlin.

Q: Describe your favorite (or most memorable) running experience.
A: Chicago is my favorite running experience and will always be most memorable because I ran practically the whole way side by side with two of my favorite running buddies and we chatted non-stop.

Cherry Tree 10 Miler

Congratulations to the Hellgate runners who competed in the 12th Annual Cherry Tree 10 Miler hosted by our friends at the Prospect Park Track Club.

While the official results are not yet in, a special note of praise goes out to LuAnn Mestre and Suzanne Hughes for their Age Group Awards! Well done ladies!

UPDATE (2/19/2007) Results have been posted here.

Awards Night Montage Part II

Part II of the Hellgate Awards Night Video. All photographs were taken by Jared Mestre. The music is from the "Chariots of Fire" soundtrack by Vangelis.

Awards Night Video Part I

Part I of the Hellgate Awards Night Video. All photographs were taken by Jared Mestre. The music is "Battle Without Honor Or Humanity" by Tomoyasu Hotei from the Kill Bill soundtrack.

Race Updates

Bravo to all the "slightly mad" Hellgaters who made it out to the Bronx Half Marathon on Sunday. Easier said than done after a night of celebrating at the Annual Awards Night party! Congratulations to the following runners on their terrific times!

Andrei Volik	1:25:12
Suzanne Hughes	1:40:35
Alan Wagman	1:46:55
Fernando Rivera	1:52:02
Tony Victorio	1:52:43
Jay Gottfried	1:56:27
Meredith O'Neil	2:23:16

Congratulations are also in order for Fernando Rivera for completing the Empire State Run Up. 86 floors straight up to the Observation Deck of the tallest building in New York City in a time of 17:49. Thats over 1,500 steps!

Hellgate is showing their love for teammate Chip Scarinzi who ran the Valentine's Day 5K in Prospect Park. Chip certainly broke some hearts with a blazing fast 3rd place overall finish in a time of 19:52! Way to go Chip!

Awards Night 2007

On February 10th the Hellgate Road Runners held their Annual Awards Night Dinner/Dance. The following runners were recognized for their exemplary achievements in 2006. Congratulations!

Andrei Volik	Runner of the Year - Male
Maritza Bishop	Runner of the Year - Female
Michael Bishop	Outstanding Achievement
Aurelio Dimas	Outstanding Achievement
Ximena Rosas	Outstanding Achievement
LuAnn Mestre	Outstanding Achievement
Josh Morphew	Most Improved - Male
Jessica Moeller	Most Improved - Female
Matthew Wiseman	Most Improved - Male
Diana Pittet	Most Improved - Female
Levi Satcher	Special Athletic Achievement
Eamonn Keane	Special Athletic Achievement
Mary Bogle	Special Athletic Achievement
Janine Leveque	Special Athletic Achievement
Kate Sunbury Shupp	Sportmanship Award

To view a larger version click on the photograph.

Gridiron Classic

Congratulations to all the Hellgate Road Runners who braved the waved starts and super cold temperatures at the New York Road Runners Gridiron Classic on Superbowl Sunday!

Here are the results!

NAME	FINISH TIME	PACE
ANGELO MARZAN JR	51:17:00	12:49
ANTONIO VICTORIO	32:18:00	8:04
CHRIS SOLTYS	32:18:00	8:04
DEMETRIUS KALOGEROPOULOS	32:04:00	8:01
FERNANDO RIVERA	32:29:00	8:07
JAY GOTTFRIED	33:17:00	8:19
JENNIFER ROZMUS	38:40:00	9:40
JOSH MORPHEW	28:46:00	7:11
LUANN MESTRE	30:46:00	7:41
OLGA POTANAS	37:13:00	9:18
SUZANNE HUGHES	29:17:00	7:19
XIMENA ROSAS	29:19:00	7:19

PS - Awards Night is this Saturday. RSVP Today!

ING MIAMI HALF MARATHON

Congratulations to all who ran the ING Miami Half Marathon!

Way to represent Hellgate!

Brian Danielian 1:45:13
Patricia Alcivar 1:48:23
Antonio Victorio 1:54:05
Adrian Longo 1:59:59
Raul Araque 2:00:17
Sally Mahon 2:04:19
Meredith O’Neil 2:10:19
LuAnn Mestre 2:13:49
Levi Satcher 2:19:05
Nazly Jordan 2:19:24
Olga Potanas 2:23:20