August 24, 2004 — A great time was had by all at the second Wanderers Distance Meet of 2004. With a record field of 54 participants, there was an abundance of camaraderie to be had... not to mention plenty of great running.

The evening began with the running of the mile. For the second week in a row, Bryn Mawr RC member Jason Bull won the event with a time of 4:44 and Nicole Henry won for the women, with a time of 5:39. Plenty of Wanderers put in some very solid performances in this event, including Jeff Hayes (4:53), Matthew Palombaro (5:02), Chris Moore (5:16), and Chris Sanchirico (6:01).

Next came the 1500 meters. For this event, we were thrilled to be joined by Paralympian Pam McGonigle. Pam is getting ready to fly to Greece next month to attend the Paralympic Games. It was no surprise that Pam won the event for the women, with an impressive time of 4:54. For the men, a duel to the finish led to a tie for first place between Julian Martinez and Aidan Walsh, with a time of 4:12.

The 3000 meter event was won by Alexis Fiores for the women, with a time of 11:22 and Mike DeVuono for the men, with a time of 11:31. Wanderers Chris Sanchirico (12:17) and Joel Schneier (13:14) posted great results as well.

Two heats were held for the 800 meters. In the first heat, Pete Jennings narrowly edged out Jason Bull to win with a time of 2:08. Pam McGonigle came up big for the women, winning with a time of 2:24. Wanderer Matthew Palombaro also posted an excellent time of 2:20.

Thanks To Our Sponsors!

A Special Thank-You goes out to the following individuals who so generously donated prizes for the meet:

Enzo Bruno from
Bella Trattoria

Michael Laing from
Tonic on Main

Craig Mosmen from
The Couch Tomato Cafe

Michael Coll from
The Bards Bar & Restaurant

Thank you also to the knowledgeable members of the Philadelphia Masters Track Association who helped with timing and registration.

The second heat was dominated by the Wanderers, with Stephanie Peteraf winning for the women with a time of 2:43 and Michael Branca winning for the men with a time of 2:47. Wanderer Claudia Brechman also had a great race – her first ever in the 800 meters – finishing with a time of 5:02.

Next came the 5000 meters. For the second week in a row, Honorary Wanderer Eliud Njubi won the event for the men with a time of 15:01. Eliud is a Four-Time All-American in cross country, indoor mile, and both the outdoor 800 and 1500. (Click here for his impressive bio.) Wanderer Barbara Gorka won for the women with a time of 19:16. Additional great performances were delivered by Wanderers Jeff Hayes (16:51) and Justin Fogarty (19:36). Unfortunately, Wanderer Lynne Andersson was forced to drop out early with foot trouble, but should be back in fighting shape very soon.

The final event was the Distance Medley Relay (1200m, 400m, 800m, 1600m). No times were kept for this event, but a great race was run by all participants.

We would again like to thank our sponsors who so generously donated prizes for this event. Also, we would like to thank Paul Hines and the members of the Philadelphia Masters Track Association for their immense help with registration and timing. Lastly, we would like to extend special Good Luck wishes to Pam McGonigle as she competes in Greece next month!

RACE RESULTS Aug 24th