Dave DeMonico does it again
Record sixth Born to Run win for South River harrier
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

JERRY WOLKOWITZ staff South River’s Dave DeMonico races to another first-place finish at Friday’s Born to Run race in Freehold.

Race director Hank Bailey pointed out that one of the biggest changes in the 20 years of the running of the Born to Run Five Miler has been the increase in female participants.

Friday’s 20th annual Born to Run, through the streets of Freehold Borough, demonstrated just how far women have come as former Howell High School star and University of Michigan All-American Lindsey Gallo finished third overall, cranking out a women’s course record 29:31. She would have run faster had she not made a wrong turn in Lake Topanemus Park that she thinks may have cost her up to a minute.

Out front as usual was South River’s Dave DeMonico, who celebrated the 20th running of the event with his record sixth victory (26:35). It was a win he dedicated to everyone in the field.

“I love winning, I’m not going to lie,” said the ex-Rutgers University star who is celebrating 22 years in running this year. “I want to share this with all my friends and all of the other runners who don’t get the chance to win. There’s a bond we all share.

“I’ve been so fortunate here,” he added. “I love this race. Hank Bailey is the reason it’s such a great race. He’s a real motivator.”

An opening mile of 5:00 had the front-running DeMonico 14 seconds clear of the field and the gap only widened with each passing mile.

“I love it [running out front],” he pointed out.

Runner-up Jason Paige from Raleigh, N.C., ran a 26:59.

Gallo, a finalist in the 1,500 meters at this summer’s U.S. Olympic Trials, demonstrated the confidence she has gained running at such a very high level by cracking 30:00.

“I go to races with a different attitude,” she said. “I wanted to run in the 5:40’s [per mile] today. I made a wrong turn in the park. Still, it wasn’t a bad race.

“I like this race. The roads are familiar to me because I live near here.”

Gallo still has one year of indoor and outdoor eligibility in indoor and outdoor track at Michigan. She worked out with the cross-country team during the season, but didn’t have any races. She wanted to use the Born to Run as a warm-up for the indoor season that begins in January.

“I’ve been doing a lot of mileage and tempo runs,” she said.

Gallo, who is doing her graduate work at Michigan this year, was the Big 10 outdoor champion in the 800 and 1,500 meters, becoming just the fourth athlete in Big 10 history to accomplish the double.

Barnegat’s Chris Peters has been the “Iron Man” of the Born to Run, competing in 19 of the 20 races over the years. He has never finished outside the Top 10 and didn’t Friday. He was running side by side with Gallo at the tape and took fourth place (29:32).

Former winner Matt Kootman, of Red Bank, was fifth (29:53).

Rounding out the Top 10 were: Marlboro’s Scott Cohen, fresh off a fine high school cross-country season in sixth (29:58); Newton’s Guy Gordon, seventh (30:00); Bethlehem, Pa’s Dylan Bartlett, eighth (30:08); Freehold’s Ian Price, who ran cross country out of Colts Neck, ninth (30:11) and Monmouth Junction’s Neil Van Aartrijk, 10th (30:18).

Behind Gallo, another former area high school standout, Ali Belicose, turned in a personal best 30:46 in finishing a strong 14th overall. Belicose is a recent graduate of the University of Richmond who starred at Red Bank Catholic.

“My neighbors run this race and have been telling me about it for a long time,” she said. “This was my first race here and the people are great.”

Belicose said she was surprised with her five-mile pb.

Diane Petruzzelli, of Lincroft, was the third woman across the line, running 32:02 and finishing 25th overall.

In the racewalking competition, Jack Lach, of Marlboro, was the class of the field, winning by more than six minutes. The 60-year-old veteran stepped off a 45:42. Ron Salvio, of New Egypt, was the runner-up (51:48).

Third-place overall was the women’s champion Colleen Glass, of Horsham, who did 54:21.

Age group winners for the men were: Cohen, 15-19; Kootman, 20-24; Robert Ballon, South River, (31:44), 25-29; Page, 30-34, Jim French, Perrineville, (32:36), 35-39; Van Aartrijk, 40-44; Peters, 45-49; Richard Henderson, Philadelphia, Pa., (31:34), 50-54 (31:34); Al Martis, Toms River, (32:00), 55-59; John Nowatkowski, Spotswood, (34:37), 60-69; and James McFree, Hightstown (40:56), 70 plus.

The women age group winners were: Jen Curran, Hazlet (34:04), 15-19; Belicose, 20-24; Kim Chaplin, Raleigh, N.C., (32:51), 25-29; Debbie Moore, Toms River, (32:38), 30-34; Petruzzelli, 35-39; Jennifer Gunn (34:16), 40-44; Vera Stek, Somerset, (39:04), 50-54; Marsha Ayers, Medford, (42:47), 55-59; and Antje Hennings, Demarest, (44:42), 60-69.

United Mobile Homes Inc. and Monmouth Real Estate and Invest-ment Corporations were the co-sponsors of the race, which was run in co-operation with the Freehold Area Running Club.

The next FARC event is the Toys For Tots 5K in Michael Tighe Park, Georgia Road, Freehold Township Dec. 12. The race will start at 10 a.m.

For more information on the race, visit the club’s Web site at www.farcnj.com or calling the hot line at (732) 431-2627.