Date: Fri 01-Sep-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: KIMH

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

Newtown-Bee-10k-1995

Full Text:

Faird Haillen Wins Newtown Bee 10K (1995)

B Y K IM J. H ARMON

A 10-kilometer foot race along roads like Point O'Rocks and Platt Mill and

Brushy Hill is more often a test of endurance, a battle between the runner and

his own inner will, but last Saturday's Newtown Bee 10k was a true battle

between competitors.

Farid Haillen of Moscow, Russia, and Peter Simon of Tanzania fought shoulder

to shoulder and elbow to elbow all along the 6.22-mile track that follows

Point O'Rocks Road, Boggs Hill, Palestine and Platt Mill Roads, down the

finish at Brushy Hill.

Haillen and Simon separated themselves from the pack, but not from each other,

until the turn from Platt Mill onto Brushy Hill, where Haillen took the first

lead of more than a stride and then raced along to the finish line in record

time. His 30:25 was 26 seconds faster than the previous record, set a year ago

by Paul Mdugua of Kenya, and almost a minute faster than the long-standing,

nine-year-old record set by Bob Hensley in 1985.

" It was a very tough race, " said Haillen, a sports coach in the Russian

Army. " Lots of hills. I usually run 15-kilometers, but 10-kilometers I can

run 28 minutes. "

Haillen and Simon took their leave of the other 233 runners midway through the

long, arduous climb up the dirt portion of Point O'Rocks Road, crafting an

almost fifty-yard lead by the time they turned onto Boggs Hill Road. There,

they opened up the after burners and seemed intent on not only beating the

course record, but shattering it into tiny fragments.

But the two runners remained together, touching shoulders and fighting for the

slightest inch of elbow room. Neither managed to gain even a step on the other

until the final hill on Platt Mill.

Haillen, a tourist who had been in the United States for just a week before

being sent down to Newtown by his agent in New Paltz, New York, had a

two-stride lead over Simon as he made the turn onto Brushy Hill and opened

that up to about 15 feet within the first quarter-mile. While easing down the

hill, Haillen increased his lead further until it became simply a matter of

aiming for the record.

Lance Denning of Albany, New York, finished the race in 32:05, copping third

place in the open division.

Haillen was not the only one breaking records that day, though. Lisa Knoblich

of Norwalk eased across the finish line 11th overall in 35:07, cutting 35

seconds off the nine-year-old record of 35:42 set by Susan Faber. Oddly

enough, the second- and third-place women's finishers, Alison Lapinski or

Derby and Lori Hewig of Schenectady, New York, also broke the previous record.

Lapinski finished in 35:39 while Hewig crossed a moment later, in 35:40.

Faber, of Oxford, competed again but finished in 36:17.

Terry McGovern was the first male Newtown finisher on the morning, coming in

22nd overall at 37:29, while Marnie Larabee was the first female Newtown

finisher, coming in 64th overall at 43:16. McGovern and Larabee, who also run

with the Newtown High School cross country team, earned the first Harlan

Allison Memorial Trophy, given in honor of the NHS cross country runner who

died unexpectedly in July.

A Day Of Records

Records were falling everywhere.

Not only did the male and female open records fall - and fall heavily - but

race organizers saw a record number of people cross the finish line.

The previous record of 227 was broken by eight this year, as 235 out of the

250 runners registered came across the finish line . . . the last, Steve

Demenna of Hingham, Mass, marking a time of 1:10.27.

Each of the runners was given a t-shirt and provided with refreshments before

and after the race.

Division winners:

Under 14

Male - 1. Brian McGovern, 39:53; 2. Mike Maggio, 39:54.

High School

Male - 1. Joe Carpissasi, 33:48; 2. Tim Tuttle, 34:03. Female - 1. Marnie

Larabee, 43:16; 2. Julie Greene, 49:46.

Open

Male - 1. Farid Haillen, 30:25; 2. Peter Simon, 30:31; 3. Lance Denning,

32:05. Female - 1. Lisa Knoblich, 35:07; 2. Alison Lapinski, 35:39; 3. Lori

Hewig, 35:40.

Sub Master

Male - 1. Phil Rickey, 33:25; 2. Doug Day, 37:49. Female - 1. Gail Case,

41:28; 2. Susan Mullins, 43:29.

Master

Male - 1. Tom Schmeidel, 35:35; 2. Simon Abela, 36:11. Female - 1. Donna

Joudy, 44:08; 2. Susan Torpey, 47:32.

Veteran

Male - 1. Tom Delaney, 39:19; 2. Bill Hadney, 40:39. Female - 1. Dale

Schrader, 47:05; 2. Mary Slater, 53:08.

Super Veteran

Male - 1. Ron Vicchiola, 49:29; 2. Carl Sylvester, 56:00. Female - 1.

Jeannette Cyr, 54:48; 2. Billie-Jane Schwartz, 56:12.