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Runners turn onto the Catharine Valley Trail from the grounds of Watkins Glen High School.

332 finish Half Marathon; Wilber repeats as race victor

Melissa Weiner posts top women's time in 6th annual run

WATKINS GLEN, Aug 17 -- The 6th Annual Catharine Valley Half Marathon had a repeat winner Sunday on a race morning that started overcast and cool and ended sunny and warm.

Matthew Wilber of Columbia Cross Roads, PA crossed the finish line in 1:14.37, a run that would have been faster, he said, if the lead bikes in front of him hadn't gone off course. He followed them, which added about a half-mile to his race.

Race organizer Ian Golden said that Wilber's timing watch showed he had run about a 1:12 at the 13.1-mile mark -- the intended length of the race.

But even with the extra distance, Wilber, 29 -- who won last year in 1:16.30 -- finished Sunday far ahead of runnerup Daniel Young, 23, of Vestal, who posted a time of 1:17.12. Third place went to Earl Steinbrecher, 50, of Willseyville, NY, who ran the race in 1:18.39.

The first female to finish was Melissa Weiner, a 36-year-old from Ithaca who posted a time of 1:32.03 after finishing third last year in 1:31.41. Second place Sunday was claimed by Sarah Krizan, 21, of Binghamton in 1:34.37, while third place went to Jen Nitkowski, 34, of Ithaca in 1:37.41.

The USATF-sanctioned race, which started and ended at Watkins Glen High School, took runners south on the Catharine Valley Trail, and on streets in the Village of Montour Falls before returning north on the trail. The weather was cool, with a wind from the north, and light rain fell from time to time. By the time the runners returned to WGHS, the clouds were breaking, and soon sunshine was prevalent.

A total of 332 runners completed the race, which in past years has been run in varied conditions, including a monsoon in 2010. The first year of the race saw 140 runners finish, with the total growing to 271 in 2011, then 330 two years ago, and 402 last year.

The event was developed by Ian Golden through his Finger Lakes Running Company, a specialty shop in Ithaca. He has said in the past that he doesn't "market it, or promote it except through my shop." But it has grown anyway, and built a loyal following.

First to finish among female runners 19 and under Sunday was Amelia Stamp, 19, of Rock Stream, a Watkins Glen High School graduate who posted a time of 1:51.51.

First in the Masters division were John Toscano, 40, of Sayre in 1:23.16 and Krista Mitchell, 51, of Bloomfield, NY in 1:39.32.

Key sponsor for the event was the Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard, which among other things provided bottles of wine to the top finishers. Those recipients also earned gift certificates at Golden's Ithaca store.

"Like all races," a Running Company spokesperson has said in the past, "the Catharine Valley Half takes a community to succeed. It's reliant on the generous offer to make use of the Watkins Glen High School athletic complex, on the New York State Parks for use of the Catharine Valley Trail and personnel for support, on the Friends of the Catharine Valley Trail for the creation and maintenance of the trail itself, on the police and fire officials for safety, support, and supervision, and on so many individuals working registration through the finish."

Photos in text: Winners Matthew Wilber and Melissa Weiner after crossing the finish line

Some of the 300-plus runners start out on the WGHS track at the beginning of the race.

Left: Odessa-Montour teacher Russ Gardner registered a time of 2:00.22. Right: WGHS teachers Eileen Malaney (foreground) and Barb Coon near the finish line.
Each posted a time of 2:16.20.

From left: WGHS teacher Kelly Muir, who posted a 2:32.44; Tompkins-Cortland Community College President Carl Haynes, who ran a 2:26.26; and Amelia Stamp, top female finisher in the 19-and-under category with a 1:51.51.

Left: Half Marathon organizer Ian Golden starts the race by blowing a ram's horn. Center: Kristy Wood, who ran a 1:50.38. Right: Finger Lakes Runners club president Joel Cisne hammed it by wearing a tutu.