Well my friends, the Tewksbury 5 Miler this morning was everything I thought it would be… and more!!  The small crowd was a good and generous crowd.  The morning started with a one-mile fun run, followed by the big show: five miles split between cross country terrain and country paved roads.

The first mile absolutely flew by, although it was nearly all uphill.  The second mile leveled out a bit and I was shocked when I turned the corner to mile three and saw seven or eight cows staring at me over a fence.  That wasn’t the only surprise mile three had to offer: this section was all uphill and it was a hard hill to climb.  I had to walk it, I’m too lazy!  Miles four and five were mostly downhill, however, we traversed two small pedestrian bridges and an area comprised of mostly tree roots and rocks.  Runners had to really watch where they were going!

Now, for the results:  The overall winner, Dominick Grillo, finished in 29 minutes and 25 seconds and actually returned and ran the last quarter mile alongside yours truly.  For the ladies, it was Heather Gracie-Petty that took home the gold with a time of 34 minutes and 4 seconds.  As for me, I finished second in my age group… but don’t be too proud: there were only two women in my age group!!  That’s a little secret we can keep amongst ourselves!

Tomorrow morning is the Tewksbury 5 Miler race. Tewksbury is a bit of a drive to get to from the Greater Princeton area, but if you are a runner, it might just be worth the trip!

Why?

Two things – they give away long-sleeved cotton tee-shirts. Us runners LOVE tee-shirts and the thought of a long-sleeve one makes me giddy! Also, there is a good amount of participants but it’s not very competitive. If you are a decent runner, there is a chance you could place and win a prize!

The start of the race is at the Christie Hoffman Farm Park in Tewksbury (Route 512, Hunterdon County). Registration tomorrow morning, Sunday October 7th, starts at 8:30 am. The one-mile fun run will start at 9:30 am and is $20 for day of registration. The five-mile race is $25 to register and will begin at 10:00 am.

The Tewksbury 5 Miler is organized by the First Aid and Rescue Squad. Post-race festivities include food, drinks, music and the award ceremony. I plan on going, if I can wake myself up early enough! Get more info by checking out their website. Check back at the blog tomorrow to see how it went!!

Our very own Trenton Thunder defeated the Akron Aeros at home last weekend to earn their first ever Eastern League title.  The 10-5 win came Saturday, September 15th as the Thunder set a franchise record for postseason singe game hits (14) and runs (10) in their first appearance in the Eastern League Championship.

The Yankees Double-A affliate also debuted a new logo - which Yanks GM Brian Cashman was spotting wearing on a baseball cap at a recent game.  Trenton pitchers Chase Wright and Tyler Clippard were both recalled to the big leagues as part of the 40-man roster, while their teammates Alan Horne, Dan McCutchen and Jeff Marquez are working out with the Yanks.

You will have to wait until the Spring, but a trip to Waterfront Park is a must!  The park, right on the river in Trenton, is beautiful and fan-friendly, the team is red hot and the great amenities and promotions make for a fun afternoon or evening.  Bring your kids or gather up some friends and make a night of it with KatManDu next door!  Check out the champs by visiting the Trenton Thunder site.

I lucked out with free tickets and parking. During the day I took the Lincoln Tunnel and went through the Queens midtown tunnel to 495(Grand Central Parkway) then took the Van Wych to exit 9. Check out http://www.usopen.org for ticket and schedule information. I was just in time to watch a women singles match then saw Tommy Haas duke it out with Nikolay Davydenko. Tommy almost had his break in the 2nd set when he was trailing by 4-1. He caught up to 4-3 at 30-30 but could not tie it up. Davydenko out played Haas hands down! His cross court shots seem to always look like a miracle shot but surprisingly his placements were consistent throughout the match. After the second set I had to say goodbye or else I would end up in the New York’s worst traffic back to New Jersey. Here’s a clip of the opening #4 and #10 players in the world. I was cheering for Tommy since his big win against Blake but oh well!