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BERWICK — Colin Leak, running for his first time in Berwick, led a field of 1,200 runners and won top honors in the 110th running of the (nine-mile) Run for the Diamonds on a cold rainy and windy Thanksgiving.
Marina Martino won her second female overall title.
Leak, 33, of Chadds Ford, used the race as a warm up for the Olympic Marathon Trials in February. The former William and Mary runner, who runs for the Philadelphia Runners Club, finished in 46 minutes and 33 seconds. Alex Price, of Bethlehem, who runs for the Aardvark Runners Club, finished second, 15 seconds behind.
“This race is ranked as one of the best Turkey Day races in the entire country and it’s been on my bucket list for quite a while — I’ve finally got to do it,” said Leak. “It’s a good race. And it’s a grind, so it should be good prep for the trials.
“I heard about the grueling hill, so I drove the course in the morning to see what I was in for. I used the first two miles preparing mentally for the hill. When I reached the start of the hill, I just put my head down and let it fly. There were times, during the race, when the wind hit me in the face I felt like I wasn’t going anywhere. And I’m not really a good downhill runner. But I was OK. I had to work hard to hold off (Price).”
Price said that Leak just had too much left in his tank over the final stretch.
Martino, 28, of Dallas, won top female honors in 54:43. She outran second-place finisher, Rosie Mascoli, of Wayne, by a minute.
“I wanted to run at a 6-minute per mile pace,” said Martino. “And I beat that. I wanted to win another diamond and stand on top of the podium again. And I did that.”
Martino’s first win was in 2015, then under her maiden name, Orrson. Martino, who ran for Misericordia University, recently won the Wyoming Valley Striders Fall Trail Run and 20K and the Amica Newport (RI) Marathon.
Matt Gillette, who won the race the last four years, was on hand, but didn’t race due to a sciatica problem.
Berwick Marathon Association’s
110th running of the (9-mile)
Run for the Diamonds
Top 7 male diamond winners
Colin Leak, 33, Chadds Ford, 46:33
Alex Price, 25-29, Bethlehem, 46:48
Trevor Conde, 30-34, Easton, 47:09
Paul Thistle, 30-34, Capitol Heights, Md, 48:03
Chris McCabe, 30-34, Cohoes, 48:17
Chris Mullin, 25-29, Eaglesville, 48:22
Ben Fox, 25-29, Santa Barbara, Calif, 49:16
Other diamond winners
Masters: Joey Zines, Export, 51:44. Veteran: Sean Robbins, Dallas, 56:49. Senior: Greg Cauller, York, 59:47. Tri-County (Montour, Columbia, Luzerne): Mitch Martin, Berwick, 50:31. Tri-County High School: Tyler Davies, Bloomsburg, 55:25. Columbia County: Martin. Local: Martin. Local Masters: Jared Spaide, Berwick, 55:55. Berwick High School: Mattacks Shultz, 1:04:34.
Age group winners: 15 & under: Rory Lieberman, Danville, 55:51. 16-19: Stephen Haggerty, S. Abington Twp., 53:29. 20-24: Christian Schaaf, Phoenixville, 51:53. 25-29: Adam Karwaski, Dallas, 52:45. 30-34: Andy Ferretti, Macungie, 51:21. 35-39: Paul Riley, Tomball, Texas, 53:12. 40-44: Kevin Beatty, Frankford, Ontario, Canada, 51:59. 45-49: Ed Kraftchisin, Pittston, 54:24. 50-54: David Wong, Bethlehem, 58:33. 55-59: Paul Leonard, Scranton, 1:00:49. 60-64: Mike Smith, Lebanon, 1:02:26. 65-65: Terry Permar, Perkasie, 1:04:15. 70-74: Neil Policelli, Bangor, 1:17:53.
Top 7 female diamond winners
Marina Martino, 28, Dallas, 54:43
Rosie Mascoli, 25-29, Wayne, 55:43
Emily Shertzer, 25-29, Jonestown, 56:06
Claire Schoen, 22, Scranton, 56:29
Katherine Sick, 25-29, Millville, 56:40
Karleigh Foster, 25-29, Knoxville, Tenn, 57:27
Whitney Heydenreich, Danville, 58:13
Other diamond winners
Masters: Emily Shertzer, Jonestown, 56:06. Veteran: Laura Yoder, Fleetwood, 1:08:38. Senior: Kate Fisher, Watsontown, 1:10:34. Tri-County: Martino. Tri-County High School: Regan Metz, Berwick, 1:08:57. Columbia County: Katherine Sick, Millville, 56:40. Local: Samantha Dyer, Berwick, 1:08:44. Local Masters: Jan Surkin, Berwick, 1:13:01. High School: Jules Jones, Lawrenceville, 1:04;59. Berwick High School: Metz.Age group winners: 15 & under: Jaida Geiser, Berwick, 1:08:17. 16-19: Jules Jones, Lawrenceville, 1:04:59. 20-24: Meghan Beahan, Clarks Summit, 1;05:41. 25-29: Sarah Dickes, Bloomsburg, 1:04:43. 30-34: Gina Morga, Tamaqua, 1:04:49. 35-39: Tracy Yutko, Factoryville, 1:04:06. 40-44: Dawn Rhee, Pittsburgh, 1:08:39. 45-49: Tina Bartholomew, Danville, 1:04:11. 50-54: Beatriz Benedit, Lewisburg, 1:10:59. 55-59: Linda Pegg, Danville, 1:19:36. 60-64: Ann Sick, Millville, 1:16:47. 65-69: Dianna Golden, Frankfort, Del, 1:15:21. 70-74: Barb Zeske, Hanover Twp., 1:33:30.
Field: 1,200. Starter: Dick Rumple. Results: chiptimeresults.com. Race director: Margaret Livsey.
Schedule
Saturday: Green Ridge Mile at Andy Gavin’s Pub and Eatery, N. Washington Ave, Scranton at 1 p.m. Info: Jim Moram, 570-587-1843.
