Allan Appel Photo
Even before they had taken their first step in Monday’s Labor Day race, some participants had already set records.
“Breathe deep, run fast, carpe diem,” the announcer intoned, and members of Team Nephron took off along with nearly 7,000 runners in the 34th annual Stratton Faxon New Haven Road Race.
By the time they began donning their tangerine-colored T‑shirts and preparing for the 5K, 20K, and the kids’ half mile, the 20 members of Chris Ozyck’s Team Nephron were well on their way to raising $14,000, a record amount for any charitable fundraising group running in the road race, according to race coordinator John Bysiewicz.
Team Nephron with Chirs Ozyck kneeling.
His group was one of many for whom the Labor Day road race, in addition to being a friendly and festive competition, is also a means to raise awareness, money, or just remembrances of people who have passed away.
Ozyck is the city’s best-known tree planter in his capacity as the manager of Urban Resources Initiative. He grapples with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), which was diagnosed several years ago. Two years ago he raised $11,000 for PKD running solo in a Chicago marathon.
A team of PKD runners from Tampa, Florida, outraised him. So Ozyck this year resolved to corral friends and family from miles around to create Team Nephron. They organized pre-race training and other fundraising events.
Bysiewicz said that it was possible a running team for the Smilow Cancer Center had raised more, but Team Nephron beat the record from previous years.
All the money goes toward research support for PKD, a genetic kidney disease for which there is no cure; for now the only treatment is dialysis and transplantation.
Ozyck himself looked hearty as he applied secret anti-chafing formula in preparation to his running the 20K. Other members of Team Nephron were doing the 5K. The kids’ half mile participants included Ozyck’s 9‑year-old daughter Addie (beside Ozyck in team photo) and her friend Zoe Sendroff (in the glasses).
This year’s 20K race featured a deep field of elite runners, according to Bysiewicz. It included three U.S. Olympians. Labor Day morning the 20K winner was one of them, Abdi Abdirahman, who finished in one hour and 13 seconds.
First woman 20K finisher Janet Cherobon-Bawci.
The first woman to cross the line in the 20K was Janet Cherobon-Bawco. The native Kenyan just became a U.S. citizen, so New Haven’s race was her first win as an American. She crossed the finish line in one hour, eight minutes and 12 seconds.
The 5K winner was Muad Hrezi of Naugatuck, whose time was 16:07. Winners of the kids’ half mile were Laura Rosado and Edgar Diaz, both of New Haven, who turned in impressive 2:56 and 2:59 times, respectively.
New Haven Public Schools “Food Dude” Tim Cipriano and daughter Molly were running for fun and good health, and to support a group called No Kid Hungry.
Cipriano said, “We’re Team Orange,” part of Taste of the Nation, an organization dedicated to eliminating childhood hunger.
Molly said she was running because lots of kids in America are hungry. Asked what she had for breakfast in pre-race preparation, she answered, “A fried egg on toast.”
“Whole wheat toast,” the Food Dude noted.
He had a protein shake.
New Route
Molly and Tim Cipriano
After the first mile or so, the Ciprianos and some 3,500 others made the 5K race’s first turn off Whitney onto Lawrence Street. This was part of a new route this year precipitated by the roundabout recently installed on Edwards Street.
In races run heretofore, the route had been up State, then left on Edwards, up Livingston, and then back over to Whitney for the last half straight to the finish.
Bysiewicz said the roundabout’s planted median on Edwards necessitated the change. “When you’re running with that number of people you’re not looking at your feet, and if one person falls, 15 could fall” as they funnel into the narrower lane.
So the new route sent runners from City Hall on Church up Temple to Whitney and then avoided Edwards altogether with the turn on Lawrence.
Even that route was almost compromised due to Hurricane Irene. “Until Wednesday a huge tree was still down on Lawrence. It was entangled in power lines. We thought we might have to reroute,” Bysiewicz said.
Free Shower courtesy of Engine Eight
He complimented the city on having the course entirely ready and cleaned up for the race by Friday.
Among other preparations was the fine spray of water provided at Whitney and Willow. Firemen William Gould, Chris Parker, and Ray Sarraco and their confreres at Engine 8 and Squad One had set up Sprinkler One for any of the racers who wanted to run under it.
(l-r) Tricia GaNun & Tracey LeMay
Among them were Tricia GaNun and Tracey LeMay, another group of about 20 people with T‑shirts and spirit to raise awareness of pulmonary fibrosis.
GaNun’s dad Kenneth was diagnosed with this lung disease. He died June 30, within six months while waiting for a lung transplant
His daughter Tricia said that her dad was number one on the waiting list for a new lung and remained so for seven weeks. When one did not materialize, he died.
She and family and friends and employees from Picpaint, the family business in Hamden, were on the first of what they said would be many runs in her dad’s memory to raise awareness about the disease and to promote the importance of being organ donors.
After about 40 minutes of the 5K race, Team Nephron’s Christina Kane was still doggedly at it. She’s a neighbor and friend of the Ozyck family on Quinnipiac Avenue and was running her first race ever with Team Nephron.
“Someone’s got to be last,” she said. Her pace seemed impressive enough to an older reporter jogging alongside. It might have been swifter, she said, but she turned 30 years old and had a champagne party to celebrate the milestone Sunday night before the race.
At the party she had set a laptop up in the corner of the room where fellow celebrants could give birthday gifts in the form of contributions to fight PKD.
“As long as you can get up the next day to run a race,” she said as she neared the finish line, “that’s a good birthday.”