ALTAMONT — A new course did not knock the Altamont 5K off track from another successful year.

Over 270 runners took part Sunday in the eighth edition of the race, starting and finishing at Bozenkill Park and running on the streets of Altamont in between.
"It was great," said race director Phil Carducci. "We got to be in a nice setting and it made it more close-knit instead of spaced out. People said they loved the course. We did not have great weather but it was not bad."

A five-minute rain did not stop the start of the race.
"At about a half-mile, it stopped," Carducci said. "Two of the most awesome sights were near Bozenkill Road when the rain stopped and steam was coming off the road with 300 people running. It looked like they were coming through a mist.
"Then also seeing a mass of people running from Lincoln to Main Street," he added, "made a small race look like a big race."

Ben Greenberg of Voorheesville won the race with a time of 16:12. Robert Irwin of Guilderland was second in 16:24 and Matt Gokey of Delmar was third with a time of 17:12.

Kaite Roden of Albany was the top female finisher. She crossed the finish line in 19:34.

Emily Bertier of Union Bridge, Md. was second in 19:50 and Dana Lynskey of Albany was third in 20:18.
"It was a nice pace," Carducci said. "The course is faster, though the times don’t show it, but the humidity was up."

Carducci said the event ran smoothly on the course — and beyond.
"It was in a controlled area," he said. "The organization was better and the kids’ races got off on time. We started at nine and we were out of there at 12:15 after the awards."

Carducci said the Altamont Police Department did a good job of keeping traffic under control and helping out with the race, despite the busy time of year with the Altamont Fair in town.
"We’ll probably move the date again," Carducci said. "It was on the last day of the fair, so it’s hectic. We’ll try and get on the first Saturday after the fair. It will also help get our own identity."

Carducci was very appreciative of the sponsors of the race and others that helped with the event.
"I want to thank the police department and Tony Salerno," he said, naming the new public safety commissioner. "I would also like to thank public works, the fire department, the rescue squad, and all the volunteers...I’d like to thank the Girl Scouts for handing out water. I would also like to thank WeatherGuard Roofing and The Enterprise for sponsoring the race."

Carducci organizes the race but rarely gets a chance to see the immediate results.
"In eight years, I’ve seen three finishes," he said. "But it’s nice to see a lot of the same people come back over the eight years and to see new people coming out."

Carducci hopes more people come out to race in the event which this year benefits the Altamont Community Food Pantry.
"We want to build it up," he said. "Next year, we want to get it up to 400. I just need to get out and pound the pavement."

Age-group winners

Alyssa Drapeau, 11, of Glenville was the female winner in the one-to-12 age group with a time of 23:38. Lea Cure, 11, of Altamont was second and Kendra Housten, 10, of East Nassau was third.

Sean Sanford, 12, of Altamont was the top male in the age group, finishing in 22:19. Corey Housten, 11, of East Nassau was second and Justin Donohue, 12, of Schenectady was third.

Ada Lauterbach, 15, of East Berne won the 13-to-16 age group for females with a time of 21:25. Kim Negrich, 16, of Mayfield was second, and Allison Grant, 15, of Altamont, was third.

Alex Brooks, 16, of Gloversville was the top male in the 13-to-16 age group with a time of 18:15. Roland Graves, 15, of Slingerlands was second and R.J. Sniffen, 15, Latham was third.

Sarah Furman, 17, of West Berne won the 17-to-19 age category for females with a time of 23:31. Katie Moller, 17, of Altamont was second and Amanda Blanchard, 17, of Mayfield was third.

Kris Geist, 18, of East Berne was the top male in the age group. He crossed the finish line in 17:26.

Jake Zucker, 19, of Altamont was second and Chris Rowe, 18, of Schenectady was third.

Naomi Dudek, 21, of Glenville won the 20-to-24 age group for women with a time 25:15. Jessica Lipper, 24, of Knox was second and Megan Christian, 23, of Liberty was third.

Greg Ernst, 21, of Gloversville won the male 20-to-24 age group with a time of 17:36. Dan Haggerty, 20, of Albany was second and John Carlino, 24, of Watervliet was third.

Stacey Horner, 25, of Ghent won the 25-to-29 age group for women, crossing the finish line in 23:05. Judith Wines, 28, of Altamont was second and Christina Ardito, 26, of Troy was third.

Arthur DeGraw, 25, of Watervliet was the top male in the age group, finishing in 17:27. Matthew Fryer, 25, of Loundonville was second and Matthew Letteer, 27, of Latham was third.

Andrea Delp, 30, of Scotia won the 30-to-34 age group for women in 22:52. Denise Vanderwerken, 33, of Cobleskill was second and Sally Drake, 32, of Albany was third.

The male 30-to-34 age group was won by Brian Northa, 30, of Troy in 18:57. Jim Van Ess, 34, of Castleton was second and David Parry, 30, of Troy was third.

Kim Miseno-Bowles, 35, of Amsterdam won the 35-to-39 age group in 21:41. Julie Burke, 37, of Troy was second and Kari Gathen, 36, of Albany was third.

Tim Cooke, 39, of Rennselear was the top male finisher with a time of 19:49. William Kowal, 36, of Niskayuna was second and George Burke, 39, of Troy was third.

Jane Hawksley-Ogle, 41, of Schenectady won the 40-to-44 age category for women in 22:16. Joanne Salerno, 41, of Cobleskill was second and Mindy Mackesey, 41, of Altamont was third.

Dan Cantwell, 44, of Albany was the top male in the 40-to-44 age group, finishing in 18:52. Wayne Richardson, 41, of Altamont was second and Tom Mack, 40, of Wynantskill was third.

The female 45-to-49 age group was won by Nancy Taormina, 46, of Albany in 20:28. Joyce Goodrich, 47, of Glenville was second and Maureen Fitzgerald, 47, of Clifton Park was third.

Valdimir Ilin, 47, of Albany won the 45-to-49 age group for men in 17:37. Jim Maney, 47, of Slingerlands was second and Pete Cure, 46, of Altamont was third.

Ellen Mueller, 53, of Schenectady won the 50-to-54 age group for women in 27:08. Claudia Burtman, 50, of Voorheesville was second and Carole Bieber, 54, of Slingerlands was third.

Dave Glass, 58, of Glenville was the top male in the age group, crossing the finish line in 19:58. Paul Forbes, 55, of Guilderland was second and Terry Failing, 59, of St. Johnsville was third.

Sibyl Jacobson, 62, of Canaan won the female 60-to-64 age group in 30:09. Liz Milo, 64, Altamont was second and Marion Bayly, 60, Speculator was third.

David Hayes, 61, of Niskayuna was the top male in the age group, finishing in 21:29. Dan Bigelow, 60, of Woodstock was second and Tom Adams, 61, of Rotterdam was third.

Betty Langevin, 65, of Cohoes topped the female 65-to-69 age group coming in at 32:07. Eiko Bogue, 68, of Schaghticoke was second.

Jim Moore, 65, of Niskayuna won the male 65-to-69 age group in 23:34. Ken Connolly, 66, of Voorheesville was second and Armand Langevin, 68, of Cohoes was third.

Richard Eckhardt, 71, of Albany won the male 70-to-74 age group in 30:42. Don McBain, 72, of Wynantskill was second and Kenneth Clikeman, 74, of Altamont was third.

Pat Fitzgerald, 75, of Greenville won the male 75-to-79 age group in 26:41.