KEARNY –
You might say running is in their blood.
That’s clearly the case for the two overall winners of the Kearny High School 5K Run that was held Sept. 7 and raised more than $6,000 in support of KHS extracurricular activities.
Brian McDonald, 27, of Kearny, who was the fastest among all male runners with a time clocked at 17:38, has been serving as an assistant coach for the KHS cross country teams.
And Gizette Perez, 11, [yes, all of 11] of Kearny, who was the quickest of all female runners with a time logged at 21:10, is a relative of John Vega, a former KHS cross country runner, according to 5K event co-coordinator John Millar.
“She’s been running since she was [age] six,” Millar said.
A total of 238 runners – male and female – registered for the race, Millar said. “For a firstyear event, I’d say that’s pretty good.”
Trophies were awarded to the two overall winners.
Millar also announced the winners – both genders – of each age category as follows:
For the age 9 to 12 bracket, the winners were: Ariana Perez, 9, of Kearny, who is Gizette’s sister, with a time of 23:43 and Tyan Tiele, 9, of Kearny, with a time of 29:16.
For the age 13-19 bracket, the winners were: Marie Lima, 14, of Kearny, at 26:30, and James Sibrel, 16, of Kearny, at 19:28.
For the age 20-29 bracket, the winners were: Sara Fernandes, 25, of Kearny, at 22:59, and Michael Moore, 23, of Kearny, at 23:55.
For the age 30-39 bracket, the winners were: Alison Ricca, 36, of Lincoln Park, at 22:39, and Sal Amenta, 35, of Kearny, at 18:37.
For the age 40-49 bracket, the winners were: Wendy Kerr, 46, a KHS life skills teacher, of Hawthorne, at 21:42, and Carlos Granizo, 40, of Belleville, at 24:01.
For the age 50-59 bracket, the winners were: Amelita Fabello, 53, of Kearny, at 39:39, and Tom Plaza, 51, of Kearny, at 19:52.
And, for the age 65- plus bracket, the lone winner was Robert Maleski, 65, of Kearny, at 27:35. There were no female entries for this age category, Millar said.
More than 400 spectators watched the race, Millar estimated. – Ron Leir
