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A perfect day for the Island 5K: Hundreds walk/run in ideal conditions

At the top of the hill on West Neck Road on Saturday morning, a large banner reading “START” announced where the 25th annual 5K Run/Walk would kick off. Forty minutes before the race was scheduled to begin, it was the only sign the event was going to happen, along with a few early birds.

Soon the road would be filled with runners and walkers of all ages, but in the quiet before the race a few eager runners and walkers waited for their competition on a perfect October day, cool and bright with a cloudless blue sky.

Laryssa Olsen sat next to the road in the grass near a fairway of the Shelter Island Golf Course, texting with a friend. Ms. Olsen, from Riverhead, has been running “since I was six,” she said, and ran competitively in high school.

She runs for fun and exercise and was especially interested coming to the Island for its beautiful course, and also for the “cause,” which raises funds and awareness of breast cancer.

Across the road, Islander Lisa Dallows was with her dog, Bae — “For ‘Before Anyone Else” — getting ready to walk her third 5K. Ms. Dallows gave the same reason as Ms. Olsen for showing up. “For exercise and fun, and to support the great work” of the charities that would benefit from the race.

The two women wouldn’t be alone for long. James Kelly from Dutchess County was on the road. Originally from Hampton Bays, he had heard about the race from his brother and was here with his partner, Brenna Wist, a breast cancer survivor.

Soon the road was crowded with runners and walkers, the younger and more athletic doing sprints up and down West Neck Road. Others with dogs on leashes and strollers with toddlers were in happy conversations with neighboring participants.

From the back of a flat-bed truck, the race announcer, Dr. Frank Adipietro, resplendent in a pink bow tie matching the frames of his glasses, was welcoming everyone. Susan Schrott sang the National Anthem, her bell-clear voice soaring in the crisp morning air.

Susan Schrott, next to race announcer Dr. Frank Adipietro, gave a stirring, bell-clear rendition of the National Anthem. (Credit: Adam Bundy)

And then they were off — 288 officially entered runners and 73 officially entered walkers, along with many more who participated without registering. They took on a course through neighborhoods shaded by tall trees, up and down hills, winding from Stearns Point Road to the finish line at the Sunset Beach Hotel on Crescent Beach.

The first to break the tape was Miles Segal, 19, from Manhattan,whose family has a home on the Island. He finished the 5 kilometers, or 3.1 miles, in a time of 17 minutes, 46 seconds. Islander Jason Green set the course record last year with a time of 15:25.

Miles Segal, the first across the finish line at Saturday’s 5K. He ran with his father, Benjamin, who came in just eight places behind his son. (Credit: Adam Bundy)

Mr. Segal said he started the race with his father, Benjamin but soon struck out on his own — Benjamin fished 9th overall with a time of 21:13. The conditions were perfect, he said, with moderate temperatures and very little wind. He didn’t feel fatigued, “but the second mile with those rolling hills” proved a bit difficult.

The first woman to finish the 5K was Christine Tylee, 36, with a time of 19:30. Ms. Tylee, from Farmingville, has Island connections, at one point living here, and she still has family here. She finished 4th overall in her second Island 5K and her time was a personal best, she said.

All smiles, Christine Tylee, was the the first woman to finish the 5K. (Credit: Adam Bundy)

She ran solo to start but followed “a group of boys” and kept a solid, consistent pace. She’s not finished road racing for this season. “This was training for the Philly Marathon,” Ms. Tylee said, still smiling 15 minutes after breaking the tape.

The winner of the 5K Walk, was no surprise. Islander Louise O’Regan Clark, a breast cancer survivor, came in at  36:46. She has won the Walk multiple times, and this year added another contribution, designing the Silver Anniversary logo for the race.

The logo for this year’s Shelter Island 5K, designed by Islander Louise Clark. (Credit: SI 5K)

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