Shelter Island 10K run in near perfect conditions: No records but exciting races in all divisions 

Knicks mania came to the Shelter Island 10K on Saturday, June 20. At Wilson Circle there was a banner near the check-in desk. In orange and blue (of course) it read: ”Knicks in V— Runners tap the V for luck.”

Abraham Lonmgosiwa didn’t need the tap. The Kenyan-born runner, now a Hofstra athlete and liberal arts major, was the first runner out of 688 officially registered athletes to break the tape at the 47th annual event.

He won going away finishing at 31:15.99, 16 seconds ahead of the Island’s own Joshua Green (The Reporter will have more on the first Islanders across the line on this site and in our June 25 print edition).

Penelope Greene was the first woman across the finish line with at time of 35:43, good enough for 6th place over all. This is becoming a good habit for the 23-year-old Sag Harbor resident. Ms. Greene took first place in the women’s division last year with a time of 36:26.

Mr. Lonmgosiwa and Ms. Green took home first prize checks of $1,500.

At the start the conditions were favorable with the temperature at 77 degrees and a breezy 14 mph wind, with blue skies, scattered clouds and the sun making now-and-then appearances in bright breaks. It was hot, runners agreed, and when the sun was shining, it could be debilitating to navigate the 6.2 mile course from the Center around the Island’s shores.

Moments after breaking the tape, Mr. Lonmgosiwa, face gleaming with sweat as brightly as his smile said, when asked about the conditions, “The shade. The shade was very nice.”

He had started the race running with Joshua Green but then decided to break away around the 4-mile mark and started his kick. “I might’ve started too soon,” he said, because he began to feel the beginnings of hitting a wall, but for the last several hundred yards he found another gear.

One of the rituals of the Shelter Island 10K, on a day filled with them, is the gathering at the finish line near third base at Fiske Field, waiting for the lead runners. They emerge from the trees as distant figures far away off Bateman Road, hitting the grass of the outfield, and making their way in a long loop on the field to break the tape. On Saturday, fans were amazed when they spotted Mr. Lonmgosiwa giving his all, actually sprinting on the grass track.

As Ms. Green, the women’s division winner, walked quickly toward the refreshment tent set up in right field, she was met by her first and biggest fan. Arms open and outstretched, her mother, Julie Greene, gathered her daughter in an embrace. They clung to each other for a long moment before moving on to the tent.

Glowing with sweat, Ms. Green said she was happy with her victory and the time. She had started out the race “running with a group of guys,” which helped her early pacing, but then fell back. Halfway thought the race, “I hit a bit of a wall, but kept my pace.”

A star cross country and track athlete at SUNY Geneseo, a month before winning last year’s 10K, Ms. Greene finished first in the female division of the NCAA Division 111 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in both the 5,000 and 8,000 meter races.

A manager at the BookHampton store in Sag Harbor, her mother quickly noted, “When she’s not running, she’s reading.”

One of the Island’s greatest athletes, Bill Lehr won the wheelchair division. He had the field to himself this year. Speaking about his usual competitors, he said with a smile a few minutes after crossing the finish line, “They were afraid of me tis year.” 

Conditions didn’t affect his race much, he said, noting that the Island roads were in excellent shape for the race, an improvement over some years when the going was bumpy. “I had two goals this year,” Mr. Lehr said. “Get to the starting line. And get to the finish line.”

Mission accomplished, Bill.

Another inspiring runner was Billy Richards, 44 of Bay Shore, who ran the 6.2 miles carrying an American flag on a metal pole and a 45-pound pack strapped to his back.

Mr. Richards, a veteran of four years in the Marine Corps and three years in the U.S. Army, was representing Operation VEST (Veterans to End Suicide Together), which fund raises and promotes the cause. According to the Centers for Disease control and Prevention, “Each day, over 20 veterans die by suicide. For every completed suicide, there are over 30 attempts. This equated to over 250,000 attempts per year.”

Mr. Richards said that he has had his “demons,” and running to spread the word is rewarding and fulfilling. He plans to run 10Ks in all 50 states.

Graham Raisnby of New York City was the men’s winner in the 5K race, and Lauren Tannebaum of Greenwich, Conn. took first place in the women’s division. Elle Foard, of Shelter Island Heights was second behind Ms. Tannebaum.

Tara Wilson, who ran for Shelter Island High School and has been a competitive runner ever since — she won her division in the Island’s 5K last October and has won the female division of the 10K as well — finished first in her age group in this year’s 10K. It’s an annual event for Ms. Wilson, not just for the competition, but more for the connections.

“The race falls on my birthday or near enough, so it’s a great time to see family and friends,” Ms. Wilson said. “Summer is blooming on the Island and it’s so beautiful to see and feel and be with everyone.”

One of the treasured sounds of a Shelter Island summer is the roar of cheers and shouts when the gun goes off in the Center to start another10K. And equally treasured is the happy buzz of friends, families and fans on the Fiske Field grass at the end of the race as shadows grow and a soft summer evening is just beginning.