Islanders sweep their hometown 5K: Take first place in men and women divisions

It’s no secret that Shelter Island’s own Jason and Joshua Green are two of the Island’s premier runners. When Jason set the course record in the Shelter Island Fall 5K last October, his brother was just a few seconds behind him. And, naturally, the brothers were the crowd favorites for this year’s race on Saturday, Oct. 17.

The Shelter Island Fall 5K, which is approaching its 30th anniversary, raises funds to support patient care for women on the East End. The popular event has surpassed $1 million raised to date.

When runners took their marks on Saturday morning, many of the Island’s local favorites were lined up in front of the pack. The Green brothers, of course, as well as last year’s women division winner and Shelter Island School cross country alumna Tara Wilson. Brothers Henry and Caleb Springer, current school cross-country runners as well as teammate Amara Goodale, were also among the speedy local group at the front of the pack at Stearns Point Road.

The 3.1-mile course spends most of its stretch through rolling hills lined by a thick tree canopy. Saturday’s overcast, 50-degree conditions, with strong gusts of wind coming from the northwest, made for pleasant running for most of the course, with the exception of the last leg along Shore Road, when runners were hit full force by the wind as Crescent Beach came into view.

The finish line front of the Sunset Beach Hotel was quickly crossed by the same pack of local runners who lined up at the starting line. Both Green brothers broke Jason’s previous course record of 15:11, with Joshua finishing in 14:53, just a few seconds behind his brother. Jason set a new course record, breaking through the finish line tape with a time of 14:43.

“I may not be right there next to him, but I can be within five or 10 seconds if I push it,” Joshua told the Reporter following the race. “So Jason was keeping me accountable today, and hopefully one day I can do the same back,” 

The Green brothers are no strangers to running neck and neck with many of their races on the East End a toss-up between the duo. If you spend year-round on the Island, it’s almost a given that you’ll see them out on the road running together.

“It’s usually a one and two finish for us,” Jason said. “It’s nice to have somebody in training where you can gauge off all the time to know where your fitness is. You know, the pros will always talk about how it’s important to train with people, and in our situation, there’s not too many people that run as fast as us.”

As for this year’s record, Jason said the conditions were hardly a factor, noting that, “It was all right in the trees. It wasn’t too bad. It was a little chilly, which is, you know, tough getting used to.”

He added, “But, you know, race conditions are race conditions. You can never complain about them. You just got to work through them.”

That he did, setting yet another Island running record.

Tara … again

In the women division, Tara Wilson finished first overall. Just as Jason won last year’s and this year’s races, Wilson has won consecutively as well, running a 20:21 last fall and a 20:20 this year.

“I was super happy with my time,” Wilson said moments after the race.

She grew up on the Island and ran in the high school’s running program. The Fall 5K is an annual tradition for her. “This race is like coming home,” she said. “I turned 40 this year, and the first thing my primary care doctor said was, ‘You have to get a mammogram.’ This is a great event for this really important cause.” 

She said during the race the wind was a contributing factor. “I just sort of kept my head down so my hat wouldn’t fly off,” she said with a smile. “Honestly, the last part of the race is the hardest,” she added, referring to the final stretch along Shore Road “because it’s always longer than you think, because you can see it, you know it’s there, but you really have to dig deep and just go into that zone where you don’t listen to your thoughts and just keep going.”

Coming along

The next generation of Island runners coming up boasted some impressive times in their age divisions, ahead of an important race for the school this November. Finishing fourth overall and first in the male 17-19 age division was current cross-country runner Henry Springer; his younger brother Caleb finished 12th overall and first in the male 1-16 age division.

Henry, a senior, qualified for the New York State Cross Country Championship last year at Sunken Meadow with a 5K time of 19:42. He ran a 19:30 in the State Championship, citing difficult weather conditions including freezing temperatures and mud, which contributed to his slower pace. Henry finished with a time of 19:16 on Shelter Island’s 5K course and has just two weeks remaining until qualifiers.

Caleb ran a 21:08 at the 5K this year and, now in 8th grade, is set to attempt a qualifying time this November at Sunken Meadow as well.

Amara Goodale, the Springers’ teammate and a current 9th-grader, ran a 22:19 at this year’s 5K race. Goodale qualified for the State tournament last year as an 8th-grader with a 24:19 and running a 24:28 in the State tournament.

Comparing 5K times to last year’s State times, Shelter Island’s runners are running significantly faster, with Goodale shaving more than two minutes off her time.

“The team’s been putting in the work,” Henry, the team’s senior captain, said after the his hometown’s autumn classic.