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GOULD, FARRELL WIN TOP HONORS AT
FIRST ANNUAL X-COUNTRY OPEN INVITATIONAL
Bill Gould nipped Jeff Hayes in a virtual photo finish to
win the first annual Chestnut Hill Cross Country classic on
September 21. Colleen Farrell won first place in the women's
division.
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| Bill Gould (L) is congratulated by race director
Paul Hines for his first place finish. More
Photos |
Gould, who is the coach of the Cardinal Docherty cross country
team, completed the three-mile course in 16:19:04 to defeat
Chestnut Hill resident Hayes by a mere two-tenths of a second.
The pair fought side by side down the home straightaway before
the finish.
Farrell of Gwynedd-Mercy Academy ran the course in a swift
19:36:02, finishing 20 seconds ahead of women's runner-up
Ashley Corby of Methacton High School.
More than 70 runners competed in the event which was held
under sweltering sunshine over the Chestnut Hill Academy cross
country course. The field included Wissahickon Wanderers,
Valley Forge Striders, Bryn Mawr Running Club members, and
Philadelphia Masters as well as runners from Arcadia College
and a number of local high school teams.
Top Wanderers finisher was Chris Moore in 19:51:05 which
earned him 16th place followed by Mike Branca in 18th with
a time of 20:00:04. Stephanie Peteraf ran an impressive Wanderers
debut fiinishing 29th in 21:36. Other strong Wanderers performances
were turned in by Sally Gordon, Josephine DePalma and Pam
Zisselman.
The race was was organized in conjunction with Chestnut Hill
Academy and with the assistance of CHA coach Paul Hines. The
course followed the perimeter of the CHA athletic fields and
then continued around the Philadelphia Cricket Club golf course
before finishing with another circuit of the CHA fields. With
the undulating hills on the golf course and the heat in the
high 80's, the race tested the endurance of all the runners.
The open race followed an interscholastic race which included
more than 10 local high school teams. With all the competitors
and many family members from the earlier race watching the
race, there was plenty of encouragement for the runners in
the Chestnut Hill Classic.
Many area runners commented on the lack of cross country
races for adults in the Delaware Valley region. Hopefully,
the Chestnut Hill Classic will help to fill this void.
A special thanks to Paul Hines and to Leslie Turchetti of
the Wanderers for helping to organize the event. Leslie was
a star helping to register, photographing and organizing the
results among many other duties.
View the results here.
View the Photo Gallery here.
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