Cannonball Run in its 16th year

FALLS VILLAGE — The runners got set behind the start line on Main Street, just up from Prospect Street, and Will Graustein of Greystone Racing gave his final instructions.

“I’ll wave my hat, the cannon will explode, and …”

He waved the hat, the cannon duly boomed, and the participants in the Ed McGuire Memorial Cannonball Run took off on the 5-kilometer course at noon on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The top finisher was Mario Longo, 44, of Cheshire, who came in at 18 minutes and two seconds.

Jac Cohn, 32, was the first female finisher, and 10th overall, at 22:29. Cohn, a teacher at Lee H. Kellogg School, was also the first finisher from Falls Village.

Other residents of the town who ran were German Sharabok, 16 (26:01), Alan Lovejoy, 56 (26:05), Vastimil Valasek, 53 (26:30), Silas Tripp, 8 (26:41), Letitia Garcia-Tripp, 44 (26:42), Sara Jack, 46 (29:24), Amy Wynn, 56 (35:11), Kathleen Clark, 55 (36:50), Madeline Mechare, 8 (36:52), Heather Mechare, 37 (36:56), Kristen Dress, 16 (50:18) and Mary Lu Sinclair, 79 (55:00).

A total of 93 people ran or walked the course.

It was the 16th year of the Cannonball Run, a fundraiser for the Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department that is run in memory of the late Ed McGuire, former fire chief.

The course record of 16:18 was set in 2008 by Eamon Dempsey of Delmar, N.Y.

Graustein rattled that statistic off the top of his head, as he was asked when spectators could expect the first runners to appear.

He also asked that a few people stand out on Main Street to guide the runners to the finish line.

He said runners often are so absorbed that they don’t see the spray-painted arrows on the pavement, never mind the flags indicating the finish line.

Indeed, a handful of runners had to be waved into position.

The complete results are posted online at www.greystoneracing.net.