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Second Annual River Dogs Half Marathon

Woods Hole, MA, March 6, 2004

Gartner Shows 250 River Dogs the Way

Ken Gartner, 43, of West Falmouth led 250 runners in the 2nd annual River Dogs Half Marathon on a foggy and drizzly 13.1 mile tour of Woods Hole and Falmouth. Gartner was never challenged, as he took an early lead and ran alone the whole way. It was Gartner, the police cruiser and the fog. He crossed the finish line in 1:18:18, five minutes ahead of runner up, Scott Wilkie, 30, of Storrs-Mansfield, CT who ran 1:23:16. Third place went to another master runner, Michael Vitelli, 40, of Marshfield Hills, MA who completed the course in 1:24:22.

In the women's race, Marjorie Shearer, 33, of Greenfield, MA ran strongly and finished in 1:29:03, good for 15th place overall. She finished a minute ahead of the second woman, Naomi Hasegawa, 38, of Cambridge, MA who ran 1:30:08. Last years women's champion, Jessica Baker, 29, of Bourne finished third with a time of 1:31:43.

The day dawned dreary and rainy, but that did not dampen the turnout. 250 runners registered for the race, an increase of 23% over last year's field. Of those 250, 228 finished the race.

The course consisted of a loop that started and ended in Woods Hole and took in some of the more scenic parts of the Falmouth Road Race and Cape Cod Marathon courses as well as passing through some of the older neighborhoods of Falmouth. There are rolling hills in the first two and a half miles and the last three miles of the course, but the middle miles are flat.

After the race, the runners gathered in the Leeside for the awards ceremony and a post-race party with a DJ.

The race was organized by River Dogs Athletics of Waltham and logistical support and timing was provided by the Falmouth Track Club. The proceeds benefitted the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.