PEACOCK, PEZZULLO ARE MIDNIGHT RUN CHAMPIONS
By David Monti, Race Results Weekly
NEW YORK (31-Dec) — Two athletes training in North Carolina, Landon Peacock of Blowing Rock and Stephanie Pezzullo of Charlotte, won the 33rd Emerald Nuts Midnight Run, a four mile road race held here in Central Park at the stroke of midnight.
Peacock, 24, a former University of Wisconsin Badger who now runs for the Reebok-sponsored ZAP Fitness program, clocked 18 minutes and 35 seconds, three seconds up on Tesfaye Dube, an Ethiopian athlete who runs for the New York-based West Side Runners club. Stephen Pifer, who runs for the Nike Oregon Track Club in Eugene, finished third in 18:48.
“It was a whole lot of fun,” Peacock said after running the race for the first time. He smiled and added: ”It was the most interesting way I’ve started a year.”
Pezzullo, 29, who represents Saucony, outlegged rivals Sarah Porter and Carmen Douma-Hussar in the final mile to win in 21:05, a personal best for the distance by 55 seconds. For Pezzullo it was her first Midnight Run victory; she was second back in 2006.
“Awesome, awesome,” Pezzullo said when she was asked how the race went. She continued: “It was just a great experience, and the crowd support was unbelievable.”
Porter, who like men’s winner Peacock runs for the ZAP Fitness program, crossed the finish line in 21:17 in her debut at the race. Douma-Hussar, a Canadian Olympian and former Midnight Run champion and course record holder, ran 21:26. Former Providence College standout Katie DiCamillo was fourth in 21:38.
Both Peacock and Pezzullo earned $600 each in prize money and time bonuses.
The New York Road Runners, the race founders and organizers, said about 5000 runners took part. A nearly 20 minute fireworks display accompanied the race.
Top 10 Finishers
WOMEN
1 Stephanie Pezzullo 29 Charlotte, NC USA 21:05
2 Sarah Porter 22 Blowing Rock, NC USA 21:17
3 Carmen Douma-Hussar 34 Ardmore, PA CAN 21:26
4 Katie DiCamillo 25 Providence, RI USA 21:38
5 Breanne Simpson 29 New York, NY USA 22:56
6 Leonora Petrina 29 Bayport, NY USA 23:37
7 Elizabeth Briasco 19 Forest Hills, NY USA 24:09
8 Alem Ashebir Gebreezgi 26 New York, NY ETH 24:49
9 Marisa Cummings 19 New York, NY USA 25:40
10 Sarah Cummings 22 Princeton, NJ USA 25:40
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