Clash of the Titans: South Nyack's 10-Miler

Sunday was a clash between Titans young and old, both Tappan Zee High School graduates.

And in this particular battle, the old war-horse used his vast experience and fortitude to withstand the serious challenge of a 25-year-old rival.

—perhaps the greatest road runner in Rockland history—posted his 13th victory in the 22nd South Nyack 10-miler with a blistering time of 53 minutes 38 seconds against a high-quality, highly competitive field.

All told, 487 runners—male and female—finished, including the young Titan runner-up Nick Roosa, who has a 2:32 marathon on his resume. He trailed the 39-year-old Gunther by a mere 19 seconds in a terrific battle that also featured former Olympic trials runner Mike Slinskey, who timed 55:34 in third place.

Another celebrated veteran: 51-year-old Nanuet resident Jamie Kempton, who is generally recognized as Rockland's most consistent performer. Kempton overcame a 30-second loss at the start when he was tying his shoes, but took nearly two minutes off his time from a year ago.

"I was 7th last year, [and] was almost two minutes faster this year and would have been faster yet with a good start, but I still finished 13th," said Kempton, attributing this result to the top-notch batch of top-notch competitors.

"It was a great field; I think seven runners broke 60 minutes, the gold standard for this race," he added. "It's really nice. It shows that this race attracts not only Masters, but quality runners. The third-place guy is a Master [division] and it's a feather in their caps that they beat him."

Among those who broke the gold standard is Blauvelt's Thomas Noonan, a 37-year-old who clocked 59:55. Tappan Zee coach Pat Driscoll, a star at Marist College, just missed the gold standard with a time of 1:00:28.

Gunther and Roosa set a blistering pace—exchanging the lead several times along the course to the Piermont Pier and back—along the Esposito Trail. Afterward, Gunther told Roosa what he was thinking at about the 7-mile mark: that he was going to tell him to go ahead. To which Roosa reportedly said, in amazement, "That's when you started to go faster."

Such is the mark of a champion, who is training and competing while nursing a torn hip labrum and who won just one day after driving seven hours from upstate Canandaigua, where he was celebrating the Jewish holiday with his wife, Laura Apelbaum, and her family.

"They really broke away," Kempton observed. "I saw them steps apart on the pier in Piermont, about five miles in and I said to myself, 'Art's experience will be the difference.' I gave my nod to him."

"Mike's a good runner," Gunther said, in reference to the third-place finisher Slinskey, who ran at Delhi in college. "Nick's a great up-and-comer, I was feeding off him most of the time. A couple of times I thought I lost him, but held on through the final hill. Nick was tough, I knew he would be tough."

"He [Nick] gave him [Art] a run for his money," beamed Roosa's father, Earl, rightfully proud.

"We both had our moments," Roosa said, whose next task will be some cross country races in the fall and perhaps a marathon in Eugene, Oregon, in May. 

"About four times we each started to open gaps, and three or four times I thought I'd run away from him," Roosa added. "But at about mile 8 I couldn't hang with him any more."

"I love this race," Gunther said, who knows the layout like the back of his hand and considers it his home course. "I love the way it is run. This is the kind of race that should attract 10,000 runners."

Kempton, for his part, saluted Gunther's effort—and, more importantly, his immense modesty.

"Art is the quintessential nice guy," Kempton said. "There is no braggadocio in him, he's quiet, very humble, a true champion. Everybody pulls for him, even me."

Drew Gangemi of Sparkill, an assistant coach at St. Thomas Aquinas College and still a competitive runner, tried to keep pace to no avail.

 "The lead pack went out fast right off the bat," he said. "By the time I got to the Piermont Pier they had opened a huge lead. I really didn't know what to expect. For them to be clicking out at 5:15, 5:20 [mile pace], that was very impressive."

Short steps

• Gangemi was overtaken on the last hill by Kempton, once his coach at STAC. "I kind of felt bad, but that was just how the race went," Kempton said, unaware that Gangemi was also beaten by another former coach of his at a Grand Prix race on Staten Island last year, when current STAC coach Lou Maturo of Tappan proved that the pupil should always listen to his teacher.

• Slinskey, of Hopewell Junction, competed at the Olympic trials in 1996 and 2000 and has a marathon best time of 2:18. "At 41, I feel like I'm running twice as hard but only half as fast, but I'm happy," said a smiley Slinskey.

• Roosa ran against Gunther a few years ago in the annual post-Thanksgiving Alumni Race at Bear Mountain. "It's cool, I like Art," Roosa said. "When I was in high school he was king and showed up at many of our practices."

• Pomona's Mike Greco of the New York State Police, who served 13 years as race director for the Rockland Road Runners' Turkey Trot and as the association's president, again ran lifting a large American flag. "It's really nice when I pass some of the older people, veterans, and they salute. It makes me proud to be an American," he said.

• Many members of both the Nyack and STAC men's and women's cross country teams volunteered for the event, which raised funds to benefit the South Nyack and Piermont volunteer fire departments and Junior Achievement.

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Read the full race results here.