Local

Marathon Project Program Goes the Distance

Oct 24, 2018

Marathon Project participants Marathon Doug Needham and Alexis Ojeda. Photo: Bob Kopac

HARTFORD, CT – Marathon Project students and mentors, under the direction of new Marathon Project coordinator Kate Pauly, traveled to the Hartford Marathon recently. The Hartford Marathon was the culmination of this year’s Marathon Project program. On a wet Saturday, students and mentors from the Poughkeepsie, Hyde Park, and Newburgh school districts participated in the full marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, and 5K events.

Marathon Project student Alexis Ojeda (age 17) and mentor Doug Needham ran the full marathon, and both finished in 3:25:03. This was Alexis’s first marathon, and he finished in second place (of 8) in the M16-19 division, and he placed 192nd of 1,609 overall.

Doug Needham teaches in the Newburgh school district. He finished 15th of 89 in the M50-54 division, and he placed 192nd – along with Alexis – of 1,609 overall.

Marathon Project students and mentors, under the direction of new Marathon Project coordinator Kate Pauly, traveled to the Hartford Marathon. Photo: Bob Kopac

There were 11 half marathoners, all who did well:
Rebecca Castellanos (F15-19) 2:26:02
Jose Castro (M15-19) 2:06:37
Jaime Ditata (F35-39) 2:19:02
Andrea French (F35-39) 2:18:57
Andy French (M35-39) 1:46:39
Matthew Ortega (M15-19) 2:02:29
Celso Rojas-Valencia (M15-19) 2:06:33
Lynne Kopac (F65-69) 2:21:47 (5th of 16 in division)
Meg Mullins (F30-34) 2:06:39
Steven Rosas (M15-19) 2:14:08
Manuel Treus (M50-54) 1:43:07

The marathon relay team consisted of George Huaqui, Gabe Needham, Sue Lastowski, Pilar Treus, and Lauren Pauly-Klercker and finished in 4:27:15.

The Marathon Project is a program of the Council on Addiction Prevention and Education (CAPE) of Dutchess County Inc. The Marathon Project is an innovative distance running after-school initiative that pairs adult mentors with at-risk youth ages 12-18 throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley. The project aims to reduce risk factors such as childhood obesity, school drop out, and substance misuse. This after-school initiative provides opportunities for students and mentors to set and achieve goals, explore avenues of character development and improve health while building positive, student/adult relationships through running.