We held the 22nd running of the Leatherman’s Loop yesterday morning at the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. Mike Paletta started up as the new race director, taking over from Tony Godino who ran the event for 21 years. Tony was on hand to not only help out but also to run the loop for the first time in 12 years.
Conditions were the driest in years. Running on his 41st birthday, Tommy Nohilly of Katonah won top male finisher, his 4th Leatherman’s Loop, with a time of 39:01. Top female finisher was first time loop runner Kristin Simonsen of Norwalk, CT with a time of 48:02. Overall male and female winners received a gift basket. Top 3 finishers in the age categories received the coveted pies. Detailed results are here: <https://leathermansloop.org/old/08LeathermanRes.html> [EDIT: also here: https://leathermansloop.org/results].
Race Director Mike Paletta gave some pre-race instructions and recognized long-time loop runners. Danny Martin of Cross River gave the traditional Leatherman’s Loop Irish/Navajo blessing (see below). Then Stephen Paletta, winner of Oprah’s recent reality show “The Big Give” and brother of race director Mike Paletta, sounded the starting horn.
840 runners finished the Loop, we’re not sure how many started but we were assured by the sweeps teams that no one was left behind! We had 96 runners registered from NYC, 78 from Ridgefield, CT, 50 from Bedford, 44 from Brooklyn, 37 from Lewisboro, 29 from Stamford, CT, 28 from Katonah, and 22 from Pound Ridge. The youngest runners were 10 year old Keely Connors from Bedford Hills and Sara Silverstein from Mamaroneck. There were 3 runners over 70: John Young, Ian Beck, and Mel Cowgill.
Some other notes:
– ValuClean offered free sneaker cleaning after the Loop
– Jim Funk ran dressed as a clown and finished in 1:01:09
– Kids enjoyed the Meadow Oak as it was reborn into a playground/sculpture and served as the finish chute for the loop.
– 10 year-old Griffin Cummings put his Nintendo DS skills to work as official timing computer operator. He entered runner’s numbers feverishly for 90 minutes as muddy but happy runners crossed the finish line. Jim Gerweck of Running Times provided the official scoring for the Loop.
– a team of over 40 volunteers provided parking assistance, registration, t-shirts, food, coffee, water, and support before, during and after the loop
– The Lewisboro Volunteer Ambulance Corps tended to many minor injuries and scrapes and were much appreciated. Thankfully, no major injuries came up during the Loop.
– The park management was fantastic, helping the event run smoothly.
– The mud flat section near route 124 was dedicated as the Doug Gorman Memorial Mud Flats after Katonah resident Doug Gorman who loved the loop and died in early 2007 of brain cancer.
Thank you to all of the runners and volunteers who make this event what it is!
-Mike, Kate, Rob, Tony, and the Leatherman Harriers
Leatherman’s Loop Navajo/Irish Poem (adapted by Danny Martin)
Beauty before me when I run. Beauty behind me when I run. Beauty below me when I run. Beauty above me when I run. Beauty beside me when I run. Beauty within me when I run.I see Beauty all around. In beauty may I walk. In beauty may I see.. In beauty may we all be.
