Joshua Walters, pictured second from left, of Randolph and Gabrielle Hart, on right, of Dunkirk were the top male and female finishers in the 10th Annual Marauder Trotter Run/Walk held recently. Event Manager Scott Mekus, far left, and D.J. Wilson, race director, are also shown.
A total of 207 runners/walkers participated in the 10th annual Marauder Trotter 5k Run/Walk hosted by the Dunkirk High School Class of 1989 on Saturday, July 6 at Wright Park. The event included a 5k run/walk, 10-year birthday carnival, DJ Joe Gould, birthday present silent auction, balloon bust bottle pull game under the direction of D.J. Wilson, Scott Mekus, Jennifer Ellman, Terri Vasquez, Molly Pagan and Matthew Woelfle and Trackqua Timing.
A 22-year old from Randolph, Joshua Walters, finished the run in first place with a time of 16:37 followed by second place runner Kaden Emley (18:29) of Yorktown, Virginia. Matthew Lemine (17:38.40) of Morgantown, West Virginia, captured the third place victory.
A 21-year old from Dunkirk, Gabrielle Hart, was the top female runner with a winning time of 23:00.
In the 5k walking event, the top male and female finish line crossers were Michael Irish (26:27) of Dunkirk and Patricia Davison (35:34) of Fredonia. To view race results on-line, visit https://runsignup.com/race/results/17339.
Special birthday medals were awarded to the first, second and third place finishers in each age group. Medals not received yet can be picked up from Scott Mekus on the second floor of the Stearns Building by City Hall. The Marauder Trotter Spirit Award was given to long-time event volunteer Andrew Ellman, son of Todd and Jennifer Ellman of Dunkirk, for his continued support and dedication to the annual race.
Runners get their start at Wright Park on July 6.
A special runner’s trophy was presented by the Marauder Trotter committee to DJ Wilson, race director, for his ten-year commitment and leadership of the 5k fundraiser. Dunkirk Mayor Kate Wdowiasz was also in attendance to support the community event.
The Dunkirk High School Class of 1989 Memorial Scholarship, which was established in 2014 in memory of their deceased classmates, is awarded annually to a graduating Dunkirk senior that is selected by a scholarship committee. The 2024 recipient is Trestin Briggs who plans to pursue a career in occupational therapy at SUNY Brockport in the fall.
Past winners included Alyssa Loveland (2014), Emily Karalus (2015), Ben Tarnowski (2016), Tehya Sharp (2017), Cierra Vasquez (2018), Hannah Ellman (2019), Jericha Petrella (2020), Nick Marsowicz (2021), Steven Zentz (2022), Isabella Vasquez and Jordan Lockett (2023). Scholarship donations can be mailed to Jennifer Ellman at 3705 New Road, Dunkirk, NY 14048.
A special thank you to the following event sponsors (Jason Hallmark of Hallmark Wealth Planning, Mark Maslakowski, Melissa Haase, Benjamin Miller, Donald Gorka), donors (Steve Waterson, Barbara Lehnen, Curan Waller, Lawrence Przybyla, Raymond Graf, Julie Sek, Alice Mekus, Paul Bock, Rosetta Rhodes, Michael Schwertfager, Denise Sievert, Barb Kern, Jeff Poweski, Thomas Aanerud, Cynthia Smith, Jayson DeGolier, Marie Sedota, Marlie Schmidt, Karen Briggs, Aleyna Westling, Pamela Corsoro, Lisa Reinhardt, Dillon McClary, Michael Formanowicz, Tammi Feiner, Becky Ohl, some anonymous donors) and volunteers (Andrew Ellman, Rachel Foley, Cierra Vasquez, Patty Berdyck, Ken Mekus, Mary Woelfle, Jean Price, Eliza Price, Lauren Price, Jackie Bunting, Virginia Torres, Megan Larivey, Matt Larivey and the DHS Unified program students).
Next year’s Marauder Trotter event will take place on Saturday, July 5, 2025 in Dunkirk.