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Sports

Runners Endure High Winds at Turkey Trot

Mike Anis wins Turkey Trot and Joseph Seebode finishes first in PracticeHard Mile

Runners of all ages and experience levels braved the cold and gusty winds at Tamaques Park on Saturday morning for the annual Westfield PracticeHard Mile and 5 Mile Turkey Trot, hosted by the Friends of Westfield Track and Field and PracticeHard.com.

Mike Anis, 28, of Highland Park won the Turkey Trot with a time of 26:25. Joseph Seebode, 16, of Clark, a cross country runner for Union Catholic High School, won the PracticeHard Mile with a time of five minutes and 29 seconds.

“The start was difficult because it was so crowded,” Seebode said. “It was hard to maneuver my way up through people sprinting and little kids, but I was pretty close up. I moved ahead of them probably about 200 meters into the race.”

Last year’s winner, 48 year old Mario Ricca Jr. of Staten Island, NY placed second, finishing in 5:30. Grace Dwyer, 11, of Mercerville was the first female to complete the PracticeHard Mile with a time of 6:16. She was also fourth overall.

A competitive runner since high school, Anis has participated in the Turkey Trot before, but this year marks his first victory.

“Winning is always a lot of fun,” he said. “I raced two days ago and dropped from second place early back to seventh and that was frustrating, so it’s exciting to come out and get a win.”

Anis got ahead of the pack right away and sustained a healthy lead throughout the race.

“I had a fast first mile and I just wanted to set the tone and see if anybody could come after me,” he said.

While Anis did not mind the temperature, he could have done without the high winds.

“The wind gusts were less than ideal and that really slows you down a lot,” he said. “Whether it’s at your back or your running into it, one way or another it’s going to get you.”

Finishing in 31:49, Dana Miller of Livingston was the first female across the finish line in the Turkey Trot, and the 30th overall finisher.

The one mile race began at 10:30 a.m. and stayed within the park. Then at 11 a.m., the Turkey Trot started and went through residential areas before concluding at the same location as the PracticeHard Mile. A Westfield Police car paced the five mile runners.

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