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It was déjà vu all over again at Friday night's All Out For Autism race in New Canaan as Darien's Ken Poli made it two in a row at the third and biggest running of the event. "Yeah, I guess I own this race," he joked after finishing in 17:24, eight seconds faster than his winning time from last year and 29 seconds ahead of George Buchanan, who won the event in its inaugural running and has been runnerup twice.
While there were many of the same characters in the men's race, the women's title went to a new face, albeit one who is very familiar on the local circuit. Old Greenwich's Sharon Vos, whose métier is the marathon, dropped down in distance and came away with the win, her 20:38 besting Darien High School senior Meredith Ott by half a minute. Vos' friend and frequent training partner, Erica Merrill of Rowayton, was third in 21:34.
"I figured I'd run this because I want to do a long run tomorrow before the hurricane," said Vos, who is pointing toward another placing in the women's 55-59 age group at November's ING New York City Marathon. "It was a lot more humid tonight than it felt, deceptively so. It made things tough thank goodness the last mile was downhill."
Some 370 finishers, including many members of New Canaan High School sports teams, flooded the streets for the race, which was created to raise funds for a fitness path at Waveny Park for children with autism. "Between the entry fees and donations, I think we're over our goal," said Ron Rosenfeld, whose New Balance New Canaan store hosted the event. Complete results are available on the Club Connecticut website.
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