More than 600 Participate in Steel Rail Races

iBerkshires.com SportsPrint Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Matthew Ferraro was the first runner across the finish line at the MountainOne Steel Rail Marathon.
 
Ferraro clocked a time of 2 hours, 41 minutes flat on the Ashuwilticook Rail Trail course.
 
He finished a little more than five minutes ahead of runner-up Nick Reid (2:46:15).
 
Simone Veale won the race's women's division in a time of 3:18:42. She beat out Jill Hussain, who covered the course in 3:27:23.
 
The fastest marathoner on Sunday was Stephen Gulley, a hand cyclist, who clocked a time of 2:15:03.
 
The 26.2-mile circuit was covered by 150 finishers ranging in age from 18 (William Hanley in 14th place) to 72 (Ric Nudell, who finished in 6:04:47).
 
The day also featured a half-marathon and an 8-kilometer race.
 
Mark Rabasco won the half-marathon in 1:18:41, edging Vincent Gauthier (1:22:38).
 
Kat Morrissey placed third overall in 1:23:43 and first among women in the half-marathon, which had 213 finishers.
 
Abigail Chaloux was the fastest woman in the 8K, crossing the finish line in 35:52, six seconds ahead of Caroline Kessler; the two women were ninth and 10th, respectively, overall in a field of 171 finishers.
 
Peter Hale had the fastest 8K time, 27:42. Erik Kessler was second in 30:32.
 
More than 600 people registered for Sunday's races, a record for the Berkshire Running Foundation event. Runners from 24 different states signed up to run.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Crane Drops Challenge to Dalton Land Sale

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The sale of the land known as the Bardin property is no longer being challenged. 
 
Dicken Crane of Holiday Farm, the highest bidder on the property, withdrew his lawsuit and a citizen petition requesting the board award him the sale, recognizing that a reversal was unlikely after the deed had already been signed.
 
The Select Board's decision in December to sell the last 9.15 acres of land to Thomas and Esther Balardini, the third highest bidder, sparked outrage from several residents resulting in a heated meeting to sign the quitclaim deed. Crane was the highest bidder by $20,000.
 
The board swiftly had the deed signed on Dec. 22, following its initial vote on Nov. 10 to award the parcel to the Balardinis, despite citizen outcry against the decision during a meeting on Nov. 23.  
 
Crane claimed he wrote a letter to the board of his intention to appeal its decision. However, once the deed was signed a month later, it was too late for him to do anything. 
 
"My question is, why were they in such a hurry to push this through, even though there were many people asking, 'explain to us why this is in the best interest in the town,' when they really had no explanation," Crane said on Wednesday.
 
Litigation is expensive and the likelihood of success to get it changed once the deed was signed is minimal, he said. 
 
View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories