More than 600 Participate in Steel Rail Races

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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.
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BUW, NBUW Partner on Community Conversations

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire United Way and Northern Berkshire United Way are partnering on four community conversations focused on food insecurity, disability, redlining and racism, and health insurance.
 
Each of the conversations will run Wednesdays from 5 to 6:30 p.m., with two in Pittsfield and two in North Adams. 
 
The focus of the conversations is to understand how these issues are having an impact on Berkshire County residents and to hear from organizations and experts helping to address these them.
 
The schedule is as follows: 
 
Food Insecurity, Oct. 14: Berkshire Bounty, Pittsfield Community Food Pantry, The Center, and Community Health Programs. Held at The Center, 193 Robbins Ave., Pittsfield. Facilitated by Berkshire United Way.
 
Disability, Oct. 28: United Cerebraly Palsy of Western Mass, Berkshire Family and Individual Resources, and a representative from Nonotuck Resource Associates in North Adams. Held at the BFAIR main office, 771 South Church St., North Adams. Facilitated by Northern Berkshire United Way.
 
Redlining & Racism, Nov. 11: Frances Jones-Sneed, professor emeritus of history and political science at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, MCLA and representatives from NAACP Berkshires. Held in the Community Empowerment Center at Greylock Federal Credit Union, 75 Kellogg St., Pittsfield. Facilitated by Berkshire United Way.
 
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