The conditions were perfect on Sunday, May 21, for Run Like the Wind’s 241 runners who participated in the annual 5K race through the village of Ellenville. Christopher Ruckdeschel won in the men’s category, with a time of 17:31.45, and for the women, Dana Lynch won at 19:47.90.

Ruckdeschel is 44 years old and hails from Middletown. Lynch is 22 and also from Middletown.

The best performance from an Ellenvillian came from 26-year-old Massouod Violette-Shesch at 21:50.45, topping the Male 20-29 section.

Aroma Thyme Bistro's Marcus Guiliano, who organizes the event with his wife Jamie, said, “We are very excited to have it back. This was the first Run Like the Wind since 2019, and we have to give a big shout out to Joe Stoeckeler and Jerry Maier. They came to us and suggested that we bring it back. They helped the whole way, too.”

And that means they were on board from September 2022, because organizing something this big takes time.

Marcus added, “So, we said we needed help, needed a committee, and solid commitments from people. We couldn’t do it with just Jamie and me, and a few volunteers close to race time. Joe and Jerry came through in a major way.”

And already, guess what? They’re all thinking about next year's event.

Marcus said, “We will be starting in September again. We need committee members, so volunteers are welcome. The committee meets monthly until around Mid-March when it shifts to weekly. Anyone interested should call the Aroma Thyme number, 845-647-3000.”

Run Like The Wind raises money for various causes in the village, including the Little League. Guiliano said, “We gave $500 worth of baseball bats to the Little League this year, to help them get their season going.”

A full report on the money raised will be posted later this week at ellenvillerunlikethewind.com.

While there, check out the sponsors, “Our sponsors made this happen,” Marcus added. “We have some really generous businesses here, including Matthews Pharmacy and the Ellenville Stewart’s.

Run Like The Breeze

The Ellenville Nursery School’s Run Like the Breeze Kids Races and Fun Fair were back on Sunday as well, after a three-year pandemic hiatus. Ellenville was packed with families and kids, all excited for the races (for kids aged 3-10) and the fair activities, which included a bounce house, pony rides, farm animals, face painting, games, arts and crafts, and of course concessions. Matthews Pharmacy and Dunkin Donuts, both of Ellenville, generously donated to the event.

The placement winners are as follows:

3-year-old race

1st place: Luca Campisi

2nd place: Nora Thayer

3rd place: Lance Tucker

4-year-old race

1st place: Yuriy Pereyaslavskiy

2nd place: Noah Morse

3rd place: Noah Gaeta

5-year-old race

1st place: Tomiah Kentop

2nd place: Zachary Morse

3rd place: Violet Ramos

6-year-old race

1st place: Maddux Guadalupe

2nd place: Liana Villegas

3rd place: Calista Caban

7-year-old race

1st place: Max Mandiville

2nd place: Noah Darling

3rd place: Ruby Straub

8-year-old race

1st place: Darrell Padgett

2nd place (tie): Violet Kentop and Izabella Guadalupe

9-year-old race

1st place: Mya Stewart

2nd place: Peyton Stanger

3rd place: Austin Thayer

10-year-old race

1st place: Charlie Zelinsky

2nd place: Mikey Gallo

3rd place: Sophia DeJesus