Sachem High School East Hosts First XC Challenge 5K on Tom Toscano Course

A varied group of competitors - coaches, parents, students, graduates, club runners including members of the local non-profit Rolling Thunder program, and runners of all ages from both near and far - took part in the inaugural Sachem Cross Country Challenge Saturday morning, tackling the tough Tom Toscano cross country course behind Sachem East High School.

The run helped raise funds for children's camps run by the Sachem Youth Advisory group (SYAG), with estimated net proceeds between $1,500 to $2,000, according to the event organizer/East girls varsity track coach Pete McNeill.

Toscano was a fixture in the Sachem Central School district for over 30 years, graduating from Division Avenue High School in 1961 and beginning his career as a social studies teacher in the mid-1960s before accepting positions as an assistant principal at Seneca Middle School and principal at Sagamore Middle School, as well as a cross country coach at the high school for many years.

James Barracca, who coaches the East team with McNeill, took first place with a time of 17:05. As per the flyer, no ribbons, medals or trophies were awarded, though a raffle was held following the race that included prizes courtesy of the Sayville Running Company.

"It was good, everything went sort of easily," said the third-year coach of his race with a knowing smile, citing his familiarity with the course as a benefit. The course named in Toscano's honor includes seven hills, and several runners and coaches agreed the difficulty of the course exceeded that of even the Sunken Meadow State Park. Out of a total of 202 registered runners, 185 finished.

"I've been doing this six years, and this is the hardest course I've seen anywhere, but fun," said Dick Gunzel, a volunteer and runner, ordinarily a hurdler (he won a divisional gold medal in the 55-meter hurdles in a USATF championship meet) who returned after a month-long hiatus due to a sprained ankle. Representing the Suffolk County Restaurant and Tavern Association where he works as an insurance consultant, he wore a self-made Budweiser shirt and a helmet with empty beer cans of the same brand "as a goof."

"I'm normally under 26," he said, taking the setback in stride and chalking it up to the injury. "Still not bad for a 64-year-old."

"If the kids can run this, they can run anything," said John Newhoff, from The Sports Center Athlete Training Academy, who also participated in the race. 

Brian Savickis also praised the program for affording kids the chance to travel and compete on the  national level as well as fostering community, after participating in the run with his children: son Daniel, 8, and daughter Samantha, 11.

"The only time I see her at a race is at the beginning and at the end," he said, laughing.

Grant Stanis, also from The Sports Center Athlete Training Academy, saw the event as a chance to keep his runners ready.

"Our goal is to win the national championship, so now that the season is upon us, we're going to be going full-tilt," he said.

In addition to running the 5K, many of them assisted with the set up, including 14th-placer Danny Schaub, who helped set up the three sets of hay bales that were crossed over three times on the course. Hay bales appear in international cross country runs, which McNeill elected to include them as added challenges as well as for novelty.

Along with Stanis, Savickis, Barracca and Gunzel, North boys cross country coach John Horst commended McNeill for his efforts in organizing the event.

"Pete organized it and got it started," he said. "We all jumped on board."

McNeill said that the race capped the end of a conditioning camp headed up by SYAG, making getting so many younger runners on board for the event very easy and natural. 

"Between the kids and the coaches, it all went very smoothly," he said, adding that he wants the event to remain an annual one, where runners of all stripes from Sachem and beyond can test their skills and push themselves to the limit prior to the fall running season.

McNeill, a member of Sachem's Athletic Hall of Fame, himself placed 27th in the race.

"It's like being back on the high school team," he laughed. "It's good for the coaches to see how they measure up against their own athletes."

The Tom Toscano Cross-Country Relays - a 2 X 1.5 mile event to be held on the same course - is slated for September 14, with the first race beginning at 4 p.m. In addition to continuing to honor the late educator's memory, the event will benefit the EJ Autism Foundation.