Matthew Slocum of Montclair and Hortencia Aliaga of Garfield were the top male and female runners in today’s UNICO Labor Day 5K Classic. Slocum finished the race in 16:44.67, with Aliaga turning in a time of 19:35.77.
This year’s race saw 383 runners brave the heat, humidity and the course, which starts on Lakeside Avenue and winds up the hills in the Forest Avenue section of Verona before sending runners back down Bloomfield Avenue and into Verona Park. The race is the biggest yearly event for the Italian American service organization UNICO and helps to fund its scholarships for Verona High School seniors. The full results for all runners are here. The 5K race is a USATF-NJ Grand Prix event with awards and gift certificates from Fleet Feet Sports in Montclair to the top three finishers in five age groups.
Michael Anello was the top male finisher from Verona in a time of 17:55.27 and Bridget O’Donnell was Verona’s top female runner in 22:13.53. You can see results for all Verona runners here.
In addition to Fleet Feet, major sponsors for the race are Hillcrest Farms (Verona), Parabolic Performance Training & Physical Training, and Verona PBA Local 72. The race, which is in its 36th year, is preceded by a one-mile fun run and health walk around Verona Park.
