Happy Birthday!

Chris Roe and Tracy Sannon
 
 Niko J. Kallianiotis/Fo

WILKES-BARRE &ndash; Even in the short races, Bonafase Ngandus Omurwa only runs at 75 percent.
But Omurwa needed an extra push as Jeffrey Skwierz forced him into a sprint toward the finish Sunday at the Jewish Community Center of Wyoming Valley&rsquo;s River Street 3 Mile Run.
Omurwa, of Kingston, won the South Wilkes-Barre race in 16 minutes flat with Skwierz trailing at 16:07.
Skwierz traded leads with Omurwa for most of the race. With a half mile left, the 27-year old Kenyan transplant pulled ahead and created distance between himself and the Pringle native as they turned onto West River Street.
&ldquo;I wanted to stay on pace; that&rsquo;s why I kept up with him. I have a problem with pacing myself,&rdquo; said Omurwa. &ldquo;When I got to the half mile, I felt like I had good energy to pull away from Jeffrey.
&ldquo;At a quarter mile, I could still hear footsteps when we were running to the finish line.&rdquo;
The women&rsquo;s title was not nearly as close. Samantha Snead, of Moscow, was 1:20 faster than the competition, crossing the line at 17:13. West Pittston&rsquo;s Deidre Porfiro followed Snead, clocking in at 18:33. 
Snead&rsquo;s strategy for winning the race was to run with the men. Her time was fourth overall and 2:47 faster than last year&rsquo;s JCC 3-mile female winner. 
&ldquo;I usually try to pace myself off the guys,&rdquo; said Snead. &ldquo;The course is nice, flat and short, and it was easy to stay with the top guys.&rdquo;
Skwierz, of Pringle, said he was impressed with how he fared considering he wasn&rsquo;t in his best physical condition. 
&ldquo;For where I am in my training right now, I&rsquo;m not in that great of shape,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t been doing a lot of workouts or a lot of running in general. It&rsquo;s my first race of the year.&rdquo;
Kenny Quigley, of Dunmore, won the men&rsquo;s 40-44 division by saving his energy for the final straightaway. Quigley created 13 seconds of distance between himself and Tunkhannock&rsquo;s Brian Thomas to secure his age group. 
&ldquo;These races are a little tougher,&rdquo; said Quigley. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t settle in. It&rsquo;s an all-out sprint for three miles.&rdquo;
Thirteen-year old Josh Wychock won the youth division, placing 18th in a time of 19:50.
Only three runners &ndash; Brian Thomas, John Zawadski and Dan Thomas &ndash; from last year&rsquo;s top finishers earned spots in Saturday&rsquo;s Top Ten. 

Men&rsquo;s winner: Bonafase Ngandus Omurwa, Kingston, 16:00

Women&rsquo;s winner: Samantha Snead, Moscow, 17:13

Overall standings: 1. Bonafase Ngandus Omurwa, Kingston, 16:00; 2. Jeffrey Swierz, Pringle, 16:07; 3. Nick Wadas, Kingston, 16:59; 4. Samantha Snead, Moscow, 17:13; 5. Kenny Quigley, Dunmore, 17:35; 6. Brian Thomas, Tunkhannock, 17:48.3; 7. Alex Richardson, Mountain Top, 17:48.8; 8. Dan Thomas, Dallas, 17:57; 9. John Zawadski, Luzerne, 18:25; 10. Deidre Porfirio, West Pittston, 18:33

Boys 14-under: 1. Josh Wychock, 19:50; 2. Jonathon Morgan, Berwick, 24:18; 

Girls 15-19: 1. Jordn Britt, Plains, 27:49

Men 20-29: 1. Jeffrey Skwierz, Pringle, 16:07; 2. Nick Wadas, 16:59; 3. Alex Richardson, Mountain Top, 17:48

Women 20-29: 1. Kim Turoski, Nanticoke, 22:15; 2. Trish Hartman, Dunmore, 23:21; 3. Christina Glenn, Mountain Top, 25:32

Men 30-34: 1. Joe Dowd, Jessup, 21:54; 2. David Wychock, Mountain Top, 25:35; 3. Chris Lorbett, Nanticoke, 29:44

Women 30-34: 1. Deidre Porfirio, West Pittston, 18:33; 2. Jill Matthews Lada, Wilkes-Barre, 21:57; 3. Amanda Bau, Shickshinny, 25:25

Men 35-39: 1. John Zawadski, Luzerne, 18:25; 2. Kenny Zawadski, Luzerne, 20:49; 3. James Cole, Plymouth, 21:58

Women 35-39: 1. Lisa Ciampi, Wyoming, 24:45; 2. Taly Kornfeld, Kingston, 26:39; 

Men 40-44: 1. Kenny Quigley, Dunmore, 17:35; 2. Brian Thomas, Tunkhannock, 17:48.3; 3. Aaron Chapin, Drums, 19:14

Women 40-44: 1. Lynn Dolan, West Wyoming, 19:49; 2. Jackie Platt, Dallas, 21:16; 3. Randi Chapin, Drums, 24:34

Men 45-49: 1. George Dunbar, Old Forge, 18:43; 2. Joe Kichilinsky, Wyoming, 18:50; 3. John Kraus, Kingston, 21:47

Women 45-49: 1. Elizabeth Moran, Harveys Lake, 25:57; 2. Peggy Mankey, Plymouth, 26:20; 

Men 50-59: 1. Dan Thomas, Dallas, 17:57; 2. Greg Bassham, 19:01; 3. Dave Juinta, West Wyoming, 19:39

Men 60-69: 1. Bob Chase, Larksville, 20:30; 2. Harvey Jacobs, Dallas, 26:25; 3. Gary Doughery, Shavertown, 27:24

Men 70-Plus: 1. Mike Pay, Hazleton, 25:48; 2. Nawm Gitmen, Kingston, 26:52; 3. John Platt, Dallas, 30:44

Omurwa, Snead Post Wins In Jcc River Street Run