Sergey Avramenko, a 39-year-old native of Belarus who lives in Hampton Bays, won Ellen’s Run in Southampton Sunday for the fourth time in a row, topping a field of 716 whose participation supported the Ellen Hermanson Foundation’s work here to diagnose and treat breast cancer and provide after care for those who have had it.
Dr. Julie Ratner co-founded the nonprofit 28 years ago following her sister’s untimely death in 1995 at the age of 42.
Avramenko crossed the finish line in 16 minutes and 51.66 seconds. “I ran about a minute slower this time . . . last year, my time was 15:37,” he said. An Uber driver and part-time health coach, he was forced to take four and a half months off from his arduous training schedule this winter and spring because of a hip muscle injury that made it impossible to run.
While he has not been seen in East Hampton-area races this year, he placed fifth in the Firecracker 8K on July 7, and sixth in the Race of Hope on Aug. 4, both in Southampton. He agreed that his win Sunday attested to his continued recovery. The runner-up, a 17-year-old Sag Harborite, Edmar Gonzalez-Nateras, trailed Avramenko by almost a minute.
Gonzalez-Nateras, who competes with East Hampton High School’s winter and spring track teams, and who won the Jordan’s Run 5K in Sag Harbor on July 28, said that he and Avramenko had gone out together, “though after a mile and a half,” he added, with a smile, “he went away.”
“I let the two of them go — I knew I couldn’t keep up that pace,” said the third-place finisher, Sebastien Ladj, a 31-year-old Frenchman, who crossed the line in 18:17.48.
The women’s winner — and seventh over all — was Kara Deych, 35, of New York City and Southampton, in 19:14.02. Katelyn Jabban, 31, was the second female — and 15th over all — in 20:15.48; Erica Hermann, 51, was third — and 21st over all — in 20:40.96.
Deych, who is 5 feet tall, said she had run Ellen’s before — in support of her aunt, Linda Haugevik, who has breast cancer and lives in Maine now — but that she’d never finished as high as she did Sunday.
Thirty breast cancer survivors were honored with roses at the finish line that day. Judith Donnelly, 67, of Southampton, who was 100th, in 25:31.72, was the race’s top-finishing survivor.
Eric Perez, 26, a former East Hampton High cross-country and track runner, placed ninth in 19:41.08; Gordon Holmes, 55, of East Hampton, topped the male 55-to-59 division in 21:15.51; Megan Gubbins, 41, of Brooklyn, led the female 40-to-44 runners with a time of 22:38.93; Donnelly was second among the 65-to-69 females; Paul Maidment, 73, of East Hampton, won among the 70-to-74 men in 27:30.48; Diane O’Donnell, 73, who coaches East Hampton High’s girls cross-country team, was the top 70-to-74 woman in 37:05.57, and Marlene Berman, 81, of East Hampton, placed second among the 80-to-99 females in 48:50.56.
