2022 was a big year for the Wild Rovers, with plenty of incredible race results and, more importantly, a lot of fun times and camaraderie while training and socializing.
January and February
• The annual winter offseason reset—with Saturday group runs, Wednesday morning workouts and HMRRC’s informal Winter Series races—ramping up to the racing season.
March
• Irish Sweat-er Race: Gauna, Potestio, Deer and Austin finished in the Top 10, then drank all the beer and ate all the corned beef back at the Irish History Museum.
• Steve Imbriaco joins the Rovers! (and would go on to run 3 races)
• Runnin’ of the Green 4M: Gokey, McGarry, Deer, Newman and Kracker run, and win $86
• Tom Kracker joins the Rovers! (and would go on to run 5 races)
• Schenectady Firefighters Run 4 Your Life 5K (GP): 12(!) Rovers race, incl. Gauna (4th, 17:30) and Potestio, who put in a breakthrough performance (8th, 18:14); Team Result: 1st Open/1st Masters
April
• Austin launches the 2nd Annual Helderberg Challenge, a 5K-plus time trial that climbs 1,148 feet to the top of the Helderbergs, throughout the month of April. Not only does the challenge inspire Ray “The Running Witch Doctor” Webster to return to competition, but also draws out 7 Rovers for a final in-person running on May 1. (Spoiler alert: Austin wins for the 2nd straight year.) 
• Helderberg to Hudson Half-Marathon: John Deer (and nearly every Rover‘s spouse/partner) is cheered on by boatloads of teammates, and finishes 29th, in 1:23:40.
• Boston Marathon: Gauna and Scoville returned to the legendary race, and finished in 2:47:41 (a Boston PR!) and 3:29:16, respectively.
• Austin runs the Sleepy Hollow Trail Race (part of the NE Mtn Series) in VT, and barely gets any mud on himself!
• Delmar Dash (GP): 6 Rovers race. Potestio crushes it again (6th, 29:48) while leading the team, followed by Gokey, Deer, Koch, Imbriaco and McGarry. Lots of Rovers cheer! Team Result: 2nd Open/1st Masters
• Rickert finishes 4th at the Bill Robinson Masters 10K Championships!
May
• CCRC 5K (GP): A 3pm sweat bath on the most ridiculous course imaginable, but 7 of us raced and we put 5 in the Top 10, including Austin (2nd) and Gokey (3rd) on the podium. Team Result: 1st Open/1st Masters
• Bacon Hill Bonanza 10K (GP): More hot/humid racing conditions, but 6 Rovers raced, earning really tasty brownies for their efforts. Team Result: 1st Open/1st Masters
• The very next day, Austin takes 2nd Place in the Mining for Vert 4-Hour race, covering 16.73 miles and climbing 5,764′ in the same crushing heat.
• McCloskey wins the Voorheesville Memorial Day 15K (64:05), while Rickert takes 5th Place (64:38) and meets the mayor!
• Imbriaco finishes 5th in the Martha’s Vineyard Memorial Day 5K (1st in his AG), then cools down for 7 miles.
• Midweek Wild Rover Happy Hour Beer Runs kick off (and continue almost weekly through September)
June
• LifeSong 5K (GP): 7 Rovers raced, and 3—Gauna, Gokey and Rickert—finished in the Top 10. Team Result: 1st Open/1st Masters
• Mueller (18:40) and Scoville (18:43) finished 8th and 9th in the OK5K.
• 9 Rovers surprised Deer by joining his 40th Birthday run from his home in Slingerlands up to the Thacher Park Overlook (plus McCloskey biked up, and Faller drove!). Welcome to the Masters, John!
July
• Firecracker 4: Led by Gauna, Gokey and Rickert, 6 Rovers spend their holiday morning racing in Saratoga. Despite days of debate and lots of back-and-forth (and an appeal) with RDs, we’ve built our team wrong and end up taking 3rd in the Open category rather than 1st in the Masters. That said, they’ve won $50 and earned their beers and BBQ.
• The Rovers‘ wayward founder Chris “Chromey” Chromczak finishes 13th at the Escarpment 30K Trail Race in his Rovers singlet <3
August
• Cooley finishes 4th at the Sarcoma Strong 5Kish
September
• Imbriaco takes 1st Place Stroller Division (yes, that’s made up) at the Dunkin’ Run.
• ADK Half (GP): Of the 10(!) Rovers who raced, 4—Gauna, Gokey, Deer (running a PR, and beginning to show his fall form) and White—finish in the Top 10. Gauna wins (another) coveted Bear. Plus, White (our resident ER doc) saves a man’s life after he collapses near the finish line. Team Result: 1st Open/1st Masters
October
• XC Championships (GP): Gokey, Austin and Potestio take 2nd, 3rd and 4th, leading a squad of 5 Rovers to another win. Team Result: 1st Open/1st Masters
• McCloskey wins the Delmar Duathlon!
• Austin completes his 41st Birthday Run solo, with 41 miles and 8.8K’ of climbing in VT’s Green Mountains.
• Mohawk Hudson River Marathon: Gauna (13th, 2:46:58) and Deer (19th, 2:53:14, a HUGE 9-minute PR) lead 5 Rovers in perfect conditions at this most local of marathons, cheered on by hordes of teammates. Afterwards, Deer invites the team to his annual Oktoberfest party for beer, sausage and schnitzel, the perfect recovery trio!
• Two Rovers teams take on Peak2Brew Catskills. The Gauna-Deer-McGarry team kills it, and the Austin-Koch team has a lot of fun, but at a party pace.
• McCloskey competes in the Half-Ironman World Championships.
November
• Stockadeathon 15K: 6 Rovers head to Schenectady to race, and the 5 Masters—Deer, Gokey, Imbriaco, Kracker and Lodovice—take 2nd Place in that competition, earning $100.
December
• Newman runs a perfect race (3:19:39), with negative splits, at the California International Marathon
• Gauna turns 40, and treats all in attendance at Warbler to an open bar, a shuffleboard tourney and a heartfelt, slightly rambling speech or two. Welcome to the Masters, AG!
