The second Sunday in November is a bittersweet day in Montauk. The Dock Closing Race, from the Montauk Post Office to the Dock restaurant on Montauk Harbor, has become one of the premier 5Ks on Long Island — 5.3K to be exact. But it also symbolizes the end of the season for the popular bar and restaurant.
“It’s cool. Everybody shows up at the end,” said Erik Engstrom, who won the race in 17 minutes and 31 seconds. “Even if you’re not running, everybody’s here. I eat here a few times a week when they’re open.”
The 27-year-old regularly breaks the local tape, and won this year’s race just a week after finishing the New York City Marathon in 2:39:02. He was still feeling the marathon in his legs when he hit the starting line on Euclid Avenue. “Warming up, I felt bad, but once I got into it, I was okay.”
Alyssa Bahel, who also ran the N.Y.C. Marathon last week, won the women’s division Sunday, finishing in 21:10.
Bahel, 28, a familiar face in the lead pack, said her strategy in the leadup was less is more. “I didn’t run at all this week. So I had a lot of time to recover,” she said. “I like to just sit and not do anything after marathons. So that helps a lot.”
Engstrom’s sister, Ava, 22, also ran the marathon and the Dock Race back to back. The second female, she finished in 21:18. “I feel pretty recovered. The first two days were pretty hard. I couldn’t even walk. I feel fine now. I was good today.”
A new star continues to emerge in the youth category. Zoey Falkenhan, 10, was the top finisher, male or female, in the 12 and under division with a 23:04. The East Hampton Middle School sixth grader, who was the top female in the Mashashimuet Park 5K in Sag Harbor in September, doesn’t run with a track or club team, but hits the road with her dad, Neil Falkenhan, who finished third with a time of 18:33. “A lot of people were running with me, and everyone was cheering me on, and it was really fun,” she said.
Jonathan Jamet and his son, Henry, took the stroller division for the second year in a row. Known as one of Montauk’s fastest cyclists, Jamet said he and his 3-year-old trained hard for this one. “It’s been a grueling two-week training program. Henry here cracking the whip left and right. Very proud. We did it again!”
The Dock Closing Race has become so popular it’s capped at 500 participants and sells out weeks ahead of time. Chris Watson, whose family owns the Dock restaurant, and whose father, George, started the race in the 1970s, hopes this year’s run will bring in more money for charities than ever before.
“We raise a lot of money for the Montauk Food Pantry and Montauk Senior Center. For the past few years, we’ve had the good fortune of someone, who wants to remain anonymous, who matches the amount of money we make today. Last year, we raised 20-something thousand for each of them. Hopefully, we’ll go over that this year.”
