SI Advance – April 19, 2016
by Jim Waggoner
They came out in droves Sunday morning for the second annual Matt’s 5K Race, honoring the memory of fallen FDNY Lt. Gordon (Matt) Ambelas. A spring-like day with sunny skies attracted another 400 or so runners to a revised Clove Lakes Park course featuring a challenging hill, with local road-racing veterans Michael DeVito Jr. and Victoria Pontecorvo cruising to easy victories.
“Matt cared about all the important things,” said fellow firefighter John Scaltro of New Dorp. “He was a great family man, a great father and a great friend.
“He was a very modest man who was happy to do his job and kind of retreat to the shadows. He didn’t want the limelight.”
A FRIEND’S TRIBUTE
Mike Bellantoni, also of New Dorp, came up through the FDNY ranks with Ambelas, who died in the line of duty on July 5, 2014. He said a day doesn’t go by without seeing his friend’s face in a crowd of people.
“I still see Matt,” he said. “I feel like I see him every day.”
Bellantoni said few, if any, were more prepared for the pressurized job than Ambelas, a persistent student who never let his guard down.
“Gordie is the only one who’s going to know what happened in that room (a public housing high-rise in Williamsburg, Brooklyn). Gordie stayed in the books, he did everything right. Nobody was more prepared than Gordie.
“It was devastating to everybody.”
WINNER’S CIRCLE
The spirit of the race focused on Ambelas’ ultimate sacrifice, with parents pushing strollers and recreational runners doing their thing, but a small number of more competitive runners attacked the course hard.
DeVito, 43, tackled the tougher terrain in 16 minutes, 35.3 seconds, followed by Jeremy Mulvey (17:07.42) and Joseph Brancale (17:16.20).
“It’s a challenging course and an amazing race for an amazing man,” said DeVito. “We always need to show our support for our firefighters.”
Pontecorvo, a 24-year-old law school student, finished in 19:18.42 on the heels of a personal-best half-marathon showing last month and sub-5:00 at the Forest Avenue Mile. Samantha LaForge was second (19:48.12) and New Dorp HS runner Vivian Liell was third (20:08.06).
“It was hilly,” she said of the course, “but it’s so enjoyable to be out here with friends and family on a beautiful day for a great cause.”
PRODUCTIVE DAY
All in all, it was another productive, upbeat day.
“It’s an amazing turnout and just a beautiful day in honor of Matt,” said his mother, Grace. “I’m so happy his memory lives on.”
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