Marco Monjardin was the first competitor from the College Point Road Runners Track Club to cross the finish line in the initial big race of 2004.
Monjardin, a resident of Corona, took seventh place in the ninth annual Suffolk County Half-Marathon in a field of 282 finishers. He was clocked in at 1:17.12 on a cloudy, chilly, windy morning in Selden, L.I.
Mike Nehr of West Babylon took off about the seven-mile mark and covered the 13.1 mile race with a winning time of 1:11.38. Victor Garcia of Jackson Heights ran a 1:114.53 for fourth place and became the first resident of Queens to finish. Five of the top 10 runners reside in Queens.
The 24-year-old Monjardin, who competed in his first race of the year, is preparing for the Brooklyn Half-Marathon on April 24. His goal this year is to run a 1:12 race, three seconds faster than the qualifying time for the New York City Marathon.
He is going to increase his training time from 45 to 65 miles a week in preparation.
