Local Duo Richard A. Wine and Dr. Stephen P. Pannes Complete New York City Marathon

For Norwood residents Richard A. Wine and Dr. Stephen P. Pannes, long-distance running is built on teamwork and shared dedication rather than solo competition. “We run together, train together and enter marathons together,” Wine said, describing their partnership following their successful finish in Sunday’s New York Marathon. They even cross finish lines together. “In long-distance running, you really don’t compete against anybody but yourself,” Wine explained.

Out of a massive field of roughly 11,500 starters, Wine and Pannes finished closer to the 5,000th mark than the 6,000th, anticipating over-40 bracket placements between 1,000 and 1,500. At 47 years old, neither man—Wine working as a Boston electrical contractor and Pannes practicing as a Norwood dentist—was aiming for speed records. Wine sought a “respectable showing,” while Pannes viewed it as a test of personal limits, noting, “at this stage, you can’t win” the elite races. The physical benefits are evident in their lean, athletic physiques, a healthy lifestyle shared by their wives, Margery Wine and Caroline Pannes, who both recently competed in Boston’s 6.2-mile Bonnie Bell race for women.

Experiencing the Five Boroughs and Comparing With Boston

Rather than dwelling on the “agony” of the sport, the partners emphasized the euphoric “runner’s high” and the incredible sensory experience of traversing all five boroughs of New York City over the 26.2-mile course. Wine likened the journey to “traveling through several foreign countries,” noting the distinct cultural snapshots along the route: frock-coated Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg, vibrant band music in Hispanic neighborhoods, children reaching out to “give me five” in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and elegantly dressed spectators in midtown Manhattan leading up to the Central Park finish. “The real secret of the New York Marathon is the people of New York,” Wine remarked. “They get out and cheer you on.” Dr. Pannes agreed, adding, “The whole city is really taken over by the runners.”

The day’s only drawback was the unseasonably warm weather, with temperatures reaching 75 to 80 degrees—too hot for an optimal long-distance race. Fellow Norwood runner Leo E. Immonen, a Norwood High School math teacher who also competed in New York, noted that April’s raw, rainy Boston Marathon conditions were actually preferable for running performance, even if less ideal for spectators. Immonen finished Sunday’s race in 3 hours, 11 minutes, and 57 seconds—placing him among the top 3,000 finishers and marking a 22-minute improvement over his Boston time.

Immonen praised New York’s superior logistical organization, citing better starting areas, eight open lanes on the Verrazano Bridge, digital pacing clocks, and abundant watering stations, though he maintained that Boston remains “No. 1.” While Pannes and Wine doubted they would ever tackle the grueling Boston qualifying standards—joking, “They keep cutting down on the time—and we’re getting a year older every year”—they planned to test their endurance next in the upcoming November 4 “Heartbreak Hill Race” sponsored by Purity Supreme markets.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger