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Geurds Sets Course Record at Pittsfield State Forest

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Abigail Geurds blew away the field Wednesday at the Berkshire Lightning Summer Race Series at Pittsfield State Forest.
 
Geurds covered the 3.5-mile course in 21 minutes, 21 seconds, an all-time course record for women and more than two minutes ahead of the next finisher.
 
Geurds' time was 35 seconds ahead of the previous record, 21:56, set by Lauren Farry in 2012.
 
She ran a 6:06 mile pace in the weekly event, which is a fund-raiser for the Pittsfield High School cross country team.
 
Patrick Donahue placed second in 23:23, 37 seconds ahead of the third-place finisher and second male competitor, Auric Enchill, who clocked a time of 24 minutes flat.
 
Farry was the fourth runner across the line and the second female with a time of 24:25.
 
Chloe Potash continued to run away with the season points title in the female 14-16 age group. She was first in her division on Wednesday with a time of 28:50 and increased her point total to 25, nine points ahead of the field, with two races left in the Summer Series.
 
The league's narrowest points race is in the male 14-16 division, where Jack Haviland finished in 25:14 on Wednesday to place sixth overall and first in his age group; he has a one-point lead over Tyler Williams, who ran a time of 25:52 on Wednesday to place seventh overall.
 
Forty-one runners clocked times on Wednesday night. The event is open to runners of all ages.
 
The series is made up of eight weekly races; the last two are Aug. 19 and 26. The entry fee is $10 per race.
 
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Companion Corner: Freya, Fudge & Charlotte

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — If looking for the perfect feline pet, why not triple the fun? There's a threesome at Berkshire Humane Society waiting for a family to call their own.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

We highlighted Freya, Charlotte and Fudge last month and they are still looking for their new home together. 

Kittens Fudge and Charlotte and their mother, Freya, have been at the shelter and in a foster home since April. All three have tested positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), often described as feline HIV/AIDS

Feline/small animal adoption counselor Alyssa Petell introduced us to them. 

"They originally were brought in from animal control. The conditions weren't the best in the home. But when they came in, they were tested positive for feline AIDS (FIV). We do send our kittens normally to foster programs to get socialized with the mom. So they got sent to a foster program for about two months to get socialized," she said.

The shelter preferably would like the three to as a family, and to a home with respectful children that will keep them inside.

"We would prefer if they could all go together, but they are a very sweet trio of kitties. They would have to be indoor only because of them being feline AIDS positive," Petell said. "It is OK for them to go into a home with other cats. We prefer if they go into a home with feline AIDS-positive cats, but even if they are negative for feline AIDS, as long as they're not actively scratching each other and biting each other to transmit it, then it should be OK."

Each cat has their own personality. The two kittens love to play with an abundance of toys; one is shy and the other is outgoing. They both like to curl up and sleep in your lap once they get to know you.

It turns out that Fudge is actually a girl. In our previous article, he was mistakenly identified as a boy. 

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