Nehr wins battle of high school track coaches

High school track coaches Michael Nehr (Syosset girls team) and Bill Holl (Sachem boys), veterans of the local racing scene, were locked in a head-to-head duel in yesterday's half-marathon.

Nehr, 30, a past winner of the full marathon, began to pull away at five miles, but not by much, eventually finishing 30 seconds ahead of Holl, 24 - 1:12:35 to 1:13:05.

Nehr, of West Babylon, teaches special ed math and Holl, who lives in North Babylon, teaches physics. And, though neither subject necessarily applies directly to road racing, their coaching aspect does. It wouldn't be good, Holl said, to demand that his team members do something he couldn't do.