Run the Pace today

A friend recently asked me who puts on running races and why?

As I pondered this question, I realized it has changed over time. The first “all comers race” (meaning open to all) that I ran was in 1968. It was organized by the YMCA of Kingston and was a two miler on the streets of Midtown.

The race was all teen boys who had just finished their fall cross country season. The event was organized as an activity and the entry fee was minimal to cover costs. The next open race I ran was the first Marbletown Road Race in 1971. It was part of the town’s 4th of July celebration.

That first race had 12 runners; 10 teenagers, one 25 year-old and an “old man” of 40. The bigger part of the celebration were the games for the kids. There were sack races, basketball shooting, wheel barrel racing and balloon tossing contests.

The Marbletown Road Race is now the oldest race in Ulster County and will be celebrating its 48th running this year. Running races were small and hard to find.

After going off to college I returned to the area in 1979. The “running boom” that occurred after the 1972 Olympic marathon victory of Frank Shorter changed everything. Running was not just a sport for high school boys. Everyone was “lacing up their running shoes” and participating in races.

Running clubs emerged and you could find a race somewhere in the Hudson Valley nearly every weekend. The most popular race was the 10k (6.2 miles).

I remember running in the Heart Fund Run in 1979. It was a 5 miler and 10 miler through Kingston and Hurley. It was put on by the Heart Association to promote a healthy lifestyle and to be a fundraiser. Local runners and the Onteora Runners Club assisted in the organization of the race.

The Salvation Army 5k was organized along similar lines. As running clubs grew in size and more clubs were established, each began to organize races for their memberships and the community at large. There were now more and more races to participate in. The focus was on competition, participation and to some degree, fundraising.

It is estimated that in the 1980’s there were more than 25 million Americans running.

Today, it is estimated that more than 65 million Americans run.

This growth in the sport did not go unnoticed by entrepreneurs. A new model has emerged. Races being put on by companies to make a profit. These races have more advertising, use the internet, and offer more “swag.” Swag is high tech running shirts, music, beer and oversized medals for all finishers.

The entry fees are generally much higher than those of running club races and local charitable organization events.

The race itself is now a product and the bottom line is profit. I tend to favor running club events and races put on by local charitable organizations. I like knowing that my entry fee is benefitting others. However, there is nothing wrong with for-profit races as long as they deliver what they advertise, and the majority do.

They are often bigger and the music and beer create a festival atmosphere that many enjoy.

Unfortunately, there are some for-profit races that associate themselves with charities. I went to a 5k race in Averill Park. The organizers prominently advertised that it was a benefit for the Averill Park Food Pantry. I wrote to the race director and asked how much of my entry fee was going to the pantry. I did not receive a straight answer. I asked several times.

When I got to the race, I asked a representative from the food pantry how much they were receiving. She promptly said $1 per runner. I had paid the earliest and cheapest fee of $40. That amounted to 2.5 percent.

Why would a company want to associate itself with a charity?

On the surface, it makes the event seem philanthropic. More importantly, it can make getting municipal approval easier. Often, the for-profit company receive a ton of free services. Volunteers, police, medical personnel, refreshments come free of charge. At Averill Park, I asked all of these people why they were there and the answer was “we are doing it for the food pantry.”

I found this to be unethical on the part of the organizer. Every runner I asked was shocked and assumed the charity was getting much more. If this is important to you as a runner and consumer, remember to ask, and if you don’t get a clear answer, beware.

And the winners are ...

At the end of April, the 24th Rays Run was held at Dietz Stadium. 118 people registered with 87 in the 4 mile run, 14 in the 2 mile walk and 8 children in the dash. The overall winners in the 4 mile run were Jon Lindenauer (21:19) and Farrier Gathen (29:08). The 2 mile walk was won by Sue Heberle (24:45) and David Heberle (24:46).

Thursday May 3, the 5th Huskies 5k was run on the Highland Rail Trail. The winner was Benito Vargas in 17:31. Last year Vargas won in 19:19. Nice improvement! The female winner was Bridgette Carle in 25:32. The Highland Middle School PTA raised approximately $3000 and made the race free for all students. 46 of the 70 finishers were under 18. Perhaps, more races can do this.

This past Sunday, the 4th Run to the Hills races were put on by the Boy Scouts Troop 8 of Sawkill. The races were on the up and down roller-coaster hills of Sawkill and Ruby. The mile winners were Daniel Clearwater (9:45) and Rylee Polocco (10:13). The 5k winners were Jonathan Bloom (27:35) and Keri Decker (29:15). The 10K, the 2nd race in the Onteora Runners Grand Prix, was won by Logan Linares in 40:52 and Rachel Meyers in 44:10.

Today is the Run the Pace 7-8 mile cross-country race in Hyde Park. There is also a shorter 5k version of the race. This event is run over the horse trails of the Locust Hill Farm. Participants can choose to go over or around the horse jump obstacles. This event benefits Every Mother Counts and more info is at www.locusthillfarmllc.com.

Calendar, results

Race directors, please submit information for the race calendar to sports@freemanonline.com. Information should be in the form of a concise email with important details highlighted and included in the body of the email. No race flyer PDFs.

Race results should be submitted directly to me at ssrun54@aol.com.

Steve Schallenkamp has been active in area running circles since 1966 as runner, race director, volunteer and coach. He is a member of the Onteora Runners Club and president of the Shawangunk Runners Club.

2 Mile Walk Results