The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Women’s, men’s races see 1st-time winners
Record nearly falls in men’s race through Oneida
ONEIDA, N.Y. >> Sam Morse had spent years considering competing in the Wilber-Duck Mile before an open weekend allowed him to finally take on “Central New York’s Fastest Mile” on Friday in the 18th annual running of the event.
He was nearly the fastest to ever finish it.
The Camden resident won the men’s race with a time of 4:25, eight seconds off the course record.
“It was good. It was fun,” he said. “It really started to hurt there at the last quarter-mile or so but other than that it felt pretty good.”
Overcast skies brought flashbacks of soggy races in previous years but there was no rain for the 2017 iteration of the event. Temperatures were also pleasant for runners, as well as the spectators who lined Broad Street in front of the start/finish line at Wilber-Duck Chevrolet to cheer on family and friends. Invisible Rendezvous provided musical entertainment, playing hits from throughout the decades before, during and after the races.
The women’s race kicked off the festivities, followed by the men’s race and then the walkers.
Sasha Scott of Syracuse won the women’s race in 5:16.58. She was competing in the event for the second time, having previously come in second.
“It was fun,” she said. “This is sucha nice race. It’s just a really good environment.
“It’s really low key and it’s a good environment. I run for the Syracuse Track Club so it’s a club-sponsored event so it’s just nice.”
Like Scott, Jamie Woolsey of Oneida was competing in her second WilberDuck Mile as well after a previous second-place finish. Woolsey came in second for the second straight year, with her time of 5:54 trailing only Scott.
“It’s always nice to run locally and great to see the community come out and support one another,” she said. “I like to compete. It’s fun to be in my hometown.
“I like to win, it’s fun, but my goal is usually to see what I’ve got on the day and show up and do what I can.”
The traditional starting event, however, was not held on Friday. The annual car pushwas cancelled when another commitment kept the defending champion Oneida Fire Department from taking on the challenging Oneida Castle Fire Department, according to dealership co-owner Frank Duck III.
Even without the car push, he was still satisfied with the event.
“It’s just a great event for the community,” he said. “It’s one of those things that if we help our community our community can help us.”
All proceeds from the event went to Fit Kids of Madison County and the Oneida United Way.