TRICK OR TREK!
Run features festive atmosphere
TROY, N.Y. »Early risers getting in some exercise near Oakwood Cemetery on Saturday may have wondered why it appeared Batman, a few ghouls, and Peter Pan and Tinker Bell were chasing joggers through the gravestones.
Rest easy, your eyes were not deceiving you. It was the Troy YMCA’s Trick or Trek 5K run, an early morning community builder centered on one of the organization’s main goals: wellness.
This was a continuation of the YMCA’s longtime fall run, “The Monster Bash,” only with a new name and a new location. The scenery could not have been more appropriate for the time of year and the foliage was in full color.
“We were seeking a new location for the 5K because of the need for road closures at the old course,” said Shannon Romanowski, the district director for the Capital District YMCA. “The cemetery has nice scenery for a race and it’s a lot safer. It’s nice for us, promotes a beautiful landmark and promotes healthy living.”
One benefit to the race changing locations was the possibility the event will become more of a family affair and with it draw more people out, if not to race, then to see the beauty of the course.
The event Saturday drew 146 runners and walkers. Most were dressed in standard running gear. A few, however, were dressed in Halloween costumes, adding to the festive atmosphere of zumba warm-ups and rock and roll music.
“This is really a community race,” said race director Justin Atlas, the Troy YMCA’s director of wellness. “We’re thrilled to have this location for the race. We have people who run a lot of races and we have people running for the first time. And, there are quite a few families.”
The official race starter was Troy Mayor Patrick Madden who couldn’t say enough about the location.
“This is a real jewel for Troy, a beautiful place,” he said. “You can come out on a day like this where the sun is shining and the weather is perfect and you run past history. You run through here and you notice the names that you see on buildings downtown. You can see the monuments to Amos Eaton, one of the founders of RPI, Russell Sage, Uncle Sam, and several Civil War generals. If you’re not in the race it’s a great place for a tour.”
Five minutes after the designated 9 a.m. start time, the runners were off with the ring of the Oakwood Cemetery bell. They followed a bicyclist on an asphalt road that wove 3.1 miles on a course that had flat areas and hills.
For the dedicated runners, it was mainly about their times. For others, like Shawn Tabankin and his wife, Jenn — who were dressed as Peter Pan and Tinker Bell — it was about exercise and seeing the sights.
“It was cool to run,” Shawn Tabankin said. “You see old gravestones like Uncle Sam’s. I started looking at the dates and had to watch myself.”
The couple said they both ran in high school and enjoy running today, especially the Army 10 Mile run in Washington, D.C.
“I started running when I was 15,” Jenn Tabankin said. “I was on the varsity at Our Lady of Victory in Dobbs Ferry. It’s beautiful here and what a day.”
Two others doing the run in costume were Aschley Perez and Jennifer Adams. Perez ran as SugarSkull Skeleton with a skeletal costume and face paint. Adams chose the look of a Halloween pumpkin.
“I came out because it was something to do,” Perez said. “It was very nice scenery for a run, a lot of hills.”
Adams acknowledged she had run track in high school and college, but considers herself temporarily semi-retired.
“I’m a little retired due to having kids,” she said, holding up her daughter, Mackenzie.
The day’s top finishers were Chris Sohn for the men with a time of 20:25 and Gabrielle Skiba for the women with a time of 23:10. Adams won a medal for having the best time for women between the ages of 20 and 49.
After being handed the award she sought out Perez.
“She should share this because we finished together,” Adams said.