Arsenal City Run
37th annual run a big hit
WATERVLIET, N.Y. » For a 37th year, runners throughout the Capital Region took part in the Arsenal City Run on Sunday morning.
Nearly 200 people participated in the run, which helps to raise money for the Adopt-A-Family organization.
Children and others kicked off the day with a one-mile fun run. Shortly after the fun run, runners of all ages lined up near City Hall on 15th Street to begin the 5K race.
The race is organized each year by city officials, who said they were pleased with the turn out on Sunday and that the weather was perfect for the activities.
“It’s meant to be a community event,” said Watervliet Mayor Michael Manning before the 5K race. “It’s a once a year thing where you get to see some of the same faces, some new faces, folks that I went to high school with [along with] family and friends.”
This year, the first overall person to finish the 5K race was 36-year-old Chuck Terry of Albany, while the first female to finish the race was 28-year-old Allison Konderwich of Valatie.
“It feels great [to win this race],” said Terry. “I’ve run this race since 2005 and I think this is the first time I’ve ever won it.”
“This race has been going on for a long time, so it’s very cool to have won because a lot of awesome people have won in the past, so it’s definitely a great race to win,” added Konderwich, who said Sunday was the first time she ran in the Arsenal City Run, although she said she has been doing 5K races since she was really little with her parents.
City officials noted how they decided to change the course of the race this year, so that people would be able to enjoy the newly redone and paved 3rd Avenue more throughout the race, with the project for that street completed last week.
“This is the start of the celebration of 3rd Ave. being finished,” said Manning before the race.
Runners said that they enjoyed the course of the race, specifically running up and down and redone 3rd Avenue.
“It was just all flat and fast,”said Terry. “It was a great race.”
“I thought it was a nice course, 3rd Avenue was nice, it was flat and fast,” added Konderwich.
After the race there was reception and then people were invited to the Watervliet Dome on 2nd Avenue to enjoy a family fun day. Officials said during the fun day people were able enjoy bouncy bounces, face painting, a rock climbing wall, music, food and prizes.