THE FEW, THE PROUD, THE FREEZING
Near 2,000 brave the cold for 17th annual Christopher Dailey 5k
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> With Christmas carols playing through sound systems on both Broadway and North Broadway Thursday morning, the famed 1944 ‘Baby it’s cold outside’ could have been played on a loop for the 17th annual running of the Christopher Dailey 5k Turkey Trot through Saratoga Springs.
With a temperature near 14 degrees, but gratefully sunny, almost 2,000 runners participated in this year’s installment of the 17th annual Christopher Dailey 5k Turkey Trot to benefit the Christopher Dailey Foundation.
Thursday’s cold morning brought back memories of the first-ever event for foundation co-founder Maria Dailey.
“The first one was in our development in Brookside and it was in the single digits and we had a campfire on my front lawn to keep the people warm,” Maria Dailey said. “Upstate Tours donated buses, they could park at Gavin Park and they brought them to my neighborhood because it was so cold.
We still had 300 to 350 the first year, it was great and yes it reminds me of that first day.
I don’t think we’ve had another year this cold. We’ve had rain; we’ve had snow, but not this cold.”
More than 3,000 runners signed-up for the annual run on Broadway.
“Even though they knew it was going to be cold, 170 people still came in yesterday to register for today,” Dailey said. “I give them a lot of credit, I’m so happy they still come out for the cause and they can eat whatever turkey they want today.”
The local foundation continues to give and support other not-for-profits in Saratoga and Saratoga County.
“This year we had a lot of new organizations - Special Olympics, SNACpack, Project LIFT, the Saratoga Springs High School, we got them a new tent, equipment, Empty Stocking for kids to have toys, clothes, whatever they needed and Living Resources was here last night,” Maria Dailey said. “I had a cousin who was disabled and they were so good to her over the years and now they have a gallery on Beekman Street in Saratoga and the clients that have disabilities and do great work, we had their artwork displayed last night at the hotel and we sold two pieces.”
Clifton Park’s Jack Vite covered the 3.2 mile course in a brisk 16 minutes, 23 seconds as the top overall finisher, followed closely by Albany’s Aaron Lozier in 16:42 and Queensbury’s Ethan Carey in 17:13. Saratoga Springs runner Dana Bush was again the top overall female finisher, 14th overall in 18:57, Stefanie Fresenius was the second female finisher at 19:20 and Malta’s Sophie Nardelli was third at 20:07.
The race course was filled with families who came together to run and give back on the Thanksgiving holiday.
Navy veteran Bill DeVries was once again joined by his son, Andrew and daughter, Emily, for the early morning run.
“It’s something fun to do together,” Bill DeVries said. “It’s for a great cause and it gets us ready to eat some great food this afternoon.”
The family also is part of the Saratoga Rowing Association family, where Emily and Andrew have rowed and Bill running in his Navy Crew sweatshirt on Thursday morning. He served seven years as an active sailor followed by 14 years as a reservist.
The morning leads into a meaningful afternoon for the DeVries family.
“It’s wonderful,” Bill DeVries said. “All of my kids will be home and just spend time together, be quiet and reflect on how we’ve been blessed through the past year.”
Another family decided to accomplish a new goal on a different course and in much different weather Thursday.
The Szczesniak family from Ballston Lake took to the roads, some on foot, and some by stroller, for their second charity 5k this year.
“This was my wife’s idea,” Ryan Szczesniak said. “We did the Silks and Satins earlier this year and (Brayden)’s goal for this was to run the whole thing and he ran the whole thing under an 11-minute mile.”
The Chango Elementary eight-year-old accomplished his task, something to share with his class on the Shenendehowa campus on Monday.
“It was pretty hard, it was pretty cold,” Brayden Szczesniak said. “Once we started running, it was O.K.”
His younger sister, Riley had the best seat on the course, riding in a stroller pushed by her father on Broadway and throughout the Skidmore College campus.
The Szczesniak’s, Ryan, Tara and Brayden all clocked in at 33:36 for the morning run, burning a lot of calories for later on.
“I can eat more turkey, well technically more pie,” Brayden Szczesniak said. “... apple.”
The annual Thanksgiving event brings out the best in people for a worthwhile cause created by the couple that the days surrounding the holiday mean the most to.
“I think about Chris every day anyway, but a lot of people e-mail me, send me notes around this time, tell me they think about Chris and we go and eat with our family,” Maria Dailey said. “It’s just a nice day. I miss Chris, but we’re doing a lot of good things in his name.”
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