Race returns to Madison Avenue
More than 5,000 runners expected on the starting line in Albany for latest edition
For the first time since the start of the COVID -19 pandemic, runners in the CDPHP Team Workforce Challenge will experience one of the race’s most iconic moments — running the last half-mile down Madison Avenue toward Empire State Plaza.
“A lot of people enjoy running down that hill really fast in the last half-mile to get to the finish line,” said Aaron Knobloch, who’s participated in the race since 2004 and finished eighth overall last year.
“You finish just past the library, which is great. I mean, there’s people on all sides of the road, just cheering, and it’s a great crowd there at that spot,” said Ryan Udvadia, who won in 2019 and came in second last year.
After a hiatus in 2020, the race was held in Altamont last year to allow for COVID -19 precautions.
The 3.5-mile race returns to its traditional location this year, starting in front of the New York State Museum and looping through Washington Park, then running back down Madison Avenue. Start time is 6:25 p.m. Thursday.
The race is one of the biggest on the calendar. PRE-COVID, organizers had to cap attendance at 10,000. There are 6,100 registrants this year, according to race co-director Mark Warner, about 600 of whom are virtual.
“It usually brings out all the great runners in the area. And everybody wants to do well in this race,” Knobloch said. “Who wouldn’t want to say that they won or were in the top 10 of a race with ten thousand people, or six thousand people?”
Both of last year’s winners are running: Caitie Meyer on the women’s side, and Charles Ragone for the men.
What makes the CDPHP Team Workforce Challenge unique — and contributes to its size — is
that teams are drawn from local businesses. Knobloch, for example, is one of General Electric’s team captains (though he isn’t running due to a lingering injury and family obligations), while Udvadia competes for Latham Pools.
“We’re always working together, obviously, on different tasks at work, but being able to go out and compete really brings a new light to things,” said Abbi Wright,
who’s running it for the first time. “When we talk about running and stuff at work, people kind of know I run, but to actually go out there and show them how we stack up and how I personally stack up is something I’m definitely looking forward to.”
“It’s nice to have the running community and the work community kind of overlap,” said Tricia Longo. “Running is a big part of my life, so it’s kind of cool
to share that with other people who I might not normally.”
Longo finished seventh in last year’s Freihofer’s Run for Women.
Meyer, who finished the CDPHP race in 21 minutes, 45 seconds last year, said representing her workplace, Albany Med, gives her a sense of pride.
“It’s a fun opportunity to bring different people from across the hospital and do something that’s good for ourselves and also benefits the community in some way,” she said.
Registration fees go to supporting the Hudson-mohawk Road Runners Club, whose activities include college scholarships, grants and programs encouraging grade school children to run.
The event also partners with a different charity this year, which receives a donation from CDPHP and contributions from participants. This year, the charity is Oakwood Community Center, a Troy organization that runs a food pantry, provides community meeting spaces and supports an arts education program.
In addition to the race itself, teams also compete for best, most corporate, most humorous and most motivational T-shirts.
Udvadia recalled his favorite Latham Pools shirts from recent years, which read “You can’t spell Llama Photos without Latham Pools,” accompanied by a photo of a llama.
“Just the fact that you’re there representing your company as opposed to being in a race on your own is definitely something else that makes it extraordinary,” Udvadia said.