The Delmar Dash is preparing to cross the finish line on its 20th race this year with some changes to help ease the registration process.
For the first time, participants can preregister instead of signing up the morning of the race. Day-of-race registration is still available but will cost $25 instead of $18 for non-Hudson Mohawk Road Racers Club members. The preregistration fees for HMRRC members is $15, and $18 for non-HMRRC members.
The kids’ race, for children 12 and younger, costs $3 for registration.
We tried to think of something that would help relieve the congestion in the gym on race morning, said Tom Adams, the co-race director.
His wife and fellow co-director, Marcia Adams, said the changes would make the race more fun and keep people coming to the annual meet.
The Adams took over as directors of the race two years ago when former director Paul Turner of Delmar stepped down.
`Part of the challenge of taking over an established race is to make it different and more fun and something you want to came back to every year,` Marcia said. `Fortunately for us, the Delmar Dash is something people want to come to anyway including the casual runner.`
The Delmar Dash will be held April 6, beginning at 9 a.m.
Another first this year is the introduction of the One-Step-At-A-Time marathon, which is being sponsored by Spotlight Newspapers. The marathon can be done in conjunction with the children’s race, which has been renamed the Delmar Dash Spotlight on Youth, in honor of the sponsorship.
The One-Step-At-A-Time marathon can be coupled with the children’s quarter-mile or half-mile races, but is not mandatory.
The way it works, according to Marcia, is that participating children are asked to run 25.2 miles prior to April 6 race. Children are encouraged to run at least one mile a day, but no more than two. Parents or physical education teachers then initial the child’s accomplishments in a daily log.
Marcia said the program is designed to help children, `Get off their seat and on their feet.`
She said the program has been very successful in its first year, with 81 children signing up. All of the children participating in the One-Step-At-A-Time program will receive special T-shirts signifying their accomplishments.
The Adams said preregistration has also been a success.
In cooperation with the elementary and secondary schools in the Bethlehem School District, race applications were distributed to all of the students.
For the adult race, the first 400 registered runners will receive T-shirts.
The 5-mile race will start and finish on Kenwood Avenue in front of the Bethlehem Middle School, and the course will be flat and wind through residential neighborhoods.
Marcia said she is hoping for the same community participation and support as last year’s Delmar Dash. Last year, she said, people set up chairs on their lawns to watch the race, and there were even impromptu musicians and the occasional lemonade stand along the course.
`Seventy to 80 percent of the excitement of the race is the community in Delmar,` Marcia said. `To us, it means the community is happy to have us here.`
Day-of-race registration will be between 7:30 and 8:45 a.m. at the Bethlehem Middle School, and the kids’ race will start at 10 a.m. and also start and finish in front of the middle school.
`We try to miss the church traffic and be as undisruptive as possible,` Marcia said.
All of the money for the race goes right back to the children and the runners for prizes, trophies and T-shirts, Marcia said. The roughly 40 to 50 people who work on the event every year are all volunteers, she said, with the exception of the `timing crew,` who set up the start and finish lines and have to use computers to help time runners.
They are the only paid workers, said Marcia.
In honor of all the volunteers, The Adams have started yet another first: a volunteer recognition party. All of the volunteers will be given tickets for a party at the American Legion Hall immediately after the race.
The Adams will continue accepting preregistration forms until March 30 and are still taking sponsors from local businesses in the area.
Marcia Adams can be contacted at 356-2551 or at [email protected], and registration forms and payments can be sent to: HMRRC, c/o Marcia Adams, 1009 Tollgate Lane, Schenectady 12303.
`I’m not a runner but my husband is an avid one,` Marcia said, `so I live vicariously through my runners in this race.`
Dave Dannis is the coordinator for the kids’ race and the corporate sponsor for this year’s Delmar Dash is Bryant Asset Protection, Inc.
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