Participants prepare for 22nd running of Delmar Dash
There’s still one last opportunity to register for the 22nd running of the Delmar Dash, to be held on the morning of Saturday, April 11.
More than 500 runners have already signed up for the 5-mile race, said Race Director Marcia Adams, but by now mail and Web registration have closed. The last chance to register will be at an April 10 event at Fleet Feet, on Wolf Road in Albany, from 3 to 6 p.m., for $20.
While day-of-race registration was available last year, the coordinators have nixed it to keep things more organized. In the 2009 Dash, 625 runners were registered, 100 of whom registered the day of.
It’s just so tough on our timing team and just the scheme of the race, said Adams of day-of-race registration.
Beyond that, many traditions new and old will be maintained in 2010. Massages will still be available for the runners and, like last year, organizers will be collecting non-perishable food items the day of the race for donation to the Bethlehem Food Pantry. Donations may be made in the Middle School gym.
Awards will be given in five age categories, ranging from 14-and-under to 70-plus. Adams noted that younger runners have been increasing in numbers for the full-length Dash, but the older crowd is also well represented.
Joe Corrigan, 77, has been running the Dash for a decade now, and as year-round runners, it’s one he and his wife, Joan, look forward to.
`We’ve slowed down to the point we’re sort of picking and choosing lately,` he said. `We’ve met a lot of nice people with the race clubs and whatnot. It’s a good way to meet different people and it’s worked out good for us.`
Corrigan didn’t start running until he was 67, and said it’s been a great way to stay healthy in both mind and body.
`We just want to get involved and have a good time, and hopefully finish,` he said.
Strides have been taken to keep the Dash a community event, said Adams, including bringing in local sponsorship and keeping the event feeling fun.
`It’s that comfortable race you go to,` said Adams. `Yes, it’s formal, but at the same time you don’t feel it’s a competition that’s really tense.`
Race coordinators have also had a good relationship with the Bethlehem Police Department and Highway Department, who will help keep the race route safe.
`I can not tell you how wonderful they are to work with,` Adams said. `They’re so cooperative. They give us good ideas, they’re there to help us every step of the way. It makes us just really want to keep the race there.`
The Delmar Dash will step off Sunday, April 11, at 9 a.m. from the BC Middle School on Kenwood Avenue. Packet pickup will begin at 7:30.
Bryant Asset Protection of Delmar is sponsoring the Dash, and a separate Kids’ Race for those 12 and under will be sponsored by Road ID, Hannaford Supermarkets and Spotlight Newspapers.
Kids’ races will be held for 1-mile, 1/2-mile and 1/4-mile distances. Registration will be held 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. the day of the race. The fee is $4 per race.
The Delmar Dash is a Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club event.
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