“The Delmar Dash has been ‘running’ for 29 years,” said Race Director David Tromp, of the Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club (HMRRC). This year, the annual five-mile race will take place on Sunday, April 2, kicking off at 9 a.m. at Bethlehem Central Middle School on Kenwood Avenue.
“The race itself is an early spring race that brings out runners, joggers and walkers of all levels,” said Tromp. “The course is pretty flat, starting and ending at the Bethlehem Middle School, traveling around the neighborhoods in old Delmar. There are plenty of people that come out and cheer the runners, including some people that create their own water stops along the way.”
(Michael Hallisey/Spotlight News)
Tromp, who has participated in the Delmar Dash since 2004, recalled a year when a young musician played his trombone just after the race’s mile marker. “It was a great boost at a point in the race where I knew that I had four miles ahead of me,” he said.
In addition to the five-mile race at 9 a.m., there are two kids’ races, sponsored by the Capt. Timothy J. Moshier Memorial Foundation, at 10 a.m. — quarter- and half-mile distances, for kids 12 and under.
Mark Bryant and Bryant Asset Protection, Inc. are the main sponsors of the Delmar Dash, according to Tromp, who said be believes they’ve been sponsoring the event for more than a decade. “One of the perks of this race,” he added, “is that it is only of the few races that offers massages, from Back in Balance Therapeutic Massage, both before and after the race.”
Due to lingering winter weather, participation is down this year, according to Tromp. While the race can often draw as many as 500 runners, only 200 were registered as of March 24. To accommodate any latecomers, they will be accepting sign-ups on the day of the race and are also offering registration and packet pickup at the Middle School on Saturday, April 1, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m..
Formed in 1971, HMRRC is a not-for-profit “dedicated to promoting the sport of distance running through education and training to promote running as a part of a healthy lifestyle.” Currently, the organization has more than 2,000 members and organizes approximately 30 runs around the Capital District each year.
HMRRC members, “come in all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life, as well as different running styles and speeds,” said Tromp. “All of us are united in our love of running and our desire to promote and participate in quality races and running-related activities.”
For more information or to register for the Delmar Dash online, visit: https://membercommunications-hmrrc.wildapricot.org/event-2462395. Entry fee for HMRRC members is $23 and for non-members is $28, until the day before the race, when it will be $30, and the day of the race, when it will be $35. HMRRC membership is $15 per family, $12 per individual and $9 for individuals under 20.
