Sports, Ink

Can you wait several more days before you find out who will be this year's class in the Western New York Running Hall of Fame? You'll have to wait. The voting on which five of the 10 finalists will make the Hall took place on Wednesday, and the winners will be announced in The News a week from Sunday. Take it from a voter - any of the 10 certainly could end up honored.

It's a busy week for area running, now that the weather has warmed up again. (Note: the waterfront was rather chilly Saturday morning during the Heritage run). Here's the schedule from buffalorunners.com:

* Town of Tonawanda 5K, 1 Pool Plaza in Tonawanda, 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, 876-7424. I've done this race a couple of times, and it's a nice flat course for those so, ahem, inclined.

* Buffalo Greek Fest, 5K, 146 W. Utica St. in Buffalo, 6:30 p.m. on Friday, 796-3381. Greek food at a postrace party might be a nice switch from pizza and hot dogs.

* Run with the Rapids 5K, Old Falls St. in Niagara Falls, 9 a.m. on Saturday, 278-2111.

* Bully Free 5K, 71 Lorraine Ave. in Buffalo, 9 a.m. on Saturday, 816-4809. Let's welcome this new race to the list.

* Chris Griswold 5K, Como Park in Lancaster, 10 a.m. on Saturday, 685-2640. The organizers don't let anyone go away hungry, and many runners take home a door prize. Too bad my streak of winning lawn hoses at this race came to an end a while back.
 
* SSPP's Charge of the Knights 5K, 5480 Main St. in Williamsville, 6 p.m on Saturday, 440-8003. It's rare to have a Saturday night event, and this race almost sounds like it's a chess competition. Plenty of activity after the race by the sounds of it.

-- Budd Bailey

Here's a lesson for runners who aren't used to picking up awards at races -- always be prepared for a surprise.

Last week I took part in the Running Water race in Amherst. There was quite a big crowd there. I ran the race, had a quick lunch, and headed home for some chores. But I didn't wait for the results to be finished. Oops. Turns out the people in my age-group were elsewhere, because I finished first - out of two - in the bracket. The chores could have waited, darn it. Remember, you can only run against the people that show up.

Meanwhile, the good runners obviously were at the Grand Island Half-Marathon. It was a News' runner of the year race; here's the way the standings look so far.

There are plenty of chances this weekend to win a medal, according to the calendar from buffalorunners.com. Be sure to hang around for the awards ceremony:

* Sedita Dragon 5K, 21 Lowell Place in Buffalo, 6 p.m. Friday, 316-5782.

* Cummins Run for Literacy, 509 Cherry St. in Jamestown, 9 a.m. Saturday, 484-7135 x236.

* Holland Tulip Festival, Holland Speedway, 9 a.m. Saturday, 537-2264. This is a little too early for me, but I always liked the idea of starting and finishinig on the speedway.

* Nancy Price Memorial 5K, Veterans Park in Youngstown, 10 a.m. Saturday, 531-1216. This race continues to be a fixture. Wonder how many times Matt Glynn has won it?

* Heritage Centers Foundation 5K, 101 Oak St. in Buffalo, 10 a.m. Saturday, 856-4202 x1228. Speaking of fixtures, this always qualifies.

* DeSales Race for Fitness, 5K, 6914 Chestnut Ridge Road in Lockport, 10 a.m. Saturday, 438-2014. I know there are people who try to do two 5Ks in a Saturday morning. It will be difficult this week.

* Save the Drama for Your Mama 5K, Weeden Road Park in Randolph, 10 a.m. Saturday. Best title for a new race in years.

* Crouse 5K Challenge, 5K, 100 Legion Dr. in Gowanda, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, 860-8782.

* The Elephant Run, 4 miles, Delaware Park's Marcy Casino in Buffalo, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, 836-7045. The postrace party concentrates on breakfast, which is nice. And the event is early enough for people to take Mom out later.

--- Budd Bailey

Now ... where are those short-sleeved t-shirts?

It's been time to get that particular item out of the closet lately, as we've had absolutely perfect running weather of late. Organizers of this weekend's races must have smiles as large as their faces.

Here's the schedule for the weekend, courtesy of buffalorunners.com:

* NCCC Alumni Association 5K Run, 3111 Saunders Settlement Road in Sanborn, 6 p.m. Friday, 614-5910. It's time to ramp up the schedule for night races, always a good sign. This one has been around for some time.

* Catalyst Race for a Cause, 2745 Seneca St. in West Seneca, 6:30 p.m. Friday, 824-4655.

* Allegany Adventure Runs, various trail runs, Allegany State Park in Salamanca, 9:30 a.m. Saturday 574-0888. With three different distances, there's something for everyone here.

* GBTC Grand Island Half Marathon (News Runner of the Year race), Beaver Island State Park in Grand Island, 10 a.m. Saturday. This is a staple of the running calendar, and a good warmup for the Memorial Day weekend marathon for those who choose to use it that way.

* Running Water 5K, Northtown Center in Amherst, 10 a.m. Saturday, 536-3004. This is an interesting course that feels like it's a long way from big-city life, which makes it an interesting change of pace.

* ARC of Orleans County/Terri Krieger Memorial 5K Run, 189 North Gravel Road in Medina, 2 p.m. Saturday, (585) 589-5516 (x227). Saturday afternoon races are very rare, but this event seems to like it.

One other note - the finalists have been selected in the voting for this year's class in the Western New York Running Hall of Fame. The selections will be announced the day before Memorial Day, better known as Buffalo Marathon day around these parts.

-- Budd Bailey

Beth Weinberg posted this on Facebook under "Boston Marathon Solidarity Run." Lots of area runners apparently will gather at Delaware Park on Sunday morning to show their support. Here are the details from organizer Beth Weinberg:

A couple of notes about marathons:

The Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, and it's always a highlight of the running year. I'm always impressed just how many Western New Yorkers make the trip to run in the event. I've talked to one of them and you'll read about him in Sunday's running column.

Closer to home, Krysten Stoll has been busy setting up a Facebook page called "Cheer on Buffalo Marathoners." The idea is to generate more spectators to support the runners at the event. Sounds like a great idea. Facebookers, take a look.

The running calendar just got busy. Here's the weekend slate, courtesy of buffalorunners.com:

* Young Life 5K Run, S4999 McKinley Parkway in Hamburg, 9 a.m. Saturday, 825-6702. No one goes away hungry from this race, and there are some hills on the course to make it interesting.

* Mathletes 5K, 1339 Indian Church Road in West Seneca, 9 a.m. Saturday, 870-8956. This race honors the memory of late school teacher Cindy Frank. If they ask runners to do some calculations along the way, I might have a chance to medal for once. By the way, this race had some organizational problems, and those in charge did a great job of putting everything together on short notice. They'll have more than 300 there Saturday.

* Health Fair 5K, North Tonawanda Middle School, 9 a.m. Saturday, 807-3715. Say, a 5K race for $10? I know some friends who might like that idea.

* Anew Run, 83 South Main St. in Jamestown, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, 661-3894.

* Feel the Spirit, 921 Cleveland Dr. in Cheektowaga, 11 a.m. Saturday, 380-0231. Finally - a race on Saturday designed for those on the late shift. The people here have always been friendly and helpful.
 
* Canisius College Shoes for the Shelter 5K, Koessler Athletic Center at Canisius College, 10 a.m. Sunday, 888-2977. Note the new starting time, which no doubt is caused by a new course. It's a News Runner of the Year race, and the new course has to be flatter than the old one.

-- Budd Bailey

It's mighty good to see April arrive on the calendar. March, and its cold temperatures, won't be missed.

In addition, the race calendar starts to pick up a bit. Here's the schedule for the weekend, brought to you courtesy of buffalorunners.com:

* Bengal Run, 5K, Buffalo State College, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, 878-6001. I had the starting time wrong in Sunday's newspaper. Registration closes at 9, the race itself begins at 9:30.

* Putting Hunger on the Run 5K, D'Youville College at 320 Porter Ave. in Buffalo, 10 a.m. Sunday, 884-5375. This is a nice little race that has a course that doesn't get much traffic over the course of the year. The cause is a good one too, as the event is sponsored by Friends of the Night People.

--- Budd Bailey

If you are looking for a reason to get out the door and run, even while spring refuses to arrive in full, I'll have one for you on Sunday in the running column. You'll hear from a runner who has an inspirational story about overcoming adversity and helping others along the way.

It's been a very slow first three months for running. But there is a popular race coming up this weekend. Then the deluge begins. Here's the listing from buffalorunners.com:

* Bunny Hop, 5k, 1 Legion Drive in East Aurora, 10:30 a.m. Saturday, 866-0136.

-- Budd Bailey

March is here, with a small lion's roar. That must mean it's time for the Shamrock Run. It will go off tomorrow in the Old First Ward.

The race is officially sold out, so about 5,500 runners will start the event at noon. All of them will have a nice windbreaker to at least consider using at the race.

The event also is the start of the News' Runner of the Year series. The full calendar will be out on Sunday as part of the running column.

The weekend's other run is the Slush Run at SUNY-Fredonia. Starting time is 9 a.m. Sunday; call 673-3451 for details. Thanks to buffalorunners.com for the race listings.

See you Saturday, cold permitting.

 

-- Budd Bailey

It's the weekend that many runners associate with standing still. But maybe it will be different this time.

The Shamrock Run starts distributing jackets on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Old First Ward Community Center on Republic St. The session runs through 2 p.m. Then on Sunday, the hours are also 10 to 2. Starting Monday, the facility will be handing out the premiums from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Last year, many were worried about getting shut out of sizes, so they showed up Saturday morning. That led to long lines. This time, everyone is guaranteed a jacket (5,500 available). Therefore, there's probably less of a need to be early ... and that should ease the traffic problem.

The Shamrock Run, which among other qualities starts the News Runner of the Year series, goes off on March 2.

Meanwhile, there's another event that will see runners who aren't in motion. Meb Keflezighi will be addressing area runners thorugh a special closed-circuit connection on Thursday. The session will be at 672 Wehrle Drive in Williamsville. There's no charge, but donations will be taken for Cradle Beach. Visit http://www.mebmeetsbuffalo.com for details.

Meanwhile, actual races will take place this weekend. I may do one myself, if this bug I caught goes away. Here are the details from buffalorunners.com:

* Polar Bear 5K, 1691 Lockport-Olcott Road in Olcott, 10 a.m. on Sunday, 434-8887. The annual chance to finish ahead of the running Polar Bear.

* Canisius Chilly Challenge 5K, 1180 Delaware Ave. in Buffalo, 12 noon on Sunday, 882-0466.

-- Budd Bailey

It wouldn't be Super Sunday without a trip to Middleport by local runners ... and a trip up the steepest hill in area running. (No, I haven't measured it, but I like my chances of being right.)

The Mr. Ed's race will be held there at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Registration is held at the Middleport Fire Hall on Main St. - it's about a block from the canal, and difficult to miss. Call (585) 798-3283 for details.

Speaking of winter races, the Lockport Y-10 is coming up next week. I'll have a preview of the race in Sunday's running column.

February is a little quiet for races, but you can plan ahead by going to the buffalorunners.com calendar.

--- Budd Bailey