Sports, Ink

There really was a half-marathon that began and ended in Ralph Wilson Stadium last week. Congratulations to everyone who helped that make that event possible. For an individual sport, it certainly was a team effort.

I'll have a recap of the whole situation in Sunday's column. But here's something that can't wait.

David Mason, the head of Rapid Running who probably is afraid to set foot in Erie County by now, was named Event Director of the Month for June by the Active Network. You can find the link here. I'm not sure how long this will stay up under the circumstances.

In the meantime, another weekend of running is coming up ... and it's a light one. Yes, many runners are making their annual trek up the Thruway for the Boilermaker in Utica. Still, you'd think someone would have scheduled a race on Saturday.

Here's the light slate, then, courtesy of buffalorunners.com:

* Lackawanna Fire 5000 "80's Retro Run," 5K, 2900 South Park in Lackawanna, Friday at 7 p.m., 200-2908. Expect a lot of short shorts and big hair at that one.

* Run for Rover 5K, LaSalle Park in Buffalo, Sunday at 9 a.m., 883-8544. I think I'm one of the few to never miss this event. Maybe I'm just hoping that the road in the park will be repaved at some point in the previous year, and I go back to check. Or, maybe it's a friendly staff that puts on a nice little race.

-- Budd Bailey

It's been quite a week in the running business.

At first, it looked as if the planned half-marathon at Orchard Park had collapsed. Runners were rather angry, particularly those who had trained for months in preparation for a race that had been postponed nine days before the start. They had every right to be angry too.

However, a few days ago, a coalition of organizations and people got together and saved the race. So hundreds will be taking to the streets early Saturday with the goal of finishing 13.1 miles of running at the 50-year line at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

I'll have a recap of what I thought of the entire episode in my next running column a week from Saturday. Your thoughts, before and after the actual running, are welcome at BBailey@buffnews.com.

Speaking of mix-ups, the CityBration race suffered from a couple of them over the weekend. It's a first-year event and errors are to be expected, but it doesn't make runners any happier.

Number one came the day before, as shirt and number pick-up were promised from 12 to 5 p.m. at the Central Wharf. A couple of runners went down there at 1 o'clock or so, and there was no sign of anyone connected to the race ... and no one in the area knew anything about it. I stopped down later at 4:15 p.m. or so, and the package was available then.

Then on raceday, runners were told they could use a ticket for either Cheerios or chicken wings after the race. The people in charge of those foods knew nothing about it -- and remember, runners don't often carry money with them for races. Then, the athletes found out that their tickets for beer were good ... but that the beer tent opened at noon. For a race that started at 9:30 a.m., this was a bit of a wait. So a lot of runners went home hungry and thirsty.

Rule number one in business: keep your promises.

It's a strange weekend on the calendar, as there's nothing scheduled around Buffalo outside of the Orchard Park run on Saturday or Sunday. Here's the slate, courtesy of buffalorunners.com:

* Road 2 Recovery Mental Health 5K, Delaware Park in Buffalo, 6:30 p.m. on Friday, 883-3331 x321.

* Fitness 360 JDRF Run for the Cure 5K, 2625 Delaware Ave. in Buffalo, 7 p.m. on Friday, 874-2005.

* The 50-Yard Line Finish, 13.1 miles & 5K, Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchad Park, 7 a.m. Saturday, 830-6703.

* D&F 5K Challenge, 1170 Central Ave. in Dunkirk, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, 510-0702.

-- Budd Bailey

I spent last week's vacation in Florida. Turns out that was the ideal place to get some practice at running in hot temperatures ... since conditions were identical to what we've had for the last couple of days.

A few notes of interest:

* The Rapid Running Buffalo Half Marathon, set for Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park on June 30, has been postponed. David Mason of Rapid Running said that the company wants more time to allow interest and participation to grow, although did say that support has been strong so far. Mason is hoping to stage it sometime in the fall.

My guess is that, if the statement from the organizers is taken at face value, this is not going to go over well. Training for a half-marathon if done properly requires weeks of training for most people. To have the rug pulled out from under those runners nine days before the race is going to make those runners unhappy. All right, very unhappy.

Also noteworthy -- there's no word in the news release about the postponement concerning refunds to those who have already registered.

* Jon French of UB was ruled ineligible for the JPMorgan Chase and Company Corporate Challenge, so his second-place finish was taken out of the results. Kevin Smith moved up to second. The team competition results still haven't been posted yet.

* Rick Morocco of Niagara Falls, Ont., has been named the new Managing Director of the Niagara Falls International Marathon. He replaces Jim Ralston in that position.

The weekend calendar of races is an odd one. It is absolutely blank on a Saturday in June. For races that were one of seven events scheduled on a Saturday a couple of weeks ago, this is another signal to look around at the calendar before setting a date. Buffalorunners.com has the list:

* Bemus Point 10K, Long Point State Park Bath House, 9 a.m. today, 488-0788.

* Buffalo CityBration 5K, Canalside in Buffalo, 9:30 a.m. today, 713-5654.

--- Budd Bailey

The News' Matt Glynn previews the 3 1/2-mile JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge, which takes place Thursday evening.

The event, based in Delaware Park, draws over 10,000 runners each year. Glynn takes you through the course:

When it comes to a marathon, there's always an unexpected glitch. One popped  up and bit me on Sunday.

I picked up the results of the Buffalo Marathon and Half-Marathon at about 11:15 a.m. That's more than four hours after the start, which allowed 50 finishers for men and women in both. I wrote my story based on those results.

I always like to include top local runners for the marathon when I can. So I recognized the best Western New York finishers in the marathon in the story.

On Monday, I got a somewhat sheepish note from the local male "top finisher." It seems that he had entered the full marathon, ran several miles and decided to just do the half-marathon. He went left, instead of straight, and crossed the finish line less than three hours after starting. The problem was that he never told anyone he had cut short his run, and his chip was registered for the full marathon. Our runner was apologetic and thought the real local leader deserved the credit. (Steve Bohan, this is your substitute moment of glory.)

This actually happens quite a bit. Jeff John from buffalorunners.com spent most of Sunday trying to sort out the names and races, an effort which is more heroic than merely unsung. I've talked with race officials to tell them about this situation. They seem to think it would be easy to put some sort of timing mat at the halfway point of the marathon. Then, they'd know who crossed it on the way to completing the full marathon. Those who didn't cross the mat could be taken off the marathon list. It's another item on the list of things to fix for 2013.

For the most part, though, I heard few complaints about the race. The number of entrants was up by something like 20 percent. The change in the course went over well. It's good to see the race doing so well.

Shorter distances are on tap for this weekend. Here's the schedule, courtesy of buffalorunners.com:

* Brian Dugan Memorial Scholarship 5K, Lincoln Park in Tonawanda, 6:30 p.m. Friday.

* Woods Walk and Trail Run, Assorted, Pfeiffer Nature Center in Portville, 8 a.m. Saturday, 933-0187.

* Flight 3407 Memorial Race, 5K, Clarence Town Hall Grove in Clarence Center, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, 636-0209.

* Running Water 5K, Northtown Center at Amherst, 10 a.m. Saturday, 536-3004. I ran this race last year, and organizers did a good job. Good to see it back for Year Two.

* Run the 'Burg for Autism 5K, 4236 Clark St. in Hamburg, 11 a.m. Saturday, 572-3613. This has taken over the spot formally filled by the Kyle Reid run, and continues to draw big crowds.

* Juneteenth Run for Health 5K, 585 William St. in Buffalo, 9:30 a.m. Sunday, 830-6560. I'm glad I don't live in the neighborhood when the P.A. system comes on at full blast on a Sunday morning. But this always has been a very runner-friendly race with good people running the show. 

* Buffalo Orienteering Runs, 5K & 10K trail runs, Hunter's Creek Park in Wales, 10 a.m. Sunday, 652-8727.

--- Budd Bailey

It's marathon weekend. Many hundreds of runners will be going through the streets of Buffalo on Sunday morning. I'll talk to the only person who has done all 22 Buffalo Marathons in my preview article coming up before the race.

Meanwhile ... there's another interesting race that will be held on Monday afternoon that sort of slipped under the radar. It's in Gasport, up in Niagara County, and it features a unique idea.

Dire Straits once recorded a song called "Telegraph Road" that lasts 14 minutes and 18 seconds. In Monday's race, all runners will be asked to have some sort of music-playing device (iPod, mp3) with that song downloaded. Everyone hits play and then takes off down Telegraph Road in Gasport, with a turnaround at Route 31. When the music stopped, musical chairs style, the person who covered the longest distance wins.

What a great idea for a race. I'm not sure 3 p.m. is a great time for the race, since many might not be able to make it because of Memorial Day plans. Still, this has a chance to catch attention. Can't wait for the In-a-gadda-da-vida Run of 20-plus minutes.\

Here's the holiday race schedule, courtesy of buffalorunners.com:

* Run for Justice 5K, 6320 Main St. in Williamsville, 6:30 p.m. Friday, 361-9050. This new race's director is Ann More, who you read about around the holidays. She's done many races over the years, so she knows what works and what doesn't.

* Buffalo Marathon and Half-Marathon, Hyatt Hotel in Buffalo, 7 a.m. Sunday, 694-5154. This race keeps getting better and better. We'll see how the slight course adjustment works out.

* Telegraph Road Race, 9058 Telegraph Road in Gasport, 3 p.m. Monday. No entry fee.

-- Budd Bailey

Sources say that white smoke has come out of the Western New York Running Hall of Fame meeting. The class of 2012 has been selected. It will be announced a week from Sunday in The News, and the class will be honored at the annual race in Buffalo on August 31.

The weekend's races got off to an early start with an event on Thursday night in Tonawanda. That has to be one of the flattest courses in the area, and it was a perfect night for running. And I'd like to thank all of the fasst runners in my age bracket who stayed away so I could win a medal.

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

* Buffalo Greek Fest 5K, 146 W. Utica St. in Buffalo, 6:30 p.m. Friday, 796-3381.

* Run with the Rapids 5K, Old Falls St. in Niagara Falls, 9 a.m. Saturday, 278-2115.

* Chris Griswold 5K Race, Como Park in Lancaster, 10:30 a.m. Saturday, 685-2640. This is one of the few races of the year that usually hands out singlets. It's also the only race I've won garden hoses in back to back years as a door prize. 

* 4 for the Corps, 4 miles, Arcade Village Park in Arcade, 10 a.m. Saturday, 353-6216.

* SSPP's Charge of the Knights 5K, 5480 Main St. in Williamsville, 6 p.m. Saturday, 440-8003.

* Take-Off for Learning 5K, Jamestown Airport, 9 a.m. Sunday, 969-8520.

--- Budd Bailey

The Grand Island half-marathon was held last weekend, and a couple of local veterans were the winners. Jim Park came home first in 1:19:48, while Jennifer Koeppel-Acker finished in 1:25:11.

We have three events done in the News runner of the year series. Chris Walters and Koeppel-Acker have taken the lead. Check out the standings from buffalorunners.com.

It's the busy season for races, as the Saturday schedule is crowded. In fact, one race was postponed because there was just too much competition. Sometimes it pays to look at the calendar; there were no 5K races around town last Saturday morning.

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

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

* Moving Towards a Cure 5K, Delaware Park in Buffalo, 9 a.m. Saturday, (727) 781-4673.

* Holland Tulip Festival 5K, Holland Speedway, 9 a.m. Saturday, 537-2264. Who wouldn't want to finish on a race track?

* Nancy Price Memorial 5K, Veterans Park in Youngstown, 10 a.m. Saturday.

* Heritage Centers Foundation 5K, 101 Oak St. in Buffalo, 10 a.m. Saturday, 856-4202 x1228.

* DeSales Race for Fitness 5K, 6914 Chestnut Ridge Road in Lockport, 10 a.m. Saturday, 438-2014.

* The Elephant Run, 4 miles, Delaware Park (Marcy Casino) in Buffalo, 9:30 a.m. in Buffalo, 836-7045.

--- Budd Bailey

It's time to start thinking about long distances ... on both sides of the border.

Not only is this weekend the annual half-marathon on Grand Island, but plans have been announced for a full and half marathon next year from Niagara Falls, Ont., to Niagara-on-the-Lake. The date is said to be in April. We'll see how that works, but it's a pretty route for starters.

Meanwhile, check out this link to a planned series of races in Niagara County. Always a good idea to give runners an excuse for doing more events:

Here is the weekly calendar, courtesy of buffalorunners.com:

* Sedita Dragon 5K, 21 Lowell Plzce in Buffalo, 6:30 p.m. Friday, 316-5782.

* GBTC Grand Island Half Marathon, Beaver Island State Park in Grand Island, 10 a.m. Saturday, 515-5159. It's a News' Runner of the Year race, as usual.

* Allegany Adventure Runs, Allegany State Park in Salamance, 10 a.m. Saturday, 574-0888. This covers 6K, 13K and 22K, depending on your preference for the length of a trail run.

* ARC of Orleans County Terri Krieger Memorial 5K, 2 p.m. Saturday, (585) 589-5516 x227. It's the most unusual starting time of the year of any 5K event. It also comes as that rarity, the only 5K of Saturday or Sunday.

--- Budd Bailey

I knew that if I kept looking, I'd find a competition for runners that I could win.

Such "success" came last week when the Friends of the Night People staged its annual 5K run. The event accepted donations of old t-shirts, a fine idea. It had a special category for t-shirt for the longest distance from Buffalo.

I grabbed a shirt I picked up in a race in Seattle several years and donated it. I was announced as the winner, although a computer check revealed that a shirt from San Francisco traveled just a little bit farther. So ... we'll both be awarded the prize of an oil change and interior cleaning.

In the department of real running accomplishments, check out Sunday's running column for an account of what the Boston Marathon was like from the pack.

Now for the weekend schedule, courtesy of buffalorunners.com:

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

* Buffalo Undy 5000 5K, Delaware Park in Buffalo, 9 a.m. Saturday, (202) 628-0123 x104. Can't wait to hear reports about the walk-through, inflatable colon.

* Kaleida Spring into Fitness 5K, 100 High St. in Buffalo, 10 a.m. Saturday, 859-7069. This is a new race, and I can't say I've done much running in that neighborhood before. Should be fun.

* BPAC 6-Hour Distance Classic Ultra, Northtown Center in Amherst, 8 a.m. Sunday. We salute anyone willing to take part in this one.

--- Budd Bailey