Lions Club Resolution Run will start the New Year on the right foot

By Jason Gabak
Editor

As a participant in Skaneateles’ Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning for more than 30 years, Tom Bersani, knows the way a run can start a holiday off the right way.

As a member of the Lions Club, Bersani also knows how much the support of the local community can make an impact on the lives of many people.

Combining these two ideas, Bersani took the idea to the rest of the club and found full support for a Resolution Run on New Year’s Day.

“I’ve been running in the Turkey Trot for 30 years,” Bersani said. “It has been great. We’ve had as many as 400 people there and it seems there are more each year. At the Lions Club we thought we might be able to do something similar and make it our own.”

For the past two years the Lions have hosted the Resolution Run and will continue the tradition on New Year’s morning.

Bersani said the idea isn’t unique to the Lions Club as various organizations host New Year’s Day runs all over the country.

But, at least on the local level, the results of the run are largely specific to Skaneateles.

Bersani said the Lions Club as a whole is dedicated to a mission involving vision.

“The Lions is a service organization,” Bersani said. “Since the 1920s we have been focused on vision. Everything from collecting old eyeglasses to corneal transplants that is part of our mission.”

The Skaneateles Lions Club supports this effort on the local, national and international level according to Bersani.

“We are involved in Lion’s efforts nationally and internationally,” Bersani said. “But we are also very focused on the Skaneateles community. We help support a lot of local efforts.”

Bersani said this support includes organizations like the Skaneateles Lake Association and Laker Limo as well as supporting scholarships and other programs.

“Our goal is to serve and lend our support where it is needed,” Bersani said.

In the weeks leading up to New Year’s Day, Bersani and the rest of the Lions Club has been working to spread the word on the run, posting flyers and sharing information with everyone they come across.

Bersani said each year the run grows, with 85 runners taking part the first year and more than 120 making the run last year.

Bersani said the run is bolstered by the fact that this is a time of year when many people are home visiting friends and family, which helps bring more people out to take part.

“We are hoping for even more people to come out and take part this year,” Bersani said. “A lot of people are home visiting and are looking for something fun to do and this is a great way to start the new year.”

The course begins and ends at the Sherwood Inn, which Bersani said has been very supportive providing drinks and chili.

The run is divided into a 5k run as well as a walk so whether participants are looking for a serious run or just to take a more leisurely stroll through the village, there is something to accommodate everyone.

From the feedback the Lions have received, Bersani said participants come for many reasons, but the most important thing is that they do come and show their support.

“There are people who are looking for something fun to do and this is a fun way to get together with friends and family,” Bersani said. “Some people just like to run. Some people are just looking for a way to start the New Year and to start on a healthy note. I think there are a lot of people who make that resolution to be healthier and this is a great way to start that resolution on the right foot and at the same time do something for a good cause that helps support things right here in our own community.”

The Lions Club Resolution Run will begin at 11 a.m. at the Sherwood Inn.

Participants can register in advance by visiting endurancecui.active.com, participants can also register the morning of the run at the Sherwood Inn.