Snowy run raises funds in Minoa

VILLAGE OF MINOA – The 13th annual Lake Effect Half & Quarter Marathon touched down in Minoa on Saturday, Feb. 17, bringing out hundreds of runners decked out in their gloves, earmuffs and thermal socks.
People from all over New York and even some from out of state participated in the Saturday event, many treating it as a “primer” that tested the progress of their winter training while gauging their readiness for spring and summer runs or distances even longer than 6.5 or 13.1 miles.
The two races together served as an effort to raise money for Make-A-Wish Central New York, the local chapter of the national nonprofit that helps to fulfill life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Founded in 1985, the regional foundation headquartered at 5005 Campuswood Drive in East Syracuse has granted wishes ranging from the chance for kids to meet their favorite celebrity to enjoyment of a personalized playground to a weeklong stay at Walt Disney World Resort.
The combined half and quarter marathon on Feb. 17 started and ended at Lewis Park, extended out to Minoa Farms and down streets like Ripplebrook Lane, and all in all featured a mostly flat course, save for the part that involved crossing the bridge overpass. The path of the races was double-looped, with either single-lane or full closures of certain main roads and side streets.
Because of the course’s looped layout, a cap on the amount of participants was meant to prevent overcrowding on the streets for comfort and safety purposes, since the faster athletes tend to catch up to people in the middle or the back of the pack and runners would run the risk of drifting outside the traffic cones if the course became too packed.
As the event was taking place through that morning and early afternoon, the runners experienced not only frigid temperatures but also ever-changing weather conditions. The blue skies and shining sun poked through for them sporadically, and at other points there was a squall warning in effect that brought with it chilling gusts of snow.
“You never know what you’re gonna get,” said Bert Gallmon, the race director for the yearly Lake Effect run. “The changing weather makes it exciting, and it makes the run live up to its name. It’s called ‘Lake Effect’ for a reason.”
In the “snow globe” as Gallmon called it, there were runners of all ages and there was even a participant who brought along her leashed dog as she completed the course. There were both returning participants and first-timers spread out among the bunch.
All throughout, there were people off to the side enthusiastically rooting on the runners as they made it another lap or closed in on the finish line, with some of those supportive volunteers clacking their noisemakers and others passing out cups of water and Gatorade.
The company Gallmon owns, Wolfpack Multisport, manages various endurance events in the Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse areas, including 5Ks, duathlons, triathlons, and cycling-only events throughout the year as well as other half and quarter marathons comparable to this February’s races in Minoa.
Gallmon said the annual Lake Effect run gives people an opportunity to get out of the house after being cooped up during the winter and lets them see what it’s like to run a timed race in the cold.
Doing their part to make a difference for Make-A-Wish, the team comprising employees from the event’s title sponsor Raymour & Flanigan solicited donations beforehand and the furniture company pledged to match the amount they raised up to the $5,000 mark.
The event was additionally sponsored by East Syracuse screen printer USA Racing, the Village of Minoa’s municipal body, Wegmans, Tops Friendly Markets, and Tempo Scrunchie Co. USA Racing handed out medals to the finishers and promotional swag materials on top of helping with event setup.
In addition to the adult races that started at 9:30 a.m. there was a half-mile fun run for kids at 8:30 that day. Individuals also had “virtual” options allowing them to run on their own time and report back with the results they clocked.
This was the fourth consecutive year that the Lake Effect Half & Quarter Marathon took place in Minoa. The event had previously been held at Onondaga Lake Park and the New York State Fairgrounds.
Gallmon said he appreciates how welcoming and patient the Minoa community has been since he and his fellow organizers first settled down in their village.
“We’re just grateful that they let us come and hang out and play in the winter for a little bit,” he said. “They embrace us and let us use the Lewis Park pole barn and put up all the automated signage and coordinate the course.”
The running event also featured s’mores and hot chocolate stations by a roaring fire, and it was followed by an afterparty at Trappers II Pizza & Pub on North Main Street in the village, where people could eat and get warm.
Gallmon said the races help the local economy by building up Syracuse as a tourist destination and encouraging participants to return during other seasons. A recent Wolfpack Multisport survey revealed that in the year since the 2023 Lake Effect event 30% of the runners from outside the city came back to visit at later dates when it wasn’t a race weekend.