MINOA — The 13th annual Lake Effect Half & Quarter Marathon will be taking place in Minoa Saturday, Feb. 17.
True to its name, the event invites participants to brace themselves for frigid temperatures as they complete either 13.1 or 6.5 miles on a mostly flat course that starts and ends at Lewis Park and stretches through the various streets of Minoa, the bridge overpass being the primary elevation change.
The benefiting sponsor of the charitable event is once again Make-A-Wish Central New York, the local chapter of the national nonprofit that fulfills life-changing wishes for kids with critical illnesses.
Last year, the run collected about $17,000 to donate to that organization.
“We’re hoping to get to the $20,000 mark this time because each wish runs approximately $10,000,” said Bert Gallmon, the race director. “We’re trying to make a push to get two full wishes funded for them.”
With his company Wolfpack Multisport, Gallmon said he loves being able to help charities with a youth component like Make-A-Wish. He said the children whose wishes are granted by the organization are in need of positivity in their lives and something to look forward to that can lift their spirits and take their minds off their health troubles, whether it be an extravagant trip to Walt Disney World or a day spent with a famous athlete.
Based in Rochester, Wolfpack Multisport puts on and manages events in that city, Buffalo and Syracuse ranging from half marathons, 5Ks and cycling-only events to duathlons and triathlons. Gallmon took over as director of the Lake Effect run last year from event originator Todd Robertson.
Due to the looped layout of the course, the amount of participants able to sign up for the upcoming run through Minoa is going to be capped at around the 700-person mark to avoid problems involving overcrowding, Gallmon said.
“Any time you do a double loop, you want to try to clear out some of that congestion,” he said. “Mainly that’s for the faster folks because with the loops they tend to catch up to some in the middle of the pack or the folks going slower, walking, or going at their pace.”
He said overpacked streets can also cause safety issues if runners are forced to make room for themselves by drifting outside the traffic cones set up along the course.
The title sponsor for the Lake Effect run is Raymour & Flanigan, and pre-race packet pickup will be at that furniture chain’s DeWitt location on Erie Boulevard East from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16, the day before the run. The race day packet pickup is from 7:30 to 9:15 a.m. at Lewis Park on South Main Street in Minoa.
Raymour & Flanigan employees also form a team every year and solicit donations that the company matches by the dollar up to $5,000. Last year the amount raised by the team was $6,300, leading the company to bring that total up to a little over $11,000.
This year, the run will also have a s’mores station with a nearby campfire and another station serving up hot chocolate. Additionally, Wegmans has donated gift cards and Tops Friendly Markets is supplying food and water, while Tempo Scrunchie Co. is on board as a sponsor as well.
The event is organized with the Village of Minoa’s municipal body and East Syracuse screen printer USA Racing, with the latter providing shirts, embroidery, medals and other swag materials as well as assistance with the finish line setup and the placement of heaters inside the Lewis Park pole barn.
The in-person half marathon begins at 9:30 a.m. on the 17th and registration is $85. The quarter marathon is $55 to sign up for, and it also starts at 9:30 a.m. that Saturday.
An untimed, roughly half-mile kids fun run is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. that same morning.
At a registration cost of $50 each, there are also virtual options to run a half marathon or quarter marathon on one’s own time.
“Winter runs are always harder because a lot of people are not used to running in the cold and some people are waiting to see if it’s going to be a blizzard or this or that,” Gallmon said. “The way we look at it, that’s part of the fun. There’s a reason it’s called ‘Lake Effect.’”
For more information on the February run, visit lakeeffecthalfmarathon.com
