CAZENOVIA — Cazenovia will kick off its Independence Day celebrations this year with the 50th Annual Cazenovia July 4th Foot Races, presented by the Syracuse Chargers Track Club and the Cazenovia High School (CHS) cross country and volleyball teams.
The event will feature the traditional 10-mile, 5K (3.1-mile), and one-mile races. Virtual options are also available.
The 10-mile race will begin on Forman Street at 8 a.m. this year to beat the heat. The 5K race will start at 8:15 a.m., and the kids’ one-mile fun run will begin at 8:20 a.m. Both races will start on Emory Avenue.
The popular event, which is also known as the Dan Sutton Memorial Race, is one of the oldest foot races in Central New York.
The race was started five decades ago by Bruce Fredrikson and Dan Sutton, according to Sutton’s wife, Cindy Sutton.
“Community people were recruited to help run the race, and it was a terrific start to a 50-year Cazenovia tradition,” said Cindy. “. . . Bruce was an experienced runner and Dan just liked running. [Dan ran] in the first race and every subsequent 4th of July race until his untimely death in 1979. The race was renamed the Dan Sutton Memorial Race in 1980.”
According to Pat Leone, a member of the Syracuse Chargers Board of Directors, the race is now owned by the Syracuse Chargers Track Club.
“The Syracuse Chargers have been the lead sponsor and organizer for the race throughout my experience, which goes back about 25 years,” said Village of Cazenovia Mayor Kurt Wheeler, who is the head coach of the CHS Girls Cross Country team and a Syracuse Chargers volunteer. “Over the past 20 years or so, the [CHS] cross country and volleyball teams have developed a great partnership and working relationship with the Chargers to put on the race.”
Each year, the race helps support Syracuse Chargers’ athletic opportunities for local runners and raises money for the CHS athletic teams that help organize the event.
The 2023 sponsors include Fleet Feet Syracuse, Cazenovia Community Fitness, Cazenovia Jewelry, McIntosh Box and Pallet Company, and Cazenovia Creekside Dental.
Sean Satchwell, 26, has signed on to direct the foot races for the first time this year.
Satchwell, who attended Cazenovia High School, has been participating in the Fourth of July race as a runner and volunteer since 2012.
“It’s very exciting and an honor to be the director of this historic race,” Satchwell said. “This race has meant a lot to me for years, both as a member of the Cazenovia High School cross country team and as a member of the community.”
Runners can sign up for the 50th Annual Cazenovia July 4th Foot Races and learn more about the event at runsignup.com/Race/NY/Cazenovia/CazJuly4thFootRaces or by Googling “Caz July 4th Race.”
The Syracuse Chargers Track Club is dedicated to the development of track and field, long-distance running, race walking, and youth development programs in Central New York. For more information, visit syracusechargers.org.
