Pace Setter : April 2023

The Schenectady Firefighters 14th Annual Run4Your Life 5K: Preparation and Race

by John Daniel and Mary Claire Falotico

Click here for pictures from the event

The Preparation

0400 comes a lot sooner than expected when the night before ends at 2100; and after two 16 hour days of spreadsheets, filing bibs, stuffing packets, loading boxes, trucks, and storage containers, returning hundreds of texts, phone calls, and emails; it cannot come soon enough. I start by picking up the last few boxes from the office, loading my car with extra layers, tools, cones, and shirts, and set off for the park. Layered up against the cold the squeal of the metal gates opening at the park shatters the solitude and tranquility of Schenectady Central Park in the darkest hours of the morning. I cherish this moment in time every year, not just for the peace and serenity it offers, but for the symbology of what it represents. The fire I start in the fireplace begins with the expectation of the warmth and light it will give. It starts with small and insignificant gestures of scrap paper and pocket lint. Tenuously the plasma flame spreads to small shavings of wood. And yet from such a humble start the fire has soon taken hold of ten pound logs of red oak spitting flame and smoke into the sky. Sharp pops cut through the moment like gunfire, bringing my wandering mind back to the moment and the day.

                      John with photographer and firefighter Tom Schettine

John with photographer and firefighter Tom Schettine

Five hours later and only 50 meters west, 600 runners, joggers, walkers, strollers, and dogs toe the line for the 14th annual Schenectady Firefighters Cancer Foundation’s Run 4 Your Life 5k. Many will start their racing season here on this course, even more will PB the course or even the distance. Dozens will leave with awards and even one will take the finisher’s tape. Hundreds will smile, laugh, hug, kiss, and enjoy the first weekend of Spring in a beautiful park at a magnificent event. And that’s where I come in.

I have been the Race Director for the R4YL for the past three years. Quite by accident I assumed the role late in the planning of the 2020 event when I had the idea of offering a virtual event due to Covid Lockdown Protocols. When I officially assumed the title in 2021, along with a list of responsibilities longer than the course I now oversaw, I was given a small white binder from the previous race director. In three years, the event, as well as the binder, have doubled in size. On any given day I may find myself having a meeting over sushi with a sponsor, spending hours applying for permits online, or sweeping pigeon dung from a fireplace so I can stack face cord after face cord of wood for the event.

I am not a runner in the classic sense of the word. I do own a whopping three pairs of running shoes, I have several pairs of shorts that are rather what the name implies and have been known to don the aforementioned with a vest and silly hat to cover dozens of miles over mountains. I do all this with no desire to do any PBS, FKTs, UTMBs, or any other of the alphabet soup of achievements ultra-runners use to build a resume. With that caveat I may seem like someone less-than-qualified to be the Race Director of a USATF sanctioned event. I seem more like the guy who will be the winning vote on who wins ChowderFest than design and direct an event that sees sub 16 5k times year after year.

It may seem strange to admit that I don’t do this event for runners, when 400 of the 600 participants are runners, yet it is very true. The event, the Run 4 Your Life 5k (R4YL), is put on the Schenectady Firefighters Cancer Foundation and it is for that organization that I do it. Each year I’ve been involved I have had the privilege of sharing the mission of the Foundation with over 1000 people in Schenectady’s Central Park. I have been humbled by the incredible outpouring of support from the community for such an event that has resulted in over $50,000 being earned for the Foundation; monies that will be used to help prevent cancer in firefighters and support those who are devastated by the disease.

The fundraising would not be successful without the support of generous sponsors such as Harding & Mazzotti and Deathwish Coffee; and yet it would not even be possible without the work of a team of volunteers pouring out immeasurable time, energy, and resources of their own into the event. Three of my team would leave a race meeting to put together a nursery with an expectant wife, four found time to return calls, emails, and texts while in and out of medical appointments with sick spouses, family, or children. One simultaneously planned the event and his wedding. No level or thanks or recognition would come close to appropriate to appreciate what amounted to nearly 15,000 hours, 3,500 emails, 1050 phone calls, 1,900 miles driven and over ONE MILLION words typed.

It is my privilege to get to write this article because I hold a title, and it is my honor to hold the title for a team as tremendous as mine. The R4YL team personifies the charity that is at the core of the event. I hope those who participated in the 14th running take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of the event, and I look forward to greeting all of you next year for our Crystal 15th Anniversary! There will be plenty of surprises.

The Race

The Run for Your Life 5k raises money for the Schenectady Firefighter Cancer Foundation. Firefighters are 14% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than the average person due to the hazards of the job. The Schenectady Firefighters Cancer Foundation helps firefighters diagnosed with cancer with the financial burden that comes along with cancer treatment.

The day started out on the chilly side, but by the time the race kicked off it was ideal running weather at 34 degrees and almost no wind. The excitement was palpable at the start line with over 600 runners and walkers all lining up to race in support of the Schenectady Firefighters Cancer Foundation. As we started, the course took a very slight uphill then turned left and ran on an even slighter downhill until mile one when we hit the first actual hill. This one was short and sweet, and the only actual hill to talk about on the whole course! There was an aid station around halfway, then at mile two we were on the second loop which runs around the lake in Central Park. You can hear and see the finish line during the last half mile, which feels a little cruel. But it is flat as a pancake and you know you are so close to the finish line it is also good motivation to push harder.

I ran the Run For Your Life 5K as the last 3 miles of my long run with two of my Redrabbit team mates and we had a blast! My family, co-worker and her children also ran the 5K. This race is fun for the whole family. It has good competition upfront and is welcoming for all paces even offering a special category for walkers. It is also dog and stroller friendly. After finishing the race, we all warmed up with chowder from the chowder fest and complimentary hot coffee. The race team had four big fires going in the Pavilion to warm-up by as well. I highly recommend checking The Run For Your Life 5K next year, it has everything you want in a 5K and an incredible swag bag plus you are helping a highly deserving cause.

                                                 Superheroes led the Kids’ Race

Click here for Results

Age Graded Winners Below

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Male
Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	Jonathan Lindenauer	35	M	16:29
2	Vin Aceto	36	M	17:09
3	Carter Flowers	16	M	17:56
Female
Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
13	Michelle Davis	34	F	19:58
24	Allison Malatesta	20	F	21:55
26	Rachel Berschwinger	34	F	22:03
1 to 14
Male
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	18	Davis Johnson	14	M	20:33
2	31	Christopher Carboni	14	M	22:45
3	89	Parker Gallagher	13	M	26:58
Female
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	36	Abbey Stubbs	14	F	23:05
2	81	Gwendolyn Carter	14	F	26:13
3	194	Evelyn Carroll	12	F	32:20
15 to 19
Male
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	5	Spencer Moreau	15	M	18:23
2	6	Ryan Freihofer	16	M	18:34
3	8	Jack Zieber	15	M	19:05
Female
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	160	Emily Reed	15	F	30:37
2	196	Jordyn Sorel	19	F	32:29
3	314	Emma Litzner	18	F	53:08
20 to 29
Male
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	4	Joe Degiorgio	23	M	18:09
2	10	Steven Lindsay	24	M	19:22
3	11	Holden Maynard	23	M	19:41
Female
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	67	Alanie Genter	22	F	25:34
2	68	Rachel Stagnitti	26	F	25:34
3	79	Larissa Dipace	29	F	26:10
30 to 39
Male
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	17	Travis Carr	30	M	20:18
2	20	Joe Sgarlata	36	M	20:47
3	21	Michael Badger	30	M	20:59
Female
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	27	Jess Berschwinger	34	F	22:03
2	33	Laura Rickmyre	39	F	22:51
3	51	Mary Claire Falotic	31	F	24:20
40 to 49
Male
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	7	Nick Whaley	43	M	18:58
2	14	Steve Maynard	47	M	20:01
3	16	Jason Greski	47	M	20:16
Female
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	116	Jessica Padula	41	F	29:04
2	122	Jami Reed	43	F	29:21
3	126	Jamie Trumpler	45	F	29:25
50 to 59
Male
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	15	Ed Menis	58	M	20:12
2	42	Robert Sheftel	54	M	23:37
3	45	Carl Treiber	55	M	23:53
Female
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	38	Laurie Hoyt	57	F	23:09
2	50	Stacie Hebert	52	F	24:13
3	76	Sandy Malloy	53	F	26:02
60 to 69
Male
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	91	Terry Langlois	63	M	27:07
2	93	Peter Fish	64	M	27:17
3	113	Peter Butryn	65	M	28:47
Female
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	133	Patricia Greenwood	65	F	29:45
2	138	Patricia Johnston	61	F	30:05
3	154	Lois Shoemaker	60	F	30:30
70 to 79
Male
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	41	Dave Glass	76	M	23:33
2	185	Joseph Scaringe	76	M	31:51
3	268	Dan Rickmyre	76	M	39:08
Female
No finishers in this division.
80 to 99
Male
#	Place	Name	Age	Sex	Time
1	307	Raymond Lee Jr.	81	M	47:39
Female
No finishers in this division.

Click here for pictures from the event

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