Spring Forward to June Races – Add Variety to Your Running

By Laura Clark

Racing season gets well underway in June with at least one event every weekend. Saturday, June 3 is the most prolific choice, with big name-events, an uphill challenge and a muddy obstacle run, to name a few.   Follow that day up with a few other selections and you will be well on your way to acing your summertime goals.

Leading the June 3 charge is Albany’s Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K, celebrating 45 years championing female athletes. Egalitarian in definition, this event attracts national elites as well as citizen racers and prides itself on its running and walking training challenge to ease the way for those new to the sport, coming back to running or walking, or those who enjoy the community aspect of training with others. Run through downtown Albany’s historic neighborhoods, Washington Park, and back to the Capitol building. A fun feature is the nine team permutations offered like Sister/Sister, Grandmother/Mother/Daughter, and Non-Binary. 

Many women are attracted to the marathon feel of the event from the Expo at Russell Sage College’s Armory, to the festive start at Capitol Park, and the thrill of having your name announced as you join the downhill rush to the finish line. Both girls and boys are encouraged to test their skills at the Freihofer’s Capital Kids 3K Run or Freihofer’s Kids’ Runs with free mini road races. Afterwards, take a team/family photo by the Freihofer’s backdrop and help celebrate the baking company’s 110th anniversary while munching on your well-earned box of chocolate chip cookies. Use promo code to save $5: ADK23. Register: freihofersrun.com.

Those seeking a longer challenge will be thrilled that the Whiteface Mountain Uphill Foot Race has returned. With its status as New York’s fifth highest peak, the climb is relentless, covering eight miles at an eight-percent grade up the Veterans’ Memorial Highway. As you approach the final, steepest mile, rest assured that you are not hallucinating – there really is a castle crowning the 3,500-foot peak. Take your time to explore and enjoy the 360-degree view! 

Your friends or family may purchase spectator passes and provide transport down. The race begins at 5:30pm, concurrent with the Uphill Bike Race – so you can cheer on the riders. The weather can shift from bottom to top, so you might want to tie a lightweight windbreaker around your waist. Afterwards, enjoy your meal voucher at one of the local restaurants. Sign up: whitefacerace.com/run.

Other events slated for June 3 include the 26th annual Charlton Heritage 5K Run/Walk, as part of the friendly town-wide celebration of Founder’s Weekend, benefitting the Charlton Historical Society. The race begins at the Old Red School House and consists of an out-and-back course finishing at the historic St. Paul’s Church. 

The 5K offers something for everyone with a mix of rolling hills and flat recovery stretches along the back roads of this scenic rural community. There’s also a Kids’ One-Mile Fun Run. Visit: charlton5k.org.

If you’d like to try a mixed surface, scenic trail and road race, the 12th annual Rail Trail to the Footbridge 5K Trail Race/Fun Walk is held at the Slate Valley Museum. Located in the Mettowee River Valley, along eastern border of Washington County, abutting Vermont’s lake region. The race offers unique local prizes and kids’ activities during the 5K at the Slate Valley Museum. There’s also a 1K Kids’ Fun Run. Register: railtrailtothefootbridge5k.com.

Looking for something different? Try Prevention Council’s TUFF eNUFF 5K Obstacle Course Challenge, also on June 3, which mirrors the council’s goals by encouraging kids, teens and adults to push themselves over, under around and through mucky obstacles. Festivities take place at the BOCES Campus in Saratoga Springs, where construction apprentices design the course layout, and culinary students furnish the refreshments. 

The Kids Run One-Mile for ages 4-11 opens the day, with parents permitted to run alongside for no additional fee. Sign up for one of the three 5K waves, either individually or as a team, with costumes encouraged. Mud and fun guaranteed so make sure you take before and after photos to post! Register: finishright.com.

The next day, Sunday, June 4, visit the Harriman State Office Building Campus in Albany for the Capital Region 5K Heart Walk & Run, with the run beginning at 8am and the walk at 10:45am. There is no registration fee required, but participants are encouraged to fundraise their contribution to heart disease prevention. Anyone who raises over $100 is invited to visit the online Hero Gear store to redeem a T-shirt or other prize. 

This is “a 5K with heart” to fight heart disease and stroke. If you are a heart attack or stroke survivor, you will be given a commemorative red or white ball cap to wear on your journey. Go to: capitalregionheartwalk.org.

The following weekend, on Saturday, June 10, head out to the Kinderhook OK5K for a flat, fast loop around the historic village that’s full of community spirit – and walkers are welcome too. While there, pay homage to our eighth president, Martin Van Buren, who was born in Kinderhook and used the nickname OK Kinderhook during his election campaign. 

Enhancing the family-friendly atmosphere, the Kids’ Mile Run on an out-and-back route is completely free, and students 18 and under may run the 5K at a reduced rate. Proceeds are donated to local charities and participants are encouraged to bring a food item for the local pantry. Visit: ok5krace.com.

Also on June 10, join the Girls on the Run 5K, a joyful spring celebration that’s open to adults and children, runners and walkers of all abilities – to inhale determination, and exhale doubt!

The Girls on the Run 5K is held at Joe Bruno Stadium, on the Hudson Valley Community College campus and surrounding residential streets, in Troy and North Greenbush. Proceeds benefit the Girls on the Run Capital Region scholarship program. Go to: gotrcr.org/5k.

On Saturday, June 17, try the 9th annual Good Karma 5K Run/Walk, launching from a new location at the Shenendehowa High School Track in Clifton Park. The route is on closed-to-traffic campus roads, and duplicates the USATF certified Shenendehowa Veterans Day Dash. The flat and fast campus tour is a perfect place to log your testing-the-waters spring 5K. This event is noted for its welcoming atmosphere where all are invited – runners, walkers, kids, hand-cyclers and wheelchair riders. The youngest are encouraged to participate in the free Kids’ 0.5-Mile Fun Run.

In addition, folks can enjoy the cultural vibe with a pre-race yoga warmup and yummy Indian street food afterwards. Enjoy the family entertainment which includes henna tattoos and Bollywood music. Post-race massages will be offered for free. There is even a virtual component for those who cannot fit the actual race day into their busy schedules. Virtual registrants may run or walk any 5K distance on road, track, trails or treadmill from June 17-25. Proceeds benefit AIM for Seva, a non-profit which provides free student housing near their school (plus food, clothing and healthcare), for rural Indian children who otherwise would not be able to pursue their education. Funds also benefit the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. Register: goodkarma5k.com.

Looking for a fun field trip on June 17? Then try the sixth annual Wilmington Whiteface 5K & 10K Whiskey Run & Walk, on quiet roads with scenic mountains surrounding you. Afterwards, refresh yourself with whiskey tastings, local distillers, food, festival, and Whiskey Run photo frame. Also, check out the 1812 Battle of Plattsburgh reenactors to learn how Wilmington supplied whiskey to the American soldiers, and later served as a safe haven for prohibition era bootleggers traveling across the Canadian border. 

The Whiskey Run is a benefit for the Wilmington Historical Society. Plan a weekend stay and enjoy the many hiking and mountain biking trails, Whiteface gondola ride, High Falls Gorge, paddling area lakes and rivers, and visit nearby Lake Placid. Sign up: adkwhiskeyrun.com.

On Saturday, June 24, it is back to a longer but doable distance with the Adirondack Runners’ Adirondack 7 Mile Race to the Lakes. Launching from SUNY Adirondack in Queensbury, runners will traverse a very pleasant route past Glen Lake and to Lake George, which includes sections of the SUNY campus, scenic country roads, and delightful stretches along the shaded traffic-free Warren County Bike Path. The course is essentially the same as the previous nine-mile jaunt, with the elimination of the hilly two-mile out-and-back detour before the bike path. Excitement builds as you approach scenic Lake George, near Million Dollar Beach, where amazing views, cooling sea breezes and refreshments await. 

Take your time enjoying the beach as there will be plenty of busses available to transport you back to your car at SUNY Adirondack. Or better yet, arrange for your friends to meet you at Battlefield Park, enjoy a leisurely picnic, and then wander around the various French and Indian and Revolutionary War landmarks. Register early for a performance running shirt to all who register by May 30, and the race is limited to 300 runners. Go to: zippyreg.com.

Take the opportunity to enjoy several of these events before the onset of the dog days of July!

Laura Clark (snowshoegal133@gmail.com) of Saratoga Springs is an avid trail runner, ultramarathoner, snowshoer and cross-country skier. She is a children’s librarian at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.