Father’s Day run for dads, kids
Published:
June 22, 2009
By Dave Canfield
The Record
COLONIE — While some might spend the morning of Father’s Day
relaxing and enjoying a filling breakfast with family, others spent
time together Sunday in a much more active way.
About 700 people participated in a five-kilometer race at The
Crossings in Loudonville, and that wasn’t counting family that came
to cheer them on. The race featured several father-and-child
pairings, many combining something they already love to do — running
— with family time.
“It’s something we do most mornings anyway,” said Will Moran of
Niskayuna, who ran Sunday with his daughter Elizabeth.
She left home to head to college, he said, and now that she’s home
on summer break, Sunday’s race was a good way to spend time
together.
“It’s doubly important for that,” Moran said.
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Dennis Fitzgerald of Loudonville warms up with his three
children, Maura,14; Charlie,9; and Zoe,16, as they
prepare to run in the 4th Annual Community Resource
Father's Day 5k Run at the Crossing Park in Colonie.
(Photo by Tom Killips) |
Currently in its fourth year, the race is held to benefit Capital
District Community Gardens, a non-profit that fosters community
gardening and green space locally. In addition to the 5K race,
shorter runs were held Sunday for young children, who could also
participate in other activities like making Father’s Day cards.
“It’s a great Father’s Day event,” said Colonie Supervisor Paula
Mahan. “You can just see from the crowd that whole families are
out.”
She said the crowd appeared to be twice as large as last year.
John Carboni, a Troy firefighter, crossed the finish line just a
hair ahead of his 9-year-old daughter Maria. But she wasn’t
disappointed— a last-minute sprint in last year’s Father’s Day race
gave her the edge over her dad.
“I got him last year, and it was my first 5K,” she bragged.
|
John Carboni of Troy gets a little support from his
daughter, Maria,9, as they get ready to run in the
Father's Day 5K Run at the Crossing Park in Colonie.
(Photo by Tom Killips) |
 |
They also ran in Troy’s Turkey Trot in November. John Carboni
recently joined the 50 States Marathon Club, composed of runners
aiming to run one of the 26-mile races in each state, and he said he
has 10 down so far.
He is part of a group of city firefighters who plan to run in a
Marine Corps marathon in Washington, D.C. in October to benefit burn
victims.
“We’ve got a group of firemen we’ve set up,” he said. “We’re trying
to set an example for the younger guys.”
Some of the department’s less-frequent runners complain of getting
tired quickly, he said, but it’s something that passes.
“You get used to it,” he said. “It gets fun.”
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Andrew Fleck, 9, stretches while his father Andrew Fleck
II watches. They are from Castleton and were preparing
to run in the Father's Day 5k Run at the Crossing Park
in Colonie Sunday. (Photo by Tom Killips)
|
Sunday also featured a number of runners with the beginner group No
Boundaries, some of whom are runners who have not run in a long
time, like Adam Cowan of Saratoga, who ran his last race in 2003.
“I said, ‘I haven’t done this awhile, so I’m going to get back into
it,’” Cowan said. “In a way, it’s a bonding experience, even with
the friends and people I’ve never met in the group.”
Some people ran Sunday for the very first time.
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A record number of nearly 700 runners start the 4th
Annual Community Resource Father's Day 5K Run which
benefits Capital District Community Gardens. On the far
left is the winner, Alex Grout of Clifton Park. (Photo
by Tom Killips) |
 |
Young Ryan Cohen, of Slingerlands, described running his first 5K
Sunday as “really hard,” but he said the people around him were very
supportive.
“People were encouraging all along the way,” added his father
Michael, noting that everyone running near them knew their names.
“They said, ‘Come on, Mike, you can do it.’”
“I think I actually lost weight this Father’s Day,” he added.
Not all would be skipping out on a big traditional breakfast,
though. But at least they got a solid workout in before hand.
“We’re going to do that after this,” said a smiling Andrew Fleck of
Castleton, who ran with his son Andrew III. “But this gives us an
excuse. We got some exercise in first.”
Dave Canfield can be reached at 270-1290 or by e-mail at
dcanfield@troyrecord.com.
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Alex Grout of Clifton Park wins the 4th Annual Community
Resource Father's Day 5k Run Sunday. Grout finished in
15:21, (Photo by Tom Killips) |
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