Kiwanis Kingston Classic 2016
Story under slideshow
The Start |
Marathon on Rail Trail |
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Half Marathon Mill Dam Road |
The Finish |
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Kiwanis Kingston Classic 2016: Full of Runner Spirit
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4.25.16
Paul Ostrander
Kingston—The 2016 Kiwanis Kingston Classic, held Sunday morning, drew over 800 runners, 63 of them participating in the full marathon, and a large crowd of supporters to Dietz Stadium in Kingston where people happily enjoyed the nice weather, relishing in the spirit of running and the sense of community permeating throughout the day.
The overall first place finisher of the full marathon, Andrii Toptun, 35, finished with a time of 2:50:18. First place overall runners for the half marathon and 10k respectively were Avanti Peters, with a time of 1:21:18 and Mike Chow, 37, with a time of 0:37:31. Overall winners for the 5k and mile classic were Baxter Wareham, 17, with a time of 17 minutes flat and Ryan Day, 8, finishing the mile in 0:07:43. Complete results here.
This was the third year of the Kiwanis Kingston Classic as a Hits Running event and featured a 1 mile, 5k, 10k, half marathon, full marathon divisions for participants spanning a wide range of ages from children and pre-teens to 74 years old.
Amanda Mahony, of Hits Endurance, said there were approximately 750 runners preregistered and that there was a huge turnout of last minute runners which pushed the overall participation to over 800. Luckily, she said, there were over 200 volunteers so they were able to accommodate the last minute applicants as well as the large crowd of supporters within the stadium.
The marathon, which is primarily run on the Rail Trail, provided runners with a scenic course and a bit of refreshing shade. Each runner finished their race on the final 100 meter stretch of the track a Dietz Stadium in front of crowds of supporters filling the stands, people leisurely enjoying the day in grassy surrounding areas and families, many with their children, visiting various vendors or bringing their children to play in the parking lot’s bounce house. A very popular communal area was under the beer tent where runners would commune after the race and enjoy their complementary free beer.
There is a refreshing atmosphere created amongst those who attended the event. Members of local runners clubs, families, participants, spectators and staff, were freely interacting giving off a noticeable vibe of unencumbered support.
Steve Shindler, who won for the 50-59 age group of the full marathon and has participated in the Kiwanis Kingston Classic 27 times, winning his group in 2014 also, said the way the events were broken up really supported the interaction of runners and attendees.
“Most marathons, all you have is the marathon,” said Shindler. “This marathon is relatively small but, it’s nice to have all the different distances because you have people who can run from a 5k all the way up to a full marathon and everybody gets to interact and it’s nice because you can finish your race and you can watch other people finish their race and sort of get into the spirit of things.”
Shindler is a member of the Onteora Runner’s Club, which had a number of affiliated participants Sunday, so he had already known many people but, despite that, he said he was glad to have met even more people, some of which he held conversations with as they were actively competing against each other.
As Shindler observed, there was a great deal of spirit at the event and it would probably be safe to say spirit and community were the main themes of the event because in addition to the open, communal atmosphere, the event drew some inspirational participants; people really pushing their own limits.
It’s not a new, or unique, connection to make between distance running and pushing limits; however, some of these participants pushed themselves in ways that would be foreign to even the most veteran runner.
David Shaw, 64, who participated in the 10k race, said he runs for the therapeutic benefits. Having dealt with anxiety and depression, Shaw began to realize distance running provided the same sort of trans-like state as deep meditation. That, paired with the natural regulation of breathing that occurs as a result of running long distances, helps him to cope and gives him peace of mind. If that were all, it would still be a massive display of courage and spirit but, it’s not all: Shaw suffers from Parkinson’s Disease. Parkinson’s Disease is not typically something one would think they could run a marathon with but, Shaw said it has continued to improve his physical abilities and provide him with relief.
Shaw said, “Usually, when I run, I shuffle my feet. Today, I was able to get trucking. Keeping moving is critical for getting the therapeutic benefits. I think you’ll see many more people with Parkinson’s doing this. It was fun.”
It’s unclear if there was a correlation between the atmosphere of the event and Shaw’s performance but, regardless, he said he is convinced distance running is what works for him and he will definitely participate in next year’s classic.
Shaw’s was not the only participant to show such spirit either. One of the stars of the classic, Jessica Leichtweisz (pronounced like-vice), 29, celebrated her 18th completed marathon of the year as part of her endeavor to run 30 marathons before she turns 30 years old, completing her final marathon on May 21rst the day she turns 30. That would be an impressive accomplishment on its own but, like Shaw, Leichtweisz has a hindrance. When Leichtweisz was born she was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on any part of the nervous system.
Leichtweisz explained why she embarked on this endeavor.
“Last March, March of 2015, I had found out that I had a tumor on the nerve of my foot. I had just finished my second marathon and my doctor told me that I had to stop running, that I wasn’t going to be able to run anymore and immediately when she gave me that diagnosis, I just looked at her and said, ‘I’m going to run thirty marathons by my thirtieth birthday’. And did it. Not for myself, I can’t even say that I absolutely love running but, I did it because I didn’t want anyone to ever be told that there is something they can’t do and I just believe, so much inside of me, that we get to decide what is real for us, what is true for us and that no one else has a decision in what we can or can’t do,” said Leichtweisz.
Leichtweisz, having been known to frequent a marathon or two, said the Kiwanis Kingston Classic is, by far, her favorite marathon event and was really happy with Sunday’s event.
Keeping with the spirit of the supporters and participants were the volunteer staff. Generally, people there felt the staff was friendly and accommodating. The staff, too, if not attending to other duties, took the time to interact with those that were there. For example, one of them wearing a Winnie the Pooh ear hat went around to congratulate runners and engage in playful antics with spectators.
As the classic is a huge event for the Kingston/ Ulster community and acts as a hub for meaningful human interaction amongst runners and non-runners alike, it makes sense that a majority of proceeds will go towards community outreach and playgrounds that need rebuilding.
The Hits Running series next New York event will be in Ulster County again, this time in Saugerties, starting May 2nd, for a week long tri-camp.
Paul Ostrander
Kingston—The 2016 Kiwanis Kingston Classic, held Sunday morning, drew over 800 runners, 63 of them participating in the full marathon, and a large crowd of supporters to Dietz Stadium in Kingston where people happily enjoyed the nice weather, relishing in the spirit of running and the sense of community permeating throughout the day.
The overall first place finisher of the full marathon, Andrii Toptun, 35, finished with a time of 2:50:18. First place overall runners for the half marathon and 10k respectively were Avanti Peters, with a time of 1:21:18 and Mike Chow, 37, with a time of 0:37:31. Overall winners for the 5k and mile classic were Baxter Wareham, 17, with a time of 17 minutes flat and Ryan Day, 8, finishing the mile in 0:07:43. Complete results here.
This was the third year of the Kiwanis Kingston Classic as a Hits Running event and featured a 1 mile, 5k, 10k, half marathon, full marathon divisions for participants spanning a wide range of ages from children and pre-teens to 74 years old.
Amanda Mahony, of Hits Endurance, said there were approximately 750 runners preregistered and that there was a huge turnout of last minute runners which pushed the overall participation to over 800. Luckily, she said, there were over 200 volunteers so they were able to accommodate the last minute applicants as well as the large crowd of supporters within the stadium.
The marathon, which is primarily run on the Rail Trail, provided runners with a scenic course and a bit of refreshing shade. Each runner finished their race on the final 100 meter stretch of the track a Dietz Stadium in front of crowds of supporters filling the stands, people leisurely enjoying the day in grassy surrounding areas and families, many with their children, visiting various vendors or bringing their children to play in the parking lot’s bounce house. A very popular communal area was under the beer tent where runners would commune after the race and enjoy their complementary free beer.
There is a refreshing atmosphere created amongst those who attended the event. Members of local runners clubs, families, participants, spectators and staff, were freely interacting giving off a noticeable vibe of unencumbered support.
Steve Shindler, who won for the 50-59 age group of the full marathon and has participated in the Kiwanis Kingston Classic 27 times, winning his group in 2014 also, said the way the events were broken up really supported the interaction of runners and attendees.
“Most marathons, all you have is the marathon,” said Shindler. “This marathon is relatively small but, it’s nice to have all the different distances because you have people who can run from a 5k all the way up to a full marathon and everybody gets to interact and it’s nice because you can finish your race and you can watch other people finish their race and sort of get into the spirit of things.”
Shindler is a member of the Onteora Runner’s Club, which had a number of affiliated participants Sunday, so he had already known many people but, despite that, he said he was glad to have met even more people, some of which he held conversations with as they were actively competing against each other.
As Shindler observed, there was a great deal of spirit at the event and it would probably be safe to say spirit and community were the main themes of the event because in addition to the open, communal atmosphere, the event drew some inspirational participants; people really pushing their own limits.
It’s not a new, or unique, connection to make between distance running and pushing limits; however, some of these participants pushed themselves in ways that would be foreign to even the most veteran runner.
David Shaw, 64, who participated in the 10k race, said he runs for the therapeutic benefits. Having dealt with anxiety and depression, Shaw began to realize distance running provided the same sort of trans-like state as deep meditation. That, paired with the natural regulation of breathing that occurs as a result of running long distances, helps him to cope and gives him peace of mind. If that were all, it would still be a massive display of courage and spirit but, it’s not all: Shaw suffers from Parkinson’s Disease. Parkinson’s Disease is not typically something one would think they could run a marathon with but, Shaw said it has continued to improve his physical abilities and provide him with relief.
Shaw said, “Usually, when I run, I shuffle my feet. Today, I was able to get trucking. Keeping moving is critical for getting the therapeutic benefits. I think you’ll see many more people with Parkinson’s doing this. It was fun.”
It’s unclear if there was a correlation between the atmosphere of the event and Shaw’s performance but, regardless, he said he is convinced distance running is what works for him and he will definitely participate in next year’s classic.
Shaw’s was not the only participant to show such spirit either. One of the stars of the classic, Jessica Leichtweisz (pronounced like-vice), 29, celebrated her 18th completed marathon of the year as part of her endeavor to run 30 marathons before she turns 30 years old, completing her final marathon on May 21rst the day she turns 30. That would be an impressive accomplishment on its own but, like Shaw, Leichtweisz has a hindrance. When Leichtweisz was born she was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on any part of the nervous system.
Leichtweisz explained why she embarked on this endeavor.
“Last March, March of 2015, I had found out that I had a tumor on the nerve of my foot. I had just finished my second marathon and my doctor told me that I had to stop running, that I wasn’t going to be able to run anymore and immediately when she gave me that diagnosis, I just looked at her and said, ‘I’m going to run thirty marathons by my thirtieth birthday’. And did it. Not for myself, I can’t even say that I absolutely love running but, I did it because I didn’t want anyone to ever be told that there is something they can’t do and I just believe, so much inside of me, that we get to decide what is real for us, what is true for us and that no one else has a decision in what we can or can’t do,” said Leichtweisz.
Leichtweisz, having been known to frequent a marathon or two, said the Kiwanis Kingston Classic is, by far, her favorite marathon event and was really happy with Sunday’s event.
Keeping with the spirit of the supporters and participants were the volunteer staff. Generally, people there felt the staff was friendly and accommodating. The staff, too, if not attending to other duties, took the time to interact with those that were there. For example, one of them wearing a Winnie the Pooh ear hat went around to congratulate runners and engage in playful antics with spectators.
As the classic is a huge event for the Kingston/ Ulster community and acts as a hub for meaningful human interaction amongst runners and non-runners alike, it makes sense that a majority of proceeds will go towards community outreach and playgrounds that need rebuilding.
The Hits Running series next New York event will be in Ulster County again, this time in Saugerties, starting May 2nd, for a week long tri-camp.
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