Running through Hudson Falls for Fallen Runners
On Saturday, I carpooled with Carissa O’Rourke to the Hudson Falls High School for a local race, Hudson Falls Rotary Run 4 Kids 5K. For the past four years, the race has combined two events that had been a tradition in the area for decades. One of the races, started in 1984, began with Anthony Luciano, or Coach Tony as his students called him. His life was full of academic, service, and fitness achievements, from his three years in the Marine Corp in 1943, setting the two-mile relay team record in 1943 at 7:32.9, as well as coaching Hudson Falls basketball and cross-country teams, securing 335 and 221 wins respectively. He also was a Town Recreation Commission Director for thirty-two years and a former Deputy Mayor of Hudson Falls. In 1996, a monument in Darby Park was dedicated in his honor in recognition of his love and dedication to the town. He passed away at 91 in September of 2012, but his legacy continues to inspire with this annual charity race.
The other event, Operation Santa, has been around for fifty-one years, started by one Hudson Falls school teacher, Frank Munoff, to provide clothing and food for underprivileged children. It has grown to raise over $278,000 since 2021 and helps nearly 2,500 children every year. Operation Santa has spurred countless fundraising efforts throughout the area, not only from this race. Given the distressing and tumultuous time for social services, charities like Operation Santa are as important as ever.
For local runners in the area, this year’s race is partly dedicated to the recent passing of Cathy Biss. Less than one week before the race, the Adirondack Runners were informed of her tragic death. She was a board member and active participant in the local community for decades. As her obituary lovingly mentions, "[she] was always in motion, walking, hiking, biking, and swimming — completing hundreds of races and events." I had saw her last at the annual Goblin Gallop race in October. Thirty minutes before the race began, the president of the group, Dee Endieveri, invited everyone in the local running community to gather for a moment of silence to honor and remember Cathy Biss. This tragic event certainly illuminates the deeply human condition that tomorrow is promised to no one. We have to always live our lives to the fullest, and for Cathy, that was certainly what she did.
When Carissa and I arrived at the high school, we headed inside to pick up our race numbers. Moments after snagging my race number and shirt, I witnessed the reunion of Carissa and her eighth-grade teacher, Mrs. Melucci, after many years. Carissa commented that she was her favorite social studies teacher and exuded that she has kids of her own, later retrieving her phone to show her pictures of her kids. We connected with a host of other friends from various running groups, like the Saratoga Striders with Sue Nealon, the Adirondack Runners with Christine Cifone-Clohosey and Lisa Gabbe, and the Glens Falls Run Club with Raymond Ruby and Adam Morgan. Raymond had recently lost his mother, Darlene Erwin, and I wished him condolences before he warmed up his muscles. The brisk morning in Hudson Falls brought out over three hundred local runners and walkers, cultivating an impressive and unprecedented turnout according to the race organizers.
Feeling a little hungry, I ventured to an outside tent with griddles, slow cookers, and lots of pastries lined on tables, organized by the Hudson Falls High School music department. They were selling breakfast sandwiches, soup, chili, and cookies for a class trip to Virginia next year. I was impressed that they had a QR code posted on a sign to allow Venmo payments instead of cash, a welcome technological convenience given that it was hard to carry cash before a race. I ordered a breakfast sandwich then walked over to the large crowd gathering for a moment of silence for Cathy Biss and a group photo. Once I guzzled down my sandwich, the crowd moved a short distance toward the starting line for the kid’s fun run. There were dozens of kids, ranging in ages from toddler to elementary-school aged, gearing up for a short loop around the field. As the race began, parents and grandparents enthusiastically cheered, each child smiling and cruising their way in the course.
Once all the kids crossed the finish line, we all walked toward the starting line on Franklin Street for the 5K race. I snapped a selfie with Adam Morgan and Carissa O’Rourke to commemorate another race together, wishing everyone good luck. Securing my earphones into my ear and starting my watch, the race began, though after a hundred feet, I noticed that my shoes were untied necessitating a diversion to the sideline to tie my shoes. As I gathered speed from the momentary pause, we turned onto Burgoyne Avenue, moving around the fields of the high school. A gentleman nearby recognized my face from the election coverage in the newspaper, wishing me congratulations. Nearly two weeks ago, I won my first elected race for Glens Falls Ward 5 Council, an exuberantly exciting new chapter in my life.
We turned right onto Notre Dame Street, passing the Hudson Falls Middle School before quickly turning left onto Stephan Drive into the residential neighbors. One of the volunteers was shouting the current elapsed time in the race as we passed by the first mile marker. We whisked passed many houses, with lots of residents waving and shouting words of encouragement, as the course veered onto Martindale Avenue, Second Street, and King Avenue, before returning back onto Notre Dame Street. I saw the busy road of Main Street up ahead as I caught up with a woman wearing a Tokyo Marathon shirt. She had completed the marathon last March, marking sixty marathons in her lifetime. I commended her incredible fortitude, shyly stating that I have only completed eight. Wishing her well as she exalted past me, the course turned right onto Main Street, with firefighters standing on the corner for road protection.
Less than a half mile left in the race, I picked up a half dozen pieces of recyclables and trash littering the sidewalks. I carried an empty Cumberland Farms fountain cup with a tall can of Hard Baja Blast in one hand and smooshed cans in another, as the course veered back onto Franklin Street with the finish line in sight. Cristina, who had just finished the race, cheered me on from the sidelines. I sprinted past two runners as I crossed the finish line, walking through the narrow shoot. Still holding the garbage, I chatted with Jeremy Grabbe about the local Warren County Radio Club meeting at the Queensbury Fire Station next Monday. I had just taken an introductory class on ham radio in order to attempt the FCC amateur license exam. While I narrowly failed the test, my interest in continuing to learn and become a part of the amateur radio community persists. Jeremy’s son also developed a curiosity for the unique hobby.
I saw Tyler Truax nearby with a long sleeve shirt covering the sleeveless shirt he wore for the race. He finished in a blisteringly fast nineteen minutes, dominating our local run club participants. However, the overall winner was Dan McGrath with an incredible time of sixteen minutes and twenty seconds, along with his brother, Shaun McGrath, arriving one minute behind him. We all headed back inside the high school to snag some after race amenities, like a banana and chocolate milk, before the race organizers announced the overall and age-group winners. I learned that a fitness group, Outcast Athletics in Fort Edward, created a challenge for most participants from a local gym. The winner of this spirited challenge was Underwood Park Cross Fit, garnering thirty-three participants to sign up for the race.
Once the awards were given out, I headed across the room to fist bump a family wearing Philadelphia Eagles hats and exuding the fanatical parlance, “Go Birds,” and then headed outside with Carissa toward her car. I found out that both of us were headed to the Glens Falls Recreation Center for public ice skating later in the afternoon, with Carissa mentioning that it will be the first time her youngest son would be on the ice. While my calves certainly were sore by the time the day was over, I thoroughly enjoyed a lovely day running around Hudson Falls, and skating in Glens Falls, in memory of Cathy Biss, Tony Luciano, and Darlene Erwin.
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This November, my goal is to run thirty-four miles, venturing back to the Mike Nolan 5K in South Glens Falls and the Run for Kids 5K in Hudson Falls, embark on my inaugural participation in the Gobble Wobble 5K, continue running and collecting trash with the Glens Falls Run Club on Tuesday evenings, and enjoy longer trail runs with the Adirondack Runners on the weekends. Each step of the journey will showcase the breath of the unique places in upstate New York and the people that make our community special. This month will not only support the Movember organization but countless other organizations that build resilience and connection, from Open Door Mission, South Glens Falls Faculty Association, Hudson Falls Rotary Club, and the Adirondack Runners. Grow the stache, raise money for charity, and keep opening up about our collective struggles to become a beacon of light for the community.
Movember has helped fund documentaries and online tools to provide guides to overcoming mental hurtles with connection. Their financial assistance with the Ken Burn’s documentary, Hiding in Plain Sight, has illuminated the variety of mental illnesses, like depression, anxiety, and addiction, as well as the treatments available. The Movember Conversations online tool helps instill confidence and knowledge for tackling tough conversations, like heartbreak, isolation, stress, and aging. Created by licensed psychologists, it utilizes basic tenements of connection to allow people to feel heard, share vulnerabilities, and build relationships. The organization continues to sponsor grants for veterans and first-responders as well as workshops to bring people together throughout the world.
Donate to my Movember fundraiser:
