Stockade-athon 15K Celebrates 50 Years

Plus, Best Bet November Races

By Mona Kulkarni Caron

While the racing season is starting to wind down, in between Halloween themed races and the turkey trots, are wonderful events to consider for your next race with your family and friends.

The MVP Health Care Stockade-athon 15K is celebrating its 50th year on Sunday, Nov. 8. This fall classic has been a mainstay of the Capital Region racing community with many local legends and up and comers gathering annually.

The event was initiated to commemorate the nation’s bicentennial by Schenectady City Councilman, Joe Notar, who approached Mark Mindel and Chris Carroll to plan and direct a race in Schenectady. Since there were many 5Ks and 10Ks, they decided on a 15K based on a route Mark and Tom Miller created while Mark was coaching cross-country and teaching at Bishop Gibbons High School.

In the early days, the start and finish was on the Central Park cross country course and ran past the former St. Clare’s Hospital (now McClellen Street Health Center), past Linton High (now Schenectady High School) into the Stockade Historic District, and turned at Lawrence the Indian statue, headed back up State Street to Fehr Avenue, and into the park for the finish.

“I was co-race director with Chris Carroll the first year in 1976, then with the Parks Department in 1977-78. Hudson Mohawk Road Runners Club took it over and had various race directors including Vince Juliano who served the longest, from 1998 to 2016,” recalled Mark.

The course changed many times after that. Eventually, Vince moved the starting line to State Street at Veterans Park (near MVP Health Care headquarters) and the finish line to City Hall, which was modified slightly in 2019. Vince says, “I’m most proud of being one of the architects of the current course, which moved off State Street in 2002, then through the historic Vale Cemetery, and a downtown start in 2014. It’s a big circular course with challenging logistics, like the Utica Boilermaker 15K.”

Looking back, Mark shared that he and Scott Ferguson, a local Shaker High School star, won in an intentional tie in 1976 and he tied again with Jay Smith in 1977. Mark won in 1979 and ran 43 years consecutively with 2018 being his last. Early on there were a few tie finishes and with no prize money, there wasn’t as much of an incentive, so it was a gentlemen’s thing to do, according to Vince.

Tom Dalton of Rotterdam, a prolific racer, has six wins, seven second places, and a third and fourth place finish, in 15 race starts over 30 years, and has the most wins in the men’s division. Lori Hewig, formerly of the Capital Region, has seven wins between 1989 and 2002. 

English-born Canadian long-distance runner, Ed Whitlock, the first person over 70 years old to run a marathon in less than three hours, also visited nine times from 2003-2016. In 2013, at age 82, his time was 1:09:11, a 101.5% age-graded score! Recently, Cara Sherman-Udvadia of Clifton Park has had four wins over the last seven years.

The first year had 80 participants and it’s grown substantially with a peak of 1,860 runners in 2013. Since 2008, there’s been equal prize money for men and women. The Daily Gazette was a longtime sponsor, and MVP Health Care has been a supportive title sponsor, and Capital District YMCA and Fleet Feet are also sponsors.

The race is a lovely tour of Schenectady starting downtown, through the Stockade neighborhood, on the Empire State Trail alongside the Mohawk River/Erie Canal, past Union College and the “GE Plot” residential neighborhood, through Central Park and downhill to Vale Cemetery and a finish at City Hall. It’s a safe and well-supported race with water stops, course marshals, and plenty of community support. 

New this year, HMRRC is excited to announce a new grant program focused on young runners, where those 18 years and under will receive a 50% discount on their registration. 

At 50 years, the Stockade-athon 15K remains an important race for the Capital Region, attracting top runners locally, from the Northeast, and is open to all paces and abilities. Vince added, “I’m incredibly happy to see the Stockade-athon is continuing to do well under race director Brian Northan. At 50 years, it’s a ‘super classic.’” Register: stockadeathon.com.

Other Best Bets – Start out the month by setting your clocks back, falling back in bed for that extra hour, and emerging ready to breathe crisp, autumn air and tackle scenic trails in beautiful Saratoga Spa State Park. The Fall Back 5 five-mile trail race, on Sunday, Nov 1, is a combination of hills, ridges, and singletrack, with a few wide trails, paved sections, and grassy areas, highlighting sections of the park many have never seen before. There’s even a stair climb, nature’s original obstacle course at its finest.

To keep registration affordable, instead of a race T-shirt or other swag item, race organizer Saratoga Stryders will have nice prizes for the post-race raffle drawing with runners and volunteers eligible to win, inside the Roosevelt II Building. It’s capped at 200 people, so register soon: runsignup.com.

The FC4 Events’ 14th annual Revolutionary Run for Veterans at “America’s Turning Point” 5K on Saturday, Nov. 7, benefits the Saratoga County Veterans Trust and Agency Fund. Staged at the historic Fort Hardy Park in Schuylerville, this family-friendly event offers a flat and fast route around the Saratoga County 250th Celebration’s most pivotal sites. Run along the Champlain Canal where British General John Burgoyne led his soldiers across the river resulting in the Battles of Saratoga – the turning point of the American Revolution. 

But more than that, it is an opportunity to acknowledge the sacrifices made by our veterans and their families, with patriotic music, a flag ceremony, speeches by local officials – a fitting prelude to Veterans Day on Nov. 11. Afterwards, cheer for the kids participating in the free Kids Fun Nature Run, and then enjoy a barbecue hosted by Saratoga County American Legion Posts: fc4events.com.

Girls on the Run 5K is an empowering end-of-season celebration for the Capital Region chapter of the girls running program. Taking place on Saturday, Nov. 14 at Jennings Landing in Albany, it’s open to the girls, their families, and the public – women and men. The closing event gives program participants of all abilities a tangible sense of accomplishment. Crossing the finish line instills confidence through completion and while the race is not chip-timed, it’s a joyful moment program participants always remember. All finishers receive a medal and race T-shirts can be preordered. Volunteering on race day is also a great way to get involved: gotrcr.org/5k

The Upstate Classic, produced by ARE Event Productions, offers a half marathon and 5K on Saturday, Nov. 15. Staged from the spacious Altamont Fairgrounds just a few miles outside of Albany, you can enjoy the gorgeous views at the base of the Helderberg Escarpment around rural Guilderland. Both races start together with the out-and-back 5K using the first 1.55 miles of the longer race. The 13.1 miles is one big loop around the country roads. The half features rolling hills with a 346-foot elevation gain. 

Children 12 and under can participate in either the half-mile or one-miler run at the fairgrounds infield. All finishers receive a ribbon and a post-race meal. Half-marathoners will receive a medal and all participants will have the option to purchase commemorative gear: areep.com.

Each one of our previewed events offers a different experience from our highly active and engaged running community. Don’t miss out – register soon!

Mona Kulkarni Caron (mona@adksports.com) enjoys running, biking, paddling, and the outdoors. She’s the managing editor for Upstate Sports and Vermont Sports magazines, a volunteer mentor for the Run for Women Training Challenge, past race director of the Good Karma 5K Run/Walk, and recent director of trails & stewardship at Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.