Adirondack Sports June 2024

RUNNING & WALKING continued from 13
can register as a “Route Rooter” and receive a cowbell to
enhance their efforts. Afterwards, head to the Commons
for a full day of fun with food and craft vendors, carnival
and pony rides, and live music – and fireworks at 9:30pm.
Age group awards will be a fun assortment of “pick your
own prizes.” To register, visit: runsignup.com.
And yes, if you are like me, you’re already crunching
the numbers. A fair number of people “double” with the
early Firecracker in Saratoga, followed by the Freedom
Mile in Clifton Park – try it!
The other “summer place to be” race is the Silks &
Satins 5K, Jeff Clark Memorial Race, traditionally held
on the first Saturday of track season, this year on July 13.
Originally called the Satins, Silks & Stars, the silks are the
jockey’s uniform, representing the horse owner’s colors
and logo, and satins, a material that was traditionally used
in their construction. The Stars part of the title is a bit less
obvious but referred to the celebrity galas that socialite
and philanthropist Mary Lou Whitney hosted to inaugurate
each track season.
Bill and Cathy Taylor originally partnered with Special
Olympics to direct the first few events and then my husband,
Jeff Clark, took over, backed by Price Chopper’s
Golub Foundation. The Saratoga Stryders Running Club
still supplies the vast number of course marshals needed
to staff all 23 intersections. One of our favorite activities
was packet night, where over 1,000 goodie bags were filled
with sponsor donations. It was rather like the I Love Lucy
show’s assembly line factory episode and quite a challenging
race in its own right.
Jeff fully embraced the extracurricular duties incumbent
on race directors! This included driving a box truck
fully loaded with race supplies through downtown’s prerace
Hat’s Off celebration; to nearly getting arrested for
defacing public property while trying to mark the course
at 2am; to making a toilet paper run to address a crucial
deficiency – he did it all. After he succumbed to Agent
Orange-related cancer in 2014, the event he had cared
about so much was renamed in his honor.
Beginning and ending at the Fasig-Tipton pavilion,
home of the thoroughbred horse yearling sales, where
millions of dollars change hands, runners trace a flat
and fast route around the East Side track neighborhoods.
Plan to arrive early and enjoy a camera-worthy view of
the thoroughbreds as they circle the historic Oklahoma
Training Track.
Feel good about your experience knowing that a part of
your race fee supports the Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga,
a national nonprofit headquartered in Saratoga Springs.
Through their auspices, retired racehorses are offered the
peace they deserve in their final years. Others are introduced
to forever families and still others become partners
in the Second Chances program where intimates care for
and bond with the animals. To register, visit: zippyreg.com.
Finally, the Saratoga Stryders 22nd annual Camp
Saratoga 5K Trail Race Series begins Monday, July 29 at
6:15pm and replays every Monday in August at the Wilton
Wildlife Preserve & Park. The Trail Series was modeled on
the Hudson-Mohawk Road Runners Club’s Tawasentha
Cross-Country Series. This is because I got tired of leaving
work early in Saratoga, so I could drive my daughter
and her running teammates an hour each way for yearly
XC tryouts. Like most light bulb moments, there were
glitches. While Camp Saratoga was an easy decision for
Saratoga locals, as race director, I simply replaced a long
drive with all the race preparation tasks! Still, I was happy
to give my friends the opportunity for a similar experience
closer to home.
Unashamedly, I copied Tawasentha’s Dollar Store
raffle concept, but gradually it has expanded to include
“valuable” yard sale items. Camp offers watermelon and
squeeze ices and the final day we celebrate with BJ’s cookies.
Saratoga’s iRun Local also brings in a variety of shoe
and equipment reps who have running shoes and gear
for us to demo.
What I enjoy most about this event is that it pretty much
runs itself. Many of the same local and out-of-town families
show up every year, and for some people this is the only
organized race or walk they do. Others enjoy the fact that
the casual weekday atmosphere sets it apart from weekend
events and they enjoy the friendly rivalries that develop.
While there are no formal awards, overall and age-graded
winners get first pick at the upgraded final raffle, which features
gift cards from iRun Local, and free entries to upcoming
local races. We have a family award for the family with
the most members (including aunts, cousins, etc.) over the
span of the five races. In my mind, the most difficult is the
Continual Improvement award for those who run faster
during each consecutive race. I achieved that once, and it
is the most stressful thing I have ever done as the momentum
builds relentlessly over the five weeks.
JUNE 2024 15
◀ PRE-RACE AT CAMP
SARATOGA 5K, 2023.
DON PROULX
◀ 2023 SILKS &
SATINS 5K FINISH.
DARRYL CARON
As with all popular events, there is always room
for change. This year, with Matt Miczek’s considerable
mapping skills, we’ve created a slightly revised route
that bypasses the endangered Karner Blue habitat. The
Saratoga Stryders have also entered the 21st century with
online registration via RunSignUp, so visit: campsaratoga.
saratogastryders.org. The goal is to make this an accessible
family affair, with low race fees: children 1-12 free,
13-18 $5, and adults $10. Before July 29, registration for
the complete five-race (or walk/hike) series, online or
in-person, is $20 for ages 13-18 and $40 for adults – a bargain.
Profits are donated to the Camp Saratoga trails at
Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park.
My husband Jeff often said, “It’s a privilege to live in
Saratoga Springs.” Come and join us this summer and
experience the magic!
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.