I would like to thank everyone who participated in the 1st Annual Niagara Hospice Dash! The event attracted almost 200 runners to historic Youngstown, New York along the shores of beautiful Lake Ontario. Race participants started at Porter-on-the-Lake Park before following Lake Road into scenic Four Mile State Park. After traveling through the park, runners returned to Porter-on-the-Lake via the Robert Moses Parkway.
Four Mile State Park was a very busy place on race day! Hundreds of campers lined the roadway to cheer on our runners as they made their way through the park. The Colton RV water station was a big hit! We strategically placed it in the middle of the park so that student volunteers were able to serve water at both the 1-1/2 and 2-mile markers as music played from our custom sound system.
Our friends from the NIKE Outlet did an outstanding job of marking the course, calling out times, and keeping our runners on the right path. I would especially like to thank store manager Kathy Busch for all her support and help in securing NIKE as our corporate sponsor. The drawstring backpacks and discount coupons were greatly appreciated and we hope to partner with NIKE for many years to come!
Many race participants made it a point to find me after the race and compliment our committee on putting together such a nice event. Our dedicated group of volunteers did an outstanding job preparing for race day and I would like to extend my sincere appreciation for all of their time and effort.
With that said, I also realize that we made a few mistakes along the way and pledge to do our best to correct them for next year. For example, one thing we plan to do is offer our walkers more than one route, including the chance to finish the entire 5K.
Finally, on behalf of Niagara Hospice and our entire race team, thank you for supporting the Hospice Dash. It was great to see so many first time runners out on the course. We hope you enjoyed the day and look forward to seeing you in September of 2010!
Paul Beatty Jr.
Chairman
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