Earth Day Half Marathon and 5K

The Earth Day Half Marathon and 5K is a sizable event that, for many, launches a season of half marathons in the Syracuse area. It serves as the innagural event in Willow Running’s race series.

This year’s edition race was initially scheduled for April 18, the day I had planned to run the Helderberg to Hudson Half Marathon in Albany. Syracuse’s popular Good Samaritan was also scheduled to run that weekend. As it happens, I may now have a chance to run all three events, pending the status of the race in Albany.

While major local races such as the Mountain Goat Run and Utica’s iconic Boliermake moved the virtual formats (that latter making that announcement today), the Earth Day race, which has been rescheduled for July 12, might still happen.

Race director Mike Samoraj offered runners three options when he opted to reschedule the race: run the race on July 12, run the race as a virtual event, or run the race as a “virtu-real” event on the course at any point. Runners who navigated the race course on their own can pick up their finisher’s medal and shirt or jacket and submit their time, which will be added to the results should the event run in July. Finishers still have the option of running in the race, but this gives runners who can’t make the event in July or who wish to avoid the July heat a chance to have finishing times posted in the results.

I plan on competing next month (should it be permitted), but I opted to run the course in May. I’ve run a number of virtual events over the past few months, but as I hope to share some details of local courses with future participants and to get a closer sense of each competition’s unique venue, I’ve opted to run the actual courses of this race, the Good Samaritan 5K, and the Mountain Goat Run.

The Earth Day races begin at Emmi’s Farm near Baldwinsville, site of the Harvest 5K. The Earth Day 5K and half marathon start on Vann Road; the 5K then turns left on Fenner before reversing course and heading back to Emmi’s, while the half marathon turns right and heads north on Fenner through scenic farm country. There are a few gentle grades, but nothing challenging at this stage.

Fenner takes you through the hamlet of Jacksonville, about 3.6 miles into the course. The course turns left on to County Line Road at the 4.9 mile mark. Large fields surround this portion of the course, leaving runners exposed to the wind on a chilly April day—or the heat in July.

Another left turn on to Plainville Road at mile 6.8 places the runners on a main road with a decent shoulder. Traffic wasn’t a problem during my run during the height of the lockdown, but this might be one of the busier sections of the course as runners head south toward the village of Lysander.

The first significant climb starts in the village, 8.1 miles into the race. The hill kicks up fairly sharply at 8,5 miles and crests at Church Street, the next turn. This brings runners to a second significant and smaller third climb at miles 8.9 and 9.3.

The course turns right on Wheaton, then left on Reeves, which appropriately enough takes runners past the vast Reeve’s Farm, one of the Baldwinsville area’s largest farms. This is another stretch bounded by large fields an exposed to the elements, but it marks the final few miles of the course.

The course brings runners back to Fenner (mile 11.4) and familiar territory, as the course follows Fenner back to Vann. The final mile on Vann is long, straight, and like other portions of the course, exposed.

The day I ran the course was chilly and windy, probably not unlike conditions in April. Other than a chill in the first mile, these were ideal conditions for me—I love running 40 degree temperatures! The course was well-marked, the roads were quiet, and the countryside was beautiful. As there were obviously no aid stations and few places to stop along the way, especially in the heart of the pandemic, I ran rather conservatively to ensure I had enough steam left for the hills and the final miles.

I’d run the Mountain Goat course with a few friends the previous weekend, and that probably helped to prepare me for the climbs. If you’re familiar with that course, the Earth Day climbs are similar to the second and third major Mountain Goat climbs. They’re manageable, though runners hit them rather late in the course, which could make them more challenging, as could the heat next month.

The remainder of the course has a few small climbs and gentle rollers. It’s easy to set and keep a tempo to the hills, and the final three miles gradually descend to the finish. I finished the course in 2 hours and eleven minutes (I’m slow) with energy to spare. This might not hold true next month in the heat, but this year will hopefully be the anomaly.

This year’s giveaway is a beautiful jacket (half marathon and premium 5K), and finishers will receive a medal specific to their event. The half marathon medal has a unique hinged design. The jacket and medal are CNYRacing products, and both exhibit the company’s usual excellence.

The event usually concludes with a festival with food and music. This might not happen this year, should the event run, for obvious reasons.