(Utica, NY – Aug. 2013) The Boilermaker Road Race is pleased to award the traveling trophies in the Seventh Annual Empower Federal Credit Union 5K School Challenge to Sauquoit Valley High School Girls’ Team who successfully defended its title as the reigning 5K Champion.
The Sauquoit Valley Girls’ Team has won the Empower Federal Credit Union 5K Challenge since its inception. This year, the New Hartford Boys’ Team defeated the six time champions the Sauquoit Valley Boys’ Team.
Team scoring was based on the average Carbone 5K Race finishing time of the first five girls’ team finishers and the first five boys’ team finishers. The Sauquoit Girls Team won with a combined time of 1:56:55, and a combined time of23:23, followed by the New Hartford Girls Team. The New Hartford Boys’ Team won with a combined time of 1:35:57, a combined average time of 19:12, followed by the Sauquoit Valley Boys’ Team.
Plaques were awarded to the first five girls from the Sauquoit Valley Team (Gianna Latella from Cassville and Andrea George, Renee Henck, Hayley Mielnicki, Mia Salvatore all from Sauquoit) and the first five boys from the New Hartford Team (Kelan McKenna, Ian McKenna, John Maciag, Nicholas Lemire all from New Hartford and Kenneth Burdick of Sauquoit).
In the Sixth Annual Empower Federal Credit Union 15K School Challenge, New Hartford Central School won both the boys’ and girls’ trophies. Team scoring was based on the average 15K Race finishing time of the first five boys’ team finishers and the first five girls’ team finishers. The New Hartford Girls’ Team successfully defended their title with a combined time of 6:23:40, and a combined average time of 1:16:44, followed by the Whitesboro Girls’ Team. The New Hartford Boys’ Team won with a combined time of 5:39:17, and a combined average time of 1:07:52, next place team was the Holland Patent Boys’ Team.
Plaques were awarded to the first five girls (Kimberly Wrate, Samantha Hollister, Samantha Madden, Lanika Sanders all of New Hartford and Whitney Petralia of Utica) and the first five boys (Blake Haddad of Frankfort, Sammy Cittadino of Utica, Forrest Sears of Sauquoit, Sean McKenna and Adam Zogby, both of New Hartford).
Whitesboro Central School was awarded the Highest Percentage of Participation Award with 4.18 percent of the student body participating in either the Boilermaker 15K or the Carbone 5K Races. New Hartford Central School finished second with a participation of 4.06 percent.
The following schools were eligible to participate in the Empower Federal Credit Union School Challenge: Adirondack Central, Brookfield Central, Camden Central, Canastota, Clinton Central, Cooperstown, Dolgeville, Frankfort-Schuyler, Hamilton, Herkimer, Holland Patent, Ilion, Little Falls, Madison, Mount Markham, Mohawk, Morrisville-Eaton, New Hartford, New York Mills, Notre Dame, Old Forge, Oneida, Oriskany, Owen D. Young, Poland, Thomas R. Proctor, Remsen, Richfield Springs, Rome Catholic, Rome Free Academy, Sauquoit Valley, South Lewis, Vernon- Verona Sherrill, Waterville, West Canada Valley, Westmoreland and Whitesboro. Each runner had to be a full time student between grades 7-12 as of June 1, 2013 or a 2013 graduate of the school they attended.
Boilermaker Celebrates Charity Bib Success
The charities of choice involved in the Boilermaker Charity Bib Program had a reception at the F.X. Matt Brewery to celebrate their efforts. The inaugural year of the charity bib netted nearly $105,000 for the participating organizations. In order to participate, charity runners had to commit to raising a minimum of $500 for one of ten charities. David Ayoub, running for Make A Wish, was the highest pledge gather raising $4,585. As a result David earned free entry into the next five Boilermakers as well as a $500 donation to Make A Wish on behalf of the Boilermaker.
While many of the runners were local, runners from California, North Carolina, Texas and Oregon also participated. In all, 163 charity bibs were registered.
‘The primary role of the Boilermaker is to be a positive change agent within our community’ said Tim Reed, President of the Boilermaker Road Race. “This program adds a human face to those that give and those in need.”
One of those agencies involved was the Food Bank of Central New York. “Food Bank of Central New York was honored to partner with the Boilermaker Road Race and the inaugural Charity Bib Program. This opportunity offered a new and creative way for us to raise awareness about our hunger-relief mission and support the 36th Annual Boilermaker,” said Sarah Miller-Locke, Director of Agency Relations at Food Bank of Central New York.
Other charities involved in this year’s Charity Bib Program were: Sitrin Medical Rehabilitation Center, Recourse Center for Independent Living, Friends of the Arc, AIDS Community Resources, Make-A-Wish of Central New York, Central New York Veterans Outreach Center, CNY Susan G. Komen for the Cure, A Better Chance of Clinton & the Mohawk Valley and The YMCA of Greater Syracuse.