| April 2003 Newsletter |
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25 Years Later, Elmira-Thon Ends
[Editor's note: The following article, which originally was published in the Elmira Star-Gazette, appeared in last month's newsletter missing paragraphs. We're running it again with the missing pieces. --ds]
The Elmira-Thon is dead at age 25. Rest in peace.
The Chemung Canal Trust Company, which has sponsored and presented the Elmira-Thon throughout its entire life, will discontinue their signature event and shift all energies to another Twin Tiers road race.
Dr. Nancy King, president of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Board of Elmira, announced Jan. 23, that Chemung Canal Trust Company will be the presenting local sponsor of the 2003 Komen Race for the Cure event.
"After 25 years, we were still very proud of the Elmira-Thon," said Marcy Scanlin, senior vice president/director of marketing for the Chemung Canal Trust Company. "When we sat down after the race to discuss the Elmira-Thon, we decided we ought to parlay all our expertise to a charitable community event. We've enjoyed doing the Elmira-Thon, and now we want to focus all our energy behind a cause-based (project). The Komen race matches our goals.
"It cost a lot of money to put on the Elmira-Thon, and we never made money on it," added Scanlin. "People would ask, 'Where does the money go?' We wanted the money to go for something. The Komen race has that kind of relevance."
The Chemung Canal Trust Company has invaluable resources to offer the Komen race, such as monetary contributions; employee manpower to fill numerous volunteer positions; public relations power, which includes Web site link ups and entry distribution; and road race management consultation.
Scanlin will serve on the Komen race committee, and be responsible for advertising and promotions. Chemung Canal Trust Company marketing research director, Kathy Vail, will serve as Komen race operations chair elect with current chair Barb Festa. Vail, who was race director of the 25th edition of the Elmira-Thon, will move into the Komen chair position in 2004.
Lorraine Shapiro of the Wineglass Running Club will continue as the 5K road race director, and Wineglass Running Club members will administer the finish line and timing operations.
"We are always looking for community-based support, and it's an honor that this (partnership) has come to fruition," said Dr. King, an ob/gyn specialist. "Having the Chemung Canal Trust Company as the presenting local sponsor comes with a generous financial contribution to the cause. And, a fresh input on developing basic local support so we can expand our grant-funding program."
The Elmira-Thon, which debuted on July 23, 1978, and was staged for the 25th and final time on June 2, 2002, was the oldest running-related event in the Twin Tiers.
Initally, the Elmira-Thon hosted a 10K and 20K road race, but as the event rode the waves of the nation's running boom, organizers decided to make changes to meet the needs of our community. The 20K was replaced by a 15K for one year; the 15K was eliminated and a 3-mile run fun was added; the 3-mile fun run became an official road race. A youth-oriented one-mile fun run was created for the region's elementary school kids, and a community health walk was inserted for adults. A biathlon (run-bike) event came next, and soon was switched to a duathlon (run-bike-run) format. The original 10K road race, which showcased the region's best long-distance runners, always remained the core event.
It was the concept of community, not fitness fever, that initially sparked Chemung Canal Trust Company employees into creating the city's biggest block part for athletes. One of the bank's requirements for Komen sponsorship was that 5K race and related activities had to be moved from its current site at the Arnot Mall to downtown Elmira. The Elmira-Thon 3-mile race course -- plus an extra tenth of a mile, will be utilized, and the course will be distance-certified by USA Track & Field, as required by the Komen Foundation.
The Komen health fair will be held at Coach USA, and a post-race block party also may be in the works.
"This was a decision made taking the best interests of everyone to heart: the charity arm, the runners and downtown Elmira," Scanlin said. "We're commited to downtown, and we want to regenerate some of the excitement again that we had in the early years of the Elmira-Thon."
The Komen Foundation Race for the Cure is the largest and fastest-growing series of 5K runs/walks in the United States. Proceeds from the series fund both national research efforts and local breast cancer initiatives related to breast health education, screening and treatment. A maximum of 75 percent of the net funds raised will remain in the community, and a minimum of 25 percent of the net funds are given to the Susan G. Komen Brease Cancer Foundation Award and Research Grant Program.
In 2002, the fourth annual Twin Tiers Race for the Cure drew a record number of 1,200 runners and walkers, making it the the largest road race in the Elmira/Corning/Northern Pennsylvania region.
The fifth annual Twin Tiers Race for the Cure 5K will be held this year on Sunday, May 18. When the traditional date of the second Sunday in June rolls around, there will be no Elmira-Thon.
Perhaps it was only fitting that the grand finale produced two of the event's greatest performances for the record books. Molly Huddle, of Elmira, dueled with two male peers in the three-mile race and placed an unprecedented second overall in a course record 16:33. And, Jim Derick , of Big Flats, became the only man to win seven Elmira-Thon 10K titles to add to his five biathlon-duathlon team titles.
Personally, I've attended all 25 Elmira-Thons, and I'm sad to see it go.
"We had an attachment to the Elmira-Thon too, and it took a lot of soul-searching to let it go," said Scanlin. "There are some people here who have been with the race since the beginning. It was hard to say, 'This is it; we're out at the 25th (edition).' But because of the opportunity with the Komen Foundation, we feel we're still supporting our downtown community, and the runners."
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