Seneca7
2015 Media Guide
77.7 Miles
7 Runners
7 a.m.
Seneca7
April 19, 2015
April 2015
Greetings:
I’d like to introduce you to the Seneca7, a running relay based out of Geneva, NY now in its fifth year.
The Seneca7 consists of more than 200 seven-member teams, including many from across upstate New York,
competing on a 77.7-mile course encircling Seneca Lake, passing through Watkins Glen and Finger Lakes Wine
Country. The race was featured in the April 2012 edition of Runner’s World magazine.
This year’s race filled to capacity in about an hour. Part of our popularity is due to the media coverage we’ve received in past years, so if you’ve covered our race before, we thank you!
The Seneca7 has something for everyone. For competitive runners, our race is a chance to field a lightning-fast
team and encircle Seneca Lake in the shortest amount of time possible. For the ultra-competitive, it’s an opportunity to meet rivals from previous years, avenge old losses, and break records. And for beginning fitness buffs, the
Seneca7 is the perfect chance to compete in an event with a team of like-minded athletes: camaraderie is a great
motivator for training, and race course support makes running a shorter distance (as part of a much longer team
distance) a real accomplishment.
We hope you’ll consider joining us in Geneva, Watkins Glen, or somewhere else along this 77.7-mile course on
Sunday, April 19. We’ll have more than 1,500 runners, and hundreds of team supporters and volunteers, hailing
from across upstate, central, and western New York.
I thank you, in advance, for any coverage you plan to provide; please contact me if I may be of assistance.
Regards,
C. D. Henderson
Coordinator, Public Relations & Media
Seneeca7
EVENT TIMELINE
Saturday, April 18
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Volunteer Check-In
The Smith Opera House
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Packet Pickup
The Smith Opera House
4:00 p.m.: Mandatory Pre-Race Briefing
The Smith Opera House
Sunday, April 19
6:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.: Bike Lounge Open for Bike Teams
Geneva Bicycle Center
7:00 a.m.: Race Start - Wave 1
Downtown Geneva
7:30 a.m.: Race Start - Wave 2
8:00 a.m.: Race Start - Wave 3
8:30 a.m.: Race Start - Wave 4
9:00 a.m.: Race Start - Wave 5
9:30 a.m.: Race Start - Wave 6
5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.: Post-Race Celebration
7:00 p.m.: Lighting of Lakeside Bonfire
Subject to Weather Conditions
7:27 p.m.: Awards Ceremony
7:57 p.m.: Race Cut-Off
For Up-To-The-Minute Updates
Live Race Tracking:
http://www.seneca7.com/event/tracking.html
SENECA7 SPONSORS
Red Jacket Orchards is the very
first sponsor of the Seneca7.
Their orchards, located around Geneva,
have been producing sweet fruits and juices since 1958.
You can find award-winning Red Jacket products throughout the east, including Wegmans and Whole Foods Markets, as well as at their farm stand in Geneva on Route 5 & 20.
www.RedJacketOrchards.com
In these times of internet shopping and the decline of
local shops, the Geneva Bicycle Center stands as testament to the power of personal service and know-how.
GBC will support bike teams on the course. as well as
provide a warm place for bike teams to gather in Geneva
before the start.
www.GenevaBikes.com
Once Again Nut Butter develops and supports responsible
production of nut and seed butters, as well as honey. Their
products are produced in Western NY from organic ingredients.
Seneca7 athletes will get to enjoy Once Again Nut Butter’s
almond butter at the race. Yum!
www.OnceAgainNutButter.com
SENECA7 SPONSORS
Located on the Cayuga Lake
Wine Trail, Knapp Winery
was the first winery in the
Finger Lakes Appellation to
plant and vinify the grape
variety Cabernet Franc.
The growing estate also includes Reisling, Chardonnay, Lemberger, Sangiovese, Merlot, Baco
Noir, Cayuga, Catawba, Seyval, Vignoles, and DeChaunac. Knapp Winery is owned by the
same family that owns Glenora Winery, host of a Seneca7 exchange point.
www.KnappWine.com
Located on the Seneca Lake Wine Trail,
Glenora Winery has hosted the Seneca7’s
seventh exchange point since our inception.
Not only are Glenora’s wines award-winning, but the inn overlooking Seneca Lake
is one of the jewels of the Finger Lakes.
www.Glenora.com
Coming aboard as a sponsor for 2015 is Finger Lakes PRISM.
Finger Lakes PRISM participates in the “Play, Clean, Go” education campaign.
This campaign seeks to curtail the spread of invasive plants and
insects by encouraging people to clean off their running shoes,
hiking boots, and bike tires after trail activities.
www.FingerLakesInvasives.com
EXCHANGE POINTS
Roy’s Marina - No Parking
Milepost: 3.8
GPS: (42.813, -76.9769)
Location: 4432 West Lake Road, Geneva
Kashong-ish
Milepost: 6.5
GPS: (42.774357, -76.97865)
Location: 5214 West Lake Road, Geneva
Anthony Road Winery
Milepost: 11.4
GPS: (42.70569, -76.97417)
Location: 1020 Anthony Road, Penn Yan
Perry Point
Milepost: 14.6
GPS: (42.67367, -76.94914)
Location: Kings Hill Road & Perry Point Road
Scenic Overlook
Milepost: 18.4
GPS: (42.61905, -76.94366)
Location: Rte. 14 - Camp Rd & Randall Crossing Rd
Ol’ Fourteener
Milepost: 23.0
GPS: (42.5568, -76.92043)
Location: south end of Old Fourteen Rd, Dundee
Glenora Winery
Milepost: 27.1
GPS: (42.50079, -76.92195)
Location: 5435 Route 14, Dundee
Magnus Ridge Winery
Milepost: 30.4
GPS: (42.46498, -76.91659)
Location: 6148 Route 14, Rock Stream
Services: BBQ lunch (for a fee)
Hector Falls
Milepost: 41.3
GPS: (42.4328, -76.86321)
Location: Route 414, Burdett
Limited Parking: County Road 5 (both sides)
Old Sheldrake Point
Milepost: 47.4
GPS: (42.519848, -76.87356)
Location: 5930 Route 414, Hector
Idol Ridge
Milepost: 52.3
GPS: (42.58602, -76.851974)
Location: 9085 Route 414, Lodi
Billy’s Burgundy Barn
Milepost: 55.4
GPS: (42.61365, -76.84853)
Location: Townline Rd and County Road 131, Lodi
Bonavista Golf Course
Milepost: 59.1
GPS: (42.67586, -76.86414)
Location: 7194 County Road 132, Ovid
Sampson State Park (South)
Milepost: 63.1
GPS: (42.72978, -76.9075)
Location: end of lakeside trail, Sampson State Park
Sampson State Park (North)
Milepost: 65.7
GPS: (42.72978, -76.9075)
Location: north end of Sampson State Park
Seneca Lake Camp
Milepost: 69.0
GPS: (42.78319, -76.92654)
Location: 5005 East Lake Rd, Romulus
Lakewood Vineyards
Milepost: 33.1
GPS: (42.42872, -76.90631)
Location: 4024 Route 14, Watkins Glen
Zugibe Winery
Milepost: 71.6
GPS: (42.81765, -76.93109)
Location: 4248 East Lake Rd, Geneva
Clute Park
Milepost: 37.8
GPS: (42.38487, -76.85916)
Location: Route 414, Watkins Glen
Ventosa Winery
Milepost: 74.2
GPS: (42.85671, -76.93442)
Location: 3440 Route 96A, Geneva
MEDIA CONTACT:
C. D. Henderson
Coordinator, Public Relations & Media
Post Office Box 781175 Orlando, FL 32878
Ph: 800-915-6760 Fax: 407-442-2790
Email: [email protected]
LIVE RACE TRACKING:
Visit bit.ly/seneca7live for Live Race Tracking!
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
@TheSeneca7
Seneca7 Team Spotlight!
The Mendonites I, II, III, & IV
The Mendonites are multiplying!
This running group gets its name from the location of the team’s weekly training runs at Mendon
Pond Park near Rochester, where each week members travel from across the region to run with friends.
The Mendonites formally established themselves as a ‘running group’ in 2012, but the origins of the group go back
much further than that – several members of the group were long-time friends who met through the Leukemia &
Lymphoma’s ‘Team in Training’ in 1999. As the TNT’s alumni group expanded and welcomed new runners, weekly
training runs became trail runs, races, relay runs, post-event parties, and even fundraising events.
The group’s passion for relay events began with their first relay together, at the Ragnar Relay Adirondacks in 2012.
They began racing the Seneca7 in 2013, fielding two teams at the event. In 2014 they had enough runners for three
teams. This year, Mendonites I, II, III, and IV will grace the pavement at the Seneca7 starting line.
The group is particularly proud of their runs to raise money for a cause. In 2014 they used a GoFundMe campaign
they dubbed ‘Running for a Reason’ to raise $3,500 for charity. Campaign donations were distributed among three
charities close to group members’ hearts: Cancer Wellness Connections of Greater Rochester, ALS Therapy Development Institute, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, where it all began.
Media Contact: C. D. Henderson / Email: [email protected]
“Several Mendonites will once again run to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in 2015,” says team
captain Robbin Carll. “Plans to consider a charity that benefits those affected by cancer are underway for future
events, because our group consists of survivors, as well as someone who is currently battling breast cancer.”
As the group has grown, it has also splintered – but races like the Seneca7 bring members back to run from as far
away as Bethesda, MD and Tucson, AZ.
“The Mendonites are more about fun and friendship than fitness,” says Carll. “Newcomers are introduced to the
group because they have a commitment to running – but also because they have a willingness to give as much as
they receive from a lifestyle achieved through healthy activity and good friendships.”
SENECA 7 EVENT RECORDS
CATEGORYTEAMYEARPACETIME
FemaleGVH FusterClucks
20146:29/mile8:25:20
MaleCayuga720135:52/mile7:37:34
MixedKlondike Catchers
20146:04/mile7:52:29
By BikeCayuga720146:32/mile8:28:36
Seneca7 Team Spotlight!
Coming Together for Compassion
Members of Team Compassion were on two different Seneca7 teams in 2014. For 2015 members
of each team teamed up to create one.
“When the seven of us decided to participate together in the 2015 event, we decided that we would try to make this
year’s experience a little more significant than just fun and camaraderie, by partnering with Compassion International,” says team captain Mark Wallisky, of Horseheads. “We set a modest goal to raise at least $1,500 as a team.”
The group would go on to raise well over $2,500 on charity website purecharity.com. The website estimates that
their donation, set to be delivered to charity Compassion International, will affect over 500 lives.
“Compassion International helps more than 1.2 million children in 26 countries through impoverished children
sponsorship, medical and disaster relief intervention, as well as HIV, AIDS, and clean water initiatives,” says Wallisky.
The charity receives high ratings for financial accountability from charity watchdog Charity Navigator.
“My wife Julie and I have been involved with Compassion International since 1998, but only recently did I become
an official advocate of the organization,” Wallisky says. “As we discussed entering the Seneca7 this year we decided
to try and make this year’s entry a little more significant in some small way. Since it was our first attempt at fund
raising we set a goal that we thought we could achieve. We never expected the kind of generosity our backers have
shown.”
To view the Team Compassion charity website, visit http://www.purecharity.com/seneca7-2015-team-compassion.
Media Contact: C. D. Henderson / Email: [email protected]
Seneca7 Team Spotlight!
‘Liar, Liar, Feet on Fire!’
Some teams at the Seneca7 are made up of participants who have known each other all their
lives. Then there’s ‘Liar Liar, Feet on Fire’...
“I had personally run my first Seneca7 race in 2013, and that is where the love affair with this event began for me,”
says team captain Joe Geronimo. “Our current team evolved from that experience.”
Geronimo was joined by fellow ‘13 teammate Scott Robinson for the 2014 event. The rest of the team was formed
“on a whim, and through word of mouth,” he says.
“We took seven guys who really didn’t know one another, came from all different walks of life - and then we
crammed ourselves into a minivan, and it was like we had known each other since high school.”
Geronimo, who jokes that the maturity level in the van was sometimes at high school level as well, says that all of
this teammates became friends.
All were disappointed to learn that one teammate’s career would take him to South Carolina. “Fortunately, Chris
Strub will be replaced by the witty and super-fast Dan Cavalari, who will keep the dynamic of this team alive.”
Event co-director Jackie Augustine says that team bonds formed during the event are a large part of what keeps
bringing competitors back year after year.
“Some teams will share a van for more than eleven hours, so a healthy team dynamic is important,” says Augustine.
She points out that some team
names reflect that - names like ‘We
Met in the Van’ and ‘Strangers on
the Run’ are indications that groups
of like-minded runners are coming
together just for this event - some
once, some year after year.
“This team is special because of these
guys,” Geronimo says proudly. “Jeff
Faherty, Ryan Heinlein, Scott Robinson, James Wilson, Rick Bennett,
Dan Cavalari, and me - we are seven
runners who have a desire for competition, an amazing bond, and camaraderie like no other.”
Seneca7 Team Spotlight!
‘Go Jump In The Lake!’
The Seneca7 began its life as a race put on by students from Hobart & William Smith
Colleges, and while it has become very much a community event in the years since, many
of the teams in the 2015 Seneca7 will be comprised of HWS students, professors, or a mixture of the two.
Take the ‘HWS Stage 5 Clingers’, a team made up entirely of 2013 Hobart & William Smith College graduates, most
of whom decided to remain in Geneva after graduation.
“We ran the Seneca7 in 2014, and we beat our arch-nemesis, ‘Fish Out of Water’, by mere minutes,” says team
captain Taylor Jones. “This year we have a rivalry again – and this time, the losing team has to jump in the lake.”
Seneca7 Team Spotlight!
Environmentally Friendly Rivalry
Three of this year’s teams hail from the state capital. Most of the runners on all three
teams work at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, but when
they’re not busy protecting New York’s natural resources, they’re hitting the streets of
Albany in droves, getting in shape for races like the Seneca7.
“It all began in 2012 when a few of us decided to sign up for The Seneca 7,” says team captain Sarah Rickard. “We
formed The ‘Vineyard Vixens’ and The ‘Uvas Locas.’ Word got around on how awesome the Seneca7 was, and in
2014 we had enough people interested to field a third team - and ‘The Shizz’ was borne.”
Whether it’s running the big hill up Albany’s Morton Avenue, or opting for a flat four-miler on the Hudson River
bike path, you can usually find these twenty-one athletes running together. In addition to making the Seneca7 an
annual tradition they participate in the CDPHP Workforce Team Challenge and the Utica Boilermaker.
At Seneca7 2014 the Uvas Locas and The Shizz were separated by a mere 39 seconds in their overall finishing times.
“Over a 10-hour period, that’s practically a photo finish!” notes Rickard.
That 39 seconds gave The Uvas Locas elite runners status, and they were able to sign up for bib #1 in 2015. The
Shizz were able to reserve a spot during regular registration to keep the rivalry going – but now all three teams wait
to see if they trained hard enough to be 40 seconds faster in 2015. Only time will tell…
“When you spot a bunch of ladies running around the lake with foxtails – aka ‘The Vineyard Vixens’ – or a bunch
of hooligans from the Uvas Locas and The Shizz racing it out, give ‘em a fist bump or a high five,” says Rickard.
Media Contact: C. D. Henderson / Email: [email protected]
Seneca7 Team Spotlight!
Fitting Right In...
When the Valley Misfits return for their second Seneca7 running this year it will be with reluctantly - some substitutions to the 2014 roster.
The team signed up this year only to find out shortly thereafter that two of the 2014 team’s runners might be unable to run. Both were diagnosed with cancer within a month of each other. Rather than battling to train, as most
would, two would instead find themselves in for a fight for their life.
“The day of registration, at an appointment just minutes after we’d completed registration, our teammate and
friend, Rose, was diagnosed with type 3 skin cancer. This unfortunately means that she will not be able to run with
us this year,” says team captain Melanie Crisino.
“Another friend and teammate, Michele, was diagnosed in early December with breast cancer. She had surgery
immediately and has since undergone all of the treatments. Michele fought cancer and beat it,” says Crisino. “She
is cancer-free today, and we are pleased that she will a part of the Valley Misfits at the Seneca7 in 2015.”
Media Contact: C. D. Henderson / Email: [email protected]
C.. D. Henderson
Coordinator, Public Relations & Media
Seneca7
Post Office Box 781175
Orlando, FL 32878
800-915-6760
407-442-2790 Fax
[email protected]
Twitter & Instagram: @TheSeneca7
www.Facebook.com/TheSeneca7
#Seneca7