Women and girls of all ages gathered for the annual Women’s Distance Festival 5K on May 10th, Mother’s Day. Despite being chilly at the start, the rain held off and 81 runners enjoyed the scenic Jim Schug Trail in Dryden. All joined in celebrating women’s running in memory of cofounder Diane Sherrer.
A new course started and ended at the large pavilion with participants and spectators gathering around cheering and reveling in the atmosphere. They watched as first place winner Sophie Herrmann, 27, of Corning crossed the finish line at 21:49. First masters runner was Nichole Cappadora, 40, of Norwich with a time of 27:47. Kathy Purtell, 58, of Endwell represented veteran runners and clocked a 25:41. Joan Rappaport, 62, of Manlius finished first in the super vets for a second year with a time of 24:31. Our oldest participant at 78, Deb Bliss, finished proudly in 38:26.
Check out the full results on our website, and photos by Alex Guyon (upload your own!). Fun was had by all but not without the help of our volunteers. The course was marshaled by the Tily/Marnell families and Sue Chapman at the turnaround. Our yellow shirted timing crew included Adam Engst, Jesse Koennecke, and Lucia Chen, with Alexander Simpson calling out bib numbers. Thanks to all. Hope to see you again on Mother’s Day 2027!
Lorrie Tily and Chris Irving, Race Directors