If you’re a runner in Harrisburg, you know the drill.
The Harrisburg Mile is in July, the half marathon in September, the marathon in November.
It’s been that way seemingly forever.
For 2015, the East Shore YMCA has decided to shake things up to inject new life into an old routine, add some races and better integrate the events.
“This new series is no longer a number of single events,” said Tom Gifford, race director for the East Shore Y. “Now, they are all tied together for the cause of promoting the Y and its programming for the community.”
The result is the Harrisburg Area YMCA Race Series, sponsored by Capital BlueCross.
“This is an ideal sponsorship for Capital BlueCross because of the strong connection to health and community,” said Amy Nilsen, manager of community relations for Capital BlueCross.
For many runners, the greatest change will be in the popular half marathon, which now will take place in late June, not September. The event was moved up to serve as a training run for the marathon later in the fall, said Gifford.
The marathon still will be run in early November, but runners will enjoy new scenery as the course has been completely rethought. Instead of plodding mainly along the Greenbelt, runner also will wind through Harrisburg neighborhoods.
“We are looking at featuring the bridges and neighborhoods of Harrisburg with the new course design, as well as the most scenic parts of the Greenbelt and downtown,” said Gifford. “However, we will still try to keep it as flat as possible since this is a Boston [Marathon] qualifier, and people look to run good times here.”
The course change will better connect the race with its host city, said Chad Krebs, executive director of the East Shore Y.
“We have a gem of a city and would love to grow the marathon to a premier race on the East Coast with 3,000 to 5,000 runners,” he said. “Ultimately, we look for the series to have a positive economic effect on the city.”
The marathon also has a new sponsor, AspireCARE/AspireFIT of Harrisburg.
“This is a great hometown race with a beautiful course, and Aspire is excited to promote it,” said Dr. Richard Rayner, Aspire’s director of family medicine, who has volunteered for and run the marathon in the past. “At Aspire, we are all about encouraging fitness as a way to prevent illness.”
Wine, Beer, Mud
The East Shore Y is hosting new and near-new events designed to appeal to every type of racer, from those who just like to run to those who also like a tasty drink. In addition, there’s now a racing event nearly every month.
On May 3, the Vinewinder will debut, covering a four-mile course of rolling hills in and around the Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey.
“This is the first year we have partnered with them, and we are really excited,” said Gifford. “We hope to sell out and make it a yearly event.”
The following week, the Y will hold the Freedom 5K to give members of the military and veterans their own event, while still involving the community. This will be an evening run, and organizers plan to follow the race with an after-party and fireworks.
“This year, we are offering separate heats, one for civilians and one for individuals with military service,” said Gifford.
Another addition is the Mud Mash, to be held on Aug. 23 near Fort Hunter. At press time, specifics for this race were still being planned. However, Gifford promised a “fun event where finishing time doesn’t matter and people get as filthy as possible.”
The Troeg’s Hop Dash was introduced last year, and the 500 participant spots sold out in 90 minutes. This is a 5K that starts and finishes at the Troeg’s Brewery in Hershey.
Local Cause
Gifford and Krebs said that they want to continue to cater to locals, but would also like to attract elite runners from around the country.
“Each race has something for everyone, from the novice to the expert,” said Krebs. “We want to draw people into the city from the East Shore, suburbs and greater region to show them that the city is not a bad place. It is safe, and it is thriving.”
The YMCA also wants people to understand that they are running to support a great local cause.
“Ultimately, our goal is to allow the Y to do better for the community,” said Krebs. “This series will provide us with positive income that we can reinvest in our programming, and the rebranding will help us raise our visibility and let people know that we are here to help serve Harrisburg.”
For more information on the Harrisburg Area YMCA Race Series and to register, visit www.ymcarun.com.
2015 Harrisburg Area YMCA Race Series
Vinewinder
Sunday, May 3
Harrisburg Freedom 5K
Thursday, May 14
Harrisburg Half Marathon
Sunday, June 28
Harrisburg Mile
Wednesday, July 15
Harrisburg Mud Mash
Sunday, Aug. 23
Troeg’s Hop Dash 5K
TBD
Aspire Harrisburg Marathon
Nov. 7 and 8
