By Amelia Kibbe
Editor-in-Chief
The 23rd annual RidgeWalk & Run in nearby Allegany County is expected to draw about 900 runners and walkers to some of the toughest and challenging trails in the mountainous county, said James Helms, event director for Jones Memorial Hospital.
Helms, a 1995 Bonaventure graduate, said he hopes some of those participants are Bonnies.
The Oct. 18 event features seven different foot races— a 5k, 10k and 15-mile run, as well as a 2-mile, 6-mile, 9-mile and 15-mile walk, said Helms. He added the event is intended to promote wellness for the body and the soul.
“What’s good about this event is that it pushes people to do things they wouldn’t do normally,” said Helms, who majored in business while at Bonaventure. “We just want them to take the challenge.”
Peter Caya, a 1970 Bonaventure graduate, said he hopes to raise awareness of the Ridgewalk & Run in the Olean and St. Bonaventure area.
“We offer something for everybody, I think,” said Caya, a photographer for the event. “It’s really not that well known in the area, but I would like it to be.”
Helms said registration can be done online, by mail or at the event. The first 900 registrants will receive amenity bags with shirts, water bottles and caps, he said.
Registration pricing depends on how much in advance it is completed and what event an individual wishes to compete in, Helms said, but added all details can be found under the “register now” tab on the left-hand side of the RidgeWalk & Run’s homepage, www.ridgewalk.com.
According to Helms, a special online registration discount is available Friday only.
Along with registration, starting times and bussing times differ depending on the event. Helms said like the registration, all information regarding race times can be found on the event’s website under the “running events” tab or “walking events” tab on the left-hand side of the website.
All participants will gather at the Wellsville High School, where they will be bused to different starting lines, depending on the course distance. All walks and runs will finish at the same location, a barn at the top of Alma Hill right outside the town, where there will be lunch, music and door prizes, Helms said.
The three running events will be electronically timed with a running chip, said Helms. Prizes for different age groups and courses will be awarded directly after the race. For details on awards, visit the running or walking events tabs on the left-hand side of the homepage of the website, he said.
Spectators are encouraged to also park at the high school and take a spectator bus to the finish line to avoid parking problems and race interference at the finish line, according to Helms.
For the second year in a row, Jones Memorial Hospital in Wellsville will sponsor the event. In previous years, the event was sponsored by the town’s chamber of commerce, Helms said. All proceeds will be given back to community wellness programs, according to Helms, and the money raised from the 2014 event went to refurbishing a local hiking trail.
The event attracted about 780 competitors last year, but has had as many as 1,000 in the past, Helms said.
He added other local colleges and universities, such as Alfred State College and Alfred University, send students to compete.
“It’s just a good thing to do,” Helms said. “And we are hoping to get some college kids to join us.”
Caya agreed with Helms, saying he would love students from his alma mater to help.
“If they come one year, there’s a good chance they’ll come back again,” Caya said. “They could come and wear Bona T-shirts and come as a group.”
kibbeaa13@bonaventure.edu
