Photos are now available HERE! You can search by bib #, and even custom crop your photos! Join us on facebook HERE for a few more photos, and to enter for a FREE 5×7 from the run!
Perfect timing…All the joys of running in a blizzard, without any of the hassle of actually having to strap <!–more–>on snowshoes! The snow was flying pretty well by the time the race kicked off at 9:45, but there was not enough throughout the trail to run in snowshoes. So it was YakTrax or trail shoes for most of the runners. Had it been run as a snowshoe race, the good folks at Dion Snowshoes would have been standing by with race rentals for a mere $5.
The eighth running of Albany Running Exchange Event Productions’ “Brave the Blizzard” snowshoe-ish 5K took place on Saturday 1/21 at a brand new venue. This year, the event ran at the Robert C. Parker school in Wynantskill, NY, a move from the last few years in Colonie, NY. But there were a couple of similarities…including the awesome pancakes following the completion of the run. Another constant from past years was the incredible volunteers inside and outside, courtesy of Albany Running Exchange.
One other change were a few ‘man made’ obstacles scattered around the course, in addition to the hilly, slippery, snow covered, root riddled trails that Mother Nature was kind enough to provide. There were some ice coated logs crossing the creek, and what seemed to be the runners’ favorite – a nylon spider web stretching across the trail.
Race Director Josh Merlis (Age 30[!] also wore the hat of Race Winner, crossing the line at 23:38. The first female finisher was 27 year old Karen Bertasso, who finished at 27:58. Baked treats were awarded to the top three finishers in each gender group…but based on the pancakes which were eaten, they probably waited until they got home to dig in to them. Thanks to Josh and AREEP for bringing Five Pines Photography along again this year!
Two Days of Santa…Two Days of Fun. The Desmond Hotel in Albany had another great turnout for the 2011 edition of their annual Breakfast with Santa to benefit Toys for Tots. Families packed the area for eight seatings over two days to enoy the spectacular food and service The Desmond is known for.
Oh, and there was also some time with the Big Man himself, Santa Claus! This year’s layout was pretty nice, and the Girl Scouts of Northeast NY did an awesome job helping keep the kids happy as they waited their turn to climb up on Santa’s lap. And it was really nice seeing so many friends from past years show up for us again this year.
We captured some great photos showing the joy everyone – young and old – took part in.Thanks to everyone for the great smiles, and for sharing your day with us! If you have an upcoming event that would benefit from some on-site portraits (Birthday parties, award banquet, golf event….etc!) give Five Pines Photography a call! Our Five Pines Photobooth ‘O’ Fun is ready to go for you, and your guests will take home one of the best party favors ever!
Enjoy the photos, a few of the looks we captured are priceless!
The annual Canjo Turkey Trot once again rocked on Thanksgiving Saturday! A record breaking crown of 115 came out to walk, run, eat, and take their chance at guessing their finish time. That twist is just one of the things that makes the event, which takes place at Canjo High School so special. The strong community involvement and the personal experience that race director Kim Hayes provides are two others.
Bimbo Bakeries once again provided the amazing, tasty (Thanks Kim!), carb filled goody bags. Bread, cookies, stuff to toast, and more filled the reusable canvas bags.
The weather couldn’t have been nicer, either. Bright sun and mid 40s at race time. And this year’s winner, coming within 10 seconds of his guess, took home over $400! US! And for all runners, once they crossed the line and wiped their brows, there were raffle prizes galore to be won, from hand made quilts to a digital handi-cam. Sweet!
Thanks for having Five Pines Photography along to photograph the day, Kim.
Congratulations and Happy One Month Anniversary to Mary + Brandon! We provided their wedding photography in Colonie, NY, and had a great time doing it. AND, their guests not only had an awesome night rocking out at the reception, but the Five Pines Photo Booth was an amazing addition to the fun! Thanks Mary + Brandon for choosing us, and enjoy your photos! 
And, for some reason, it was even a very relaxed morning with the bride and her ladies!
If there is a wedding or other special event in your future, please contact us! We would love to be a part of your special event, too! Whether you need a full day pf photographic coverage, or just want to give your guests the perfect party favor with our photo booth, we have a package to fit almost every budget!
Believe it or not, the photos from this perfect morning are already tagged for searching, uploaded, and ready for you to view and/or purchase! And while the lovely and talented Roxanne models the correct way to wear your QR code bib above, you can head over to our facebook page HERE, where you can easily enter to win a FREE 5×7 from the day! Or, you can jump right in and visit the gallery HERE where you can check out the 1200 plus photos Five Pines Photography captured this morning. Oh, and photos haven’t been adjusted for color/brightness/etc. but will be individually adjusted on order, if needed. You can even crop your own photo in the store!
And what a morning it was! The Albany Running Exchange and their amazing corps of volunteers put together a fabulous morning of Frunning for over 300 athletes. The Inaugural Fall FRUN 10K benefits Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center. The course followed the streets of Clifton Park around Shen High School. Starting on campus, the course followed Moe Rd, Clifton Park Center Rd., and Vischer Ferry Rd. before crossing back onto the campus. The 6.2 miles ended with a loop around 3/4 of the Shen track, wrapping up just in front of the bleachers – which also provided a perfect perch for spectators and families to cheer their runners to the line.
It was my kind of weather at race time. Bright blue and mid 40s at 9AM when the klaxon sounded. A quick jog back to the track gave me plenty of time to climb the watchtower to see lead runner Mike Roda turning in to the campus. Mike hit the track and finished his 10K commute with a nice time of 33:15 – a pace of 5:21. Twenty two year old Nick Webster crossed second, 52 seconds behind Team Utopia’s Roda. Top female honors went to Kristina Gracey of Albany, crossing under the beautiful FRUN 10K banner at 38:49.
337 more people followed them, including about 30 runners from the BeRunning group, many running in their first ever 10K!
The morning also featured a kids’ run around the Shen track. Gotta love the determination in the kids. And speaking of kids, there was also a Toys for Tots donation area inside the gym, which was getting some nice donations as the generous running community started feeling the holiday love.
John Kinnicutt was terrific calling the finish line, and I also have to add that today’s music mix was perfect for my tastes. Well done, John. I have no doubt that this run will become a staple of fall running in the Capital Region. Congratulations to the ARE on a day of flawless execution, especially considering the technical wizardry that was on display today. Runners were treated to everything from the most advanced timing system in the area, to a LIVE web stream from somewhere near the lead bike’s…seat, to QR bibs which runners could scan with their smart phone to be taken to their own personal results page. ARE is always a pleasure to work with, and today was no exception. Thanks to Josh Merlis for inviting us out! Alright…head on over to the gallery and have even more Frun. Don’t forget, you can add the race logo to your photo for FREE, and you can even add the amazing Black & White with color runner effect to your photo…for not free, but so worth the seven bucks!
Photographer Steve Fogle captured the Mile 3 and award photos for us today.
A ‘ghost in the machine’ for Halloween? Maybe, but either way, there are about 800 additional photos which have been added to these galleries since first upload. So, feel free to log back in and see what’s new! Photos from the 2011 MVP Presents Great Pumpkin Challenge are now ready! You can find the gallery right HERE! And, get over to our facebook page HERE where you can easily enter to win a FREE 5×7 photo from the day. The drawing will be on 11/6/2011. And there are a couple bonuses available if you can order by 11/5…First, your entire order will automatically receive a 10% discount, AND every order will receive a FREE low resolution digital image file of your photo, emailed shortly after your order is completed!
It was a record breaking turnout in Saratoga State Park, as over 1800 runners took part in one of the two running events. Both the 5K and 10K wound through a beautifully laid out course around the park. The start line looked like practice for Black Friday at Best Buy, with runners, walkers, and families lined up waiting for the gun.
After a couple of years of ‘questionable’ weather, the day was perfect. Cool, slightly overcast, but not a drop of rain fell on the 1800 plus and their cheering sections. And the gazebo was once again filled with food, drink, and a very inviting campfire. After getting their registration bags and bibs, the weather allowed people to spread out around the grounds and vote on their favorite pumpkin design – or even adopt a dog or cat! Cute!
Once the runners streamed by the start line, the fine team from Albany Running Exchange Event Productions were able to track their times by gun time and also this year by net time. That allowed athletes to check their true course time, and not include how long it took them to make their way over the starting mat. Cool technology, and a huge benefit to the more competitive runners.
The day was so nice, folks were even camped out at the joint finish line waiting for their favorite athlete. They got to observe a ton of costumed runners this year…a couple of witches, Green Lantern, and even Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker from The Muppet Show. Classic stuff.
Josh Merlis from Albany took top honors in the 5K, finishing at 15:58, while 43 year old Kari Gathen took top women’s honors at 18:42. The 10K was won in 33:26 by 35 year old Mike Roda for the men, and the women were led by Sereena Coombes with a time of 40:26.
The day wrapped up with an award ceremony for top overall and age group runners in both races. Top awards were trophies, and age group award winners could choose from two different types of logoed mug!
Thanks so much to Heather Varney for bringing us along to help document an amazing day, and congratulations to Saratoga Bridges on a record breaking day! Thanks also to photographer Steve Fogle who captured some terrific 5K and 10K course photos for Five Pines Photography!
And don’t forget, a portion of your purchase will go directly to support the awesome programs provided to our area by Saratoga Bridges! Enjoy the photos, and I hope you find something you like. Remember that you can choose to have a FREE race logo added to your photo, and you can also purchase the amazing B&W with color runner effect!
The photos from the 2011 Mohawk Towpath Duathlon are now available to view/purchase! You can check them out HERE. And there is still time to visit us on facebook HERE, where you can enter to win a FREE 5×7 from the event! There are also quite a few more images over there, so feel free to tag you and your friends! A random winner will be drawn on 10/27. Oh, and if you can order prior to 10/26, you’ll get a couple of awesome bonuses; You’ll receive an automatic 10% discount off your total order, AND you’ll also receive a FREE low resolution digital image file (worth seven bucks!) from one of the photos in your order! Now that’s a duathlon of a deal. As always, images have not been adjusted (crop, brightness, etc.) but will be adjusted on order, if needed. And you can even custom crop your photos when you order!
For the photos, the good news is we got some awesome, amazing, wonderful shots from the day. The ‘other’ news is, visible bibs were at a premium this year! Wherever possible, images have been tagged for easy searching with the search function in the top left of the gallery. But, it seemed like there were quite a few athletes who had their bibs safely tucked away under a layer of clothing, or in a pocket, or at home. So, galleries have also been separated by time for easier searching. I would really encourage you to browse around, as well as trying the bib search function. I can almost guarantee that you’ll find some untagged photos. On with the event recap!
It was another beautiful day for the 2011 Mohawk Byway Duathlon. Race Director Eric Hamilton must have an ‘in’ somewhere to keep getting the great weather for this event. Almost 50 degrees at race time, and partly sunny skies. The conditions also helped the duathletes push themselves this year…as one participant remarked to me; “It was like biking with a parachute”. So there were definitely some headwinds on the course. Luckily, the bikers in this event faced the headwinds early on in the bike leg, which gave them a little extra push on the way back in.
The duathlon kicked off at 9AM, with the first of two 2.2 mile run legs, leading the runners along the scenic Mohawk river, and through some elevation along the road course. About 180 participants took part in the event this year, which benefits the Mohawk Scenic Byway. There were a few teams mixed in with the duathletes as well, with one person handling the running duties, and the other taking on the 16 mile bike leg. The bike course is absolutely beautiful, winding along the Mohawk Scenic Byway, past the Whipple Bridge, through Vischer Ferry, and parts of Rexford and Clifton Park, NY. If you didn’t make it to the duathlon this year, you can still grab your bike and follow the course at your leisure.
The transition spot was at Krause’s Grove, and split timing mats were in position to capture leg times. The parking area was filled with athletes and their cheering sections. After each transition, the first thing to meet the athletes was a long uphill to leave the parking lot. But since the event was as community friendly as it was competitive, there were still plenty of smiles.
The morning was kicked off with a fun kid’s duathlon featuring the same run/bike/run format. Training wheels were optional for this event. Awards and a really awesome cookout wrapped up the day, with awards given to overall male and female winners, teams, and age group winners. There were also a couple of door prizes, including a Family Portrait Session provided by Five Pines Photography. We even let the winners wait until they shower before redeeming!
So, go check out the photos, and don’t forget the awesome add-ons you can get; A FREE race logo added to your photo, and the ever popular (but not free) B&W with color runner feature to help you stand out. Also check out the 3 photo Triple print! Order before 10/26 to get your discount and bonus image, and enjoy the photos! Thanks to Eric Hamilton for bringing us along again this year!
The photos from this event are now available! You can check out the gallery HERE, and you can also join us on facebook HERE for a chance to win a FREE 5×7 from the day. There are also a couple of bonuses available, if you can order by 10/5…Every order will automatically receive a 10% discount AND every print order will also receive one FREE low resolution image file emailed shortly after you checkout! Excellent!
Photos have not been adjusted at all (color, brightness, etc.), but will be individually adjusted on order, as needed. And new this year, you can custom crop your photo in the store! Just choose your desired print size, then select ‘crop this image’! And don’t forget you can add a HHF race logo for FREE, and you can also purchase this awesome B&W effect for your photo, too.
Thanks to Tammy Friend, Julie Gauer, and the Sames family for keeping Five Pines Photography a part of this wonderful day. And thanks to John Dillon of Clifton Park for covering the event for us!
Photos from this amazing day are now available to view and/or purchase in our galleries HERE! But before you scurry over there why not head over to our Facebook Fan Page HERE where you can now enter to win a FREE 5×7 from the day? We will pick a winner on 9/30! And here are a couple of bonuses for you if you can order prior to 9/29; Every order will automatically receive a 10% discount AND every print order will also receive one FREE low resolution image file emailed shortly after you checkout! Sweet!
…I think I heard more people say “What a perfect day for a race!” than I’ve ever heard before. And it really was. Low humidity, fair temperatures, and overcast skies for much of the day created perfect conditions for runners. And man, were there runners. This year’s field saw an increase of about 40% over last year’s crowd. While many people chose to run or walk the 5K, a majority of athletes showed to participate in the Saratoga Palio Half Marathon conducted to the benefit of the Melanie Foundation.
Throughout the day, families, spectators and returning runners were welcome to attend a party in High Rock Park. The party featured music by The Remainders. Also returning this year was the ever popular Meat House booth, providing tasty morsels of grilled meat. There were also table filled with bagels, fruit, and yummy cookies along with plenty of beverages.
Top honors for the half marathon went to Albany Running Exchange member Tom O’Grady with a blistering time of 1:11:29 – shattering the previous course record of 1:12:39! Well done, Tom! Top female in the half was Dana Bush who crossed the line at 1:26:14. The 5K winners were Shawn Donegan and Mesha Brewer, both running the home game in Saratoga Springs. It was also an outstanding job, from both a technical and an entertainment perspective on the finish line from the crew of Albany Running Exchange Event Productions. This race was timed using the wonderful disposable bib chip, which keeps the finish chute clear for important stuff…like me taking pictures!
Congrats to all runners! And please contact Five Pines Photography if there is a race in your future. We’d love to talk about how we can help differentiate your event for your athletes!
Thanks to Mimi Mauer for bringing us along today, to photographer Steve Fogel for getting some incredible photos on the course, and to everyone who came out to support the Melanie Foundation! I hope you enjoy the galleries, which are not only bib searchable, but also sorted by time for those pesky occasions when your bib was covered, or hidden, or you weren’t wearing one because you were only there for the party! Photos have not been adjusted (color, brightness,etc,) but will be individually adjusted on order. And don’t forget the extra cool stuff you can do with your photo, like add a FREE race border, or get the amazing B&W with color effect to make you stand out from the crowd!
Here they come…our two annual craft fair weekends! We really hope that you will come and visit us during these upcoming weekends. In addition to photographing a couple of amazing runs (Saratoga Palio & Hannah’s Hope 5K) on 9/18, we will also be at the Altamont Wine Festival on 9/17-18. Then, the following weekend (9/24-25), we will be hanging out at the Eagle Mills Craft Festival in Broadalbin, NY. Both locations will offer a great opportunity to have an Instant Portrait made. On the spot. While you wait. Instant. And this year, there are some new additions, both in your favor! First, we have purchased an amazing new autumn backdrop. It is very, very cool. You will like it, and it’s going to look wonderful in your photos. Second, we have created a coupon for you this year. If you print it out from HERE, and then bring it to us, you’ll get either a FREE 4×6 or a FREE 5×7 bonus print (with purchase). Neat! See you somewhere soon!