Sunday should be an absolute hoot!
The AREEP folks always make their events special, and Sunday’s Annual Hairy Gorilla Half Marathon and Squirrely Six Mile should set records for fun. Day of registration and pre-registration packet pickup starts at 8AM on Sunday October 26th near the Hales Cave picnic area in Thacher State Park near Voorheesville, NY.
The kid’s Gorilla Chase Fun Run starts at 9AM, and then both long runs start at 9:30AM. BUT they are not ordinary long runs…because this is after all, the Annual Hairy Gorilla… The courses feature some pretty ‘festive’ highlights! There are your typical holloweeny type things like cobwebs and stuff. But there is also much much more. Like what? Well, for one, the AREEP folks have dug graves of this year’s runners around the course. Personalized…maybe with your name?
There are also bananas hanging around the course, and a special award for the runner who can collect the most of them without using artificial means. Runners even come ready to run in full costume if they want. And, it seems appropriate that participants may be menaced by the title character…a Hairy Gorilla! After the run, AREEP switches to party mode with awards for a bunch of categories, and an awesome cookout for runners!
I believe there should be one or two excellent photo opportunities on Sunday, no? Photos should be online at the secure store by Wednesday, and runners who use their email at registration or sign up with me day of will receive an email update when they are ready. You can preregister online with no additional charge, and the race features chip timing. The online registration site and additional event information can be found at the AREEP site here.
There are about 450 runners from about 10 states expected to participate this year, so it will also be a unique opportunity to meet a bunch of new people too. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the photos are going to benefit future AREEP events, so when you buy your photo(s!), you’re also helping make your next race with AREEP even better. Special thanks to Josh Merlis for making me a part of this year’s event!