We’ve all seen the seasonal running events. It seems like they are everywhere. You have your turkey trots, Mother’ and Father’s day 5Ks, the Skunk Cabbage Half Marathon in April at Cornell University and there is a Halloween 13K relay in Endicott, to name just a few in the region.
Cortland is getting a new seasonal running event next week and it’s name is taken literally — The Cortland Pumpkin Run. It entails not only running, but doing so while carrying a pumpkin.
The run is scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 5 during the annual Great Cortland Pumpkinfest, based at Courthouse Park in Cortland. In its 27th year, Pumpkinfest will features many activities such as midway rides, music, food, costume contest and pumpkin decorating contest on Oct. 5 and 6, said Savannah Hempstead, a member of the committee organizing the festival.
The Cortland Pumpkin Run is the brainchild of Bob Vidulich, an assistant running coach for SUNY Cortland and a retired long-time guidance counselor at Cortland Junior-Senior High School. He took part in a similar event in Kansas City, Missouri about five years ago.
“I thought it would be god to do something a little bit different,” Vidulich said, adding he wanted to include young people in the event.
At the age of 75, Vidulich still maintains his athletic pursuits at a high level. He recently competed in September in the USA Triathlon National Championships in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Vidulich said the Cortland Pumpkin Run will follow the one-mile route of the hay rides through the city. It begins on Greenbush Street near Courthouse Park. All participants get to keep their pumpkins. The sizes of the pumpkins will be age-appropriate, Vidulich said.
Gina Cusano-McLaughlin, senior program director of the Cortland Family YMCA, which is co-sponsoring the event with Grace Christian Fellowship, said Friday she is excited about the novel idea for the race in which her 10-year-old son, Lucas McLaughlin will take part.
“Bob approached me in March about doing this,” Cusano-McLaughlin said. “He has been interested in doing this for a while. He heard we have a timing system. I thought it was hilarious. As a parent, my child is ecstatic and can’t wait to do it.”
There had been a 5K run during the Pumpkinfest in the past with a course through the SUNY Cortland campus, but not for several years, she said.
As of Friday, 23 people were registered to participate in the Cortland Pumpkin Run, Cusano-McLaughlin said. She noted that only four are under 18 and organizers hope to encourage more children to participate.
The concept of the event has been getting attention in the community, she said. Some people have asked about matching up the pumpkin weight with the age of the participants and whether they can bring their own pumpkins.
“The funniest question I have been asked is, ‘Can I put the pumpkin in my kid’s stroller and run with it that way?’” Cusano-McLaughlin said.
