Organizers of the Seneca7 have announced that registration for the twelfth edition of the race, to be held Sunday, April 23, is filled to capacity, after a total of 330 teams were signed up on October 31. Charity slot teams that include a higher entry fee, with the proceeds donated to local not-for-profit partners, will be added in the weeks to come.
The event, a 77.7-mile relay race consisting of seven-member teams running the circumference of Seneca Lake, has a long history of quickly filling to capacity, including selling out in just three minutes for registration in 2020. That year’s race, and the event slated to be held in 2021, were canceled due to COVID restrictions, and a scaled-down version of the race was held earlier this year.
Organizers say that the 2023 event will be the first to include the input of new co-director Ian Golden, owner of Red Newt Racing.
“In recent years, we have been looking to transition this enterprise to someone who would keep the race going in perpetuity, someone who would stay true to its core principles while adding improvements of their own,” says race co-director Jackie Augustine. “Ian fits that description to a tee.”
Augustine says that Golden, of Ithaca, will work with them to keep many things about the race the same, while adding his own personality to the event as time goes on.
“The Seneca7 is a relay race, and our passing the proverbial baton to Ian for the next leg of this event doesn’t mean we’ve left the team,” Augustine says. She and co-director Jeff Henderson plan to remain with the event to ensure that the transition goes smoothly.
“I’m excited about what the future holds for the Seneca7,” says Golden, who directs running events in the region and has himself participated in the race in past years. “This is an event known for bringing out local volunteer participation, for working with local charity partners. I look forward to getting to know the local community even more in the years to come.”
“Jeff and I have guided this race from a student project to a nationally-recognized event, and none of that could have happened without the support of this community year after year,” Augustine says. “That’s why, as we began to look for a new owner, we wanted it to be someone from the Finger Lakes – someone who knows the region and is familiar with the community already. Ian Golden is an excellent fit for this role.”
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