SARATOGA SPRINGS —  The Fall season opening regatta, the 2023 Tail of the Fish, will be held Saturday, Sept. 23 on Saratoga Lake at Fish Creek, Saratoga Springs. 

The regatta is a 3000m stake turn race for local teams in the capital region. The event is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Cost is free to spectators. 

Slated for next month will be the Head of the Fish regatta, one of the largest regattas in the country, scheduled for Oct. 28-29 and will also be held at Fish Creek (Saratoga Lake Boat Launch), Saratoga Springs.

For more information visit regatta.saratogarowing.com

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Saratoga Bridges’ 23rd annual Great Pumpkin Challenge returns on Sept. 30, helping to raise money for Saratoga Bridges’ programs and staff.

But for one family and their friends, the event is also a special opportunity for remembrance.

In 2002, Julie Niles and Mark Pitts lost their daughter, Nora Ann Pitts, to complications of mitochondrial disease just before her third birthday. Several years later, when Caroline, their oldest daughter, began showing an interest in 5K races, the family said they eventually discovered the Great Pumpkin Challenge.

In the years since, they have been joined by friends and family at the annual event, wearing bunny ears while they run or walk in remembrance of Nora. The bunny ears are a nod to a photo of Nora that they said is meaningful to them.

“More and more people wanted to be a part of it, our friends and family,” said Niles. “Some years, we might have 20-plus people running with the ears. It’s just become a really nice way, for our friends and family, one way that they show support for us and they remember Nora.”

They credited their friend, Paige Allen, for the idea of running and walking with the bunny ears. The event also typically falls close to Nora’s birthday, Oct. 25, although this year’s event was moved to an earlier date due to construction in the State Park, said Pamela Polacsek, Development and Foundation Director of Saratoga Bridges.

In addition to honoring and remembering Nora, the team’s participation also supports Saratoga Bridges.

“Given Nora’s condition, she passed away from complications of mitochondrial disease. It was a disease that took little pieces away from her,” Pitts said. “She was getting physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy. It kind of parallels what Saratoga Bridges offers. Had she survived, she probably would’ve been a part of this community.”

Pitts and Niles also have a son, Murdock. They credited their friends and family for their support, including Allen, who they said has helped organize the team through the years.

“It’s really been our friends and family that have kept it going,” said Niles. “It isn’t driven by us, but we, of course, are really happy to participate.”

They noted that friends and family have traveled from all over to participate through the years, including from Boston as well as states such as Virginia and New Hampshire.

Others who have experienced losses have also been included in the group, Niles said.

“We’ve kind of incorporated other people who’ve had losses at the same time, and try to remember them as we walk,” Niles said.

While many participating in the race do so in costume to celebrate the Halloween season, Pitts, Niles, and their friends and family can be spotted throughout the crowd of participants by the bunny ears they wear.

“It’s a good atmosphere at the race,” Niles said. “It’s a very simple costume, but you have people spread throughout the race. You see clumps of us here and there.”

“We have the bunny ears on for one purpose, and everybody else is dressed up for Halloween,” added Pitts. “Occasionally, we’ve had people that have asked, ‘What’s up?’”

Beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 30, the Great Pumpkin Challenge offers both a 5K and 10K, as well as a Kids’ Fun Run. The events are NET-chip timed, and begin at the Columbia Pavilion in the Saratoga Spa State Park.

Prizes are awarded to the top three male and female finishers. The event also includes costume and pumpkin contests, as well as giveaways, food, and refreshments, according to a press release.

Registration is $30, and available at saratogabridges.org. Online registration will close at 5 p.m. on Sept. 26. In-person registration will be offered Sept. 27 and 28 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., and Sept. 29 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., at 16 Saratoga Bridges Blvd in Ballston Spa, the release states.

A virtual option is also offered for $30. Funds raised by the Great Pumpkin Challenge support Saratoga Bridges’ underfunded or unfunded programs and activities, such as the Creative Endeavors Arts Center, in addition to supporting staff, said Polacsek.

Pitts and Niles said their group has also grown along with the Great Pumpkin Challenge through the years, with Niles saying it has now become “this big community of friends.”

“It’s so needed in the community,” said Niles of Saratoga Bridges’ programs. “We’re just so blessed to have a great circle of friends and family that support us, and the whole of Saratoga Bridges.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — While Saratoga Springs has long been known as a tourism destination, it has not necessarily been due to the area’s cycling roads and trails. But a new event held by Bikeatoga and the Saratoga Regional YMCA is hoping to change that.

Bikeatoga and the YMCA are teaming up to host the first annual Saratoga Foliage Ride on Oct. 7 and 8. Three different routes are offered on each of the two days, at distances of 30, 50, and 75 miles.

Ed Lindner, advocacy chair of Bikeatoga, said that while the event is a fundraiser, it is also “an opportunity” to showcase the area’s cycling roads.

“Saratoga’s such a great draw in and of itself,” said Lindner. “People know the racetrack, they know SPAC, they know our award-winning downtown. But our cycling routes are a little bit of a secret, and so we hope to change that.”

Each day’s routes provide a unique experience for riders, beginning on Saturday, Oct. 7. Lindner noted this is the 246th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Saratoga, and said Saturday’s 50- and 75-mile routes will travel through the Saratoga National Historical Park, where a re-enactment will be taking place.

“So there will be re-enactors, Continentals and Redcoats, in the park firing off muskets and cannons as people ride through,” said Lindner.

A rest stop will be provided at the Saratoga Battle Monument on Saturday. Sunday’s routes will venture further east, including parts of the Empire State Trail and Champlain Canal Trail, with a rest stop to be provided at King Brothers Dairy in Schuylerville, said Lindner.

“That’s just a lot of really beautiful rolling hills, farmland,” Lindner said of the Sunday routes. He emphasized the rides are not races, with participants able to start and ride at their own pace.

Full SAG support will also be offered for riders. The Saratoga Foliage Ride will have volunteer support from the Saratoga Shredders Mountain Bike Club and members of local schools’ National Honor Societies. Sue Commanda, outgoing chair of the Saratoga YMCA and co-president of the Saratoga Cycling Club, added that the event is also seeking additional volunteers.

Commanda said the YMCA and Bikeatoga teaming up for the event was “a natural partnership.” She noted that the Saratoga Cycling Club also assisted with designing the routes for rides.

“The Y is all about healthy living, and very supportive of Saratoga events,” Commanda said. “Bikeatoga has beautiful programs as far as their bike programs, making sure everybody has a bike to ride. And the Y has a scholarship program that they’re supporting, because nobody’s turned away.”

Prior to the rides, which begin at the YMCA, a buffet breakfast catered by 9 Miles East will be offered at the Saratoga YMCA’s outdoor pavilion, Lindner said. Riders can sign up for $99 per day, or $149 for both days, according to the registration link. Participants will receive a day pass to the YMCA, as well as an event t-shirt. A jersey can also be purchased, which was designed by artist John Coleman of Glens Falls.

The Foliage Ride was inspired by a similar ride held in Staunton, Virginia, called the Shenandoah Fall Bike Festival, Lindner said. He noted the Saratoga Foliage Ride has seen registrations from states such as Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and even as far as Florida.

“We really should be a cycling tourist destination,” said Lindner. “And we hope over the next couple of years to build this event into something like that.”

Proceeds raised by the event will support the YMCA’s financial assistance program, which provides scholarships for memberships and programs. Funds will also help support the Bikeatoga Workshop at St. Peter’s Church, which repairs donated bicycles and donates them back to members of the community.

Lindner said Bikeatoga donated more than 500 bikes to members of the community through the workshop last year. He said they are looking to have a successful inaugural event in hopes of growing the Saratoga Foliage Ride in future years.

“We love Saratoga. We really want to support the area in any way that we can,” Commanda added. “Bikeatoga does beautiful programs, and so does the Y, and they give back, which is wonderful … So seeing the event come together, but also sharing the beauty of Saratoga with other people from other states, is fun.”

More information on the Saratoga Foliage Ride is available at srymca.org/saratoga-foliage-ride.

GREENFIELD — Three Greenfield Elementary teachers, as members of the school’s Home School Association (HSA), have joined together to bring the Dragonfire 5K run/walk back to the school.

The Dragonfire 5K Run/Walk will take place Saturday, Oct. 14 at Greenfield Elementary School beginning at 8:30 a.m. Registration is open online at dragonfire5k.com.

More information can be found on the Saratoga Springs CSD website, saratogaschools.org.

SCHENECTADY — The Schenectady 2023 Walk to End Alzheimer’s is set to take place Sept. 30 at Mohawk Harbor, offering those affected by the disease a chance to come together, raising money and awareness.

The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event dedicated to fighting Alzheimer’s, with walks taking place “around the globe,” said Marisa Korytko, marketing and public relations director of the Alzheimer’s Association Northeastern New York Chapter. 

The Northeastern New York chapter is hosting five walks in the region, beginning with the Schenectady walk on Sept. 30 at Mohawk Harbor. Other walks will be held Oct. 14 in Queensbury and Hudson, Oct. 21 in Albany, and Oct. 28 in Cooperstown, according to the Alzheimer’s Association website.

“It’s a way for the community to really come together,” said Korytko. “Our executive director always says that she thinks of it as the world’s largest support group, because you see people who are coming back time and time again, because they have formed these friendships with people who have gone through the same things that they have gone through.”

Mary Rose Petrozola, who is a volunteer on the Schenectady Walk to End Alzheimer’s Committee and a team captain of a walk team, said supporting the cause is something she has felt passionate about, “for a long time.”

“It’s one of more important things I feel like I can do,” Petrozola said. “It’s just a very important cause for me to be a part of. My grandfather, who the team is named in honor of, passed from complications of the disease. So it’s important for me to do whatever I can to be able to, again, raise awareness and further educate people the best I can.”

Her team, Alz Well EEG, formed in 2020 in honor of her grandfather, Edward Elmer Gordon. The team name is a nod to him, including his initials, E.E.G., and a reference to the William Shakespeare play, ‘All’s Well That Ends Well.’

Petrozola said she has perceived strong support from the community, noting that the disease’s reach is widespread.

“It’s always a surprise from year to year, how many people this touches,” said Petrozola. “Everybody basically has, or knows of, somebody that’s touched by this disease.”

Petrozola’s team showcases a great example of community support, having partnered with Schenectady restaurant Simone’s Kitchen to offer an ‘Alz Well’ bowl throughout the month of September, she said.

“Bashir (Chedwaree), who is one of their part-owners, he is making an Alz Well bowl,” Petrozola said. “The entire month of September, he will run that special bowl, and proceeds specifically from that bowl will go to benefit my walk team.”

Participants can register individually, or sign up with a group as a team. Registration or donations for the Schenectady walk can be done online at act.alz.org/schenectady23, or in-person on the day of the event. Information on all five area walks is available at act.alz.org/neny.

The walk begins at Mohawk Harbor and isw roughly one mile long, said Korytko. The event also includes a mini-walk of roughly one-tenth of a mile. Registration for the event begins at 10 a.m., at which time numerous sponsor tables will be set up with various resources.

The opening ceremony will begin at 11 a.m., with the walk itself immediately following. 

The Schenectady walk also includes a Promise Garden ceremony, where walkers carry different flower colors to signal their connection to Alzheimer’s. While Korytko said it can be, “heartbreaking,” to see the amount of purple flowers, signifying those who have lost someone to the disease, she added that one of the Alzheimer’s Association’s goals is to help find a cure.

“I think what we are trying to look for is the end to this disease, when there will be no more purple flowers,” Korytko said. “We’re looking to the time where there is that first survivor of this disease.”

While fundraising for participants is not required to join the walk, it is encouraged. The Schenectady walk has a fundraising goal of $150,000. Funds raised locally help the Northeastern New York chapter provide programs and services to families in the area going through Alzheimer’s, said Korytko, and also help the Alzheimer’s Association to fund research.

Korytko emphasized that strong steps in research have been taken over recent years, providing what she called, “a layer of hope,” to the Walks. 

“We still need to keep fighting, and we still need to keep investing in research,” said Korytko. “But I feel like there is a lot more hope, because of some of the progress and the research that we’ve made in the past few years.”

She said it is rewarding to see the impact of the Walks, noting the disease has an extensive reach.

“When you’re on the stage, and you look out and you see people holding their flowers, it just makes you realize how pervasive this disease is, and how it impacts so many of the members of our community,” Korytko said. “It’s a very rewarding experience, because I know these people are getting support, and that they’re feeling like they’re not alone. … I think that the more that we see that other people are in our situation and are in our shoes, the more we feel like we can ask for help.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Wesley Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Wesley Community, will be holding its sixth annual “Share A Step” virtual fundraiser beginning Friday Sept. 22 through Thursday, Sept. 28.

The weeklong fitness initiative offers participants the opportunity to raise funds for The Wesley Community’s Life Enrichment Program, which provides social and therapeutic activities tailored to each Wesley resident.

Competitors of all ages and fitness levels are invited and encouraged to work toward a fitness goal, such as running or walking one mile per day, completing a bike ride around the neighborhood, a run on the treadmill or virtually traveling the distance of a popular local trail.

Participants are asked to track and log their progress, take pictures of each exercise and tag it on Facebook and Instagram with #shareastep to show their progress and motivate others to stay the course.

“The Wesley Community is thrilled to once again kick off “Share A Step,” which is not only a much-needed fundraiser to support the health and well-being of our residents, but also a great way for people to stay active,” said The Wesley Community CEO J. Brian Nealon in a press release. “We encourage individuals and teams of all ages and fitness levels, locally and nationwide, to participate.”

 This year, “Share A Step” donations will support the Life Enrichment program at Wesley Health Care Center. The initiative provides an array of services focused on improving quality of life and well-being of residents. This is achieved through customized programs that pursue the interests and passions of each individual, while guiding them through such challenges of life as intellectual and physical disabilities.

 There are several ways for the local community to join in: By registering as a participant; by registering as a team, friends or colleagues, and challenging other teams; by becoming a sponsor or making a personal monetary donation.

To learn more, visit: p2p.onecause.com/shareastep.

CALGARY, Alberta — Seven athletes from the Jason Morris Judo Center in Glenville have qualified to compete for the USA Team in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from Sept. 15-16.

The Pan Ams are significant due to the fact an athlete can earn valuable points on the world rankings toward qualifying for the Paris Olympics.

Hannah Martin will be making her seventh appearance at the Pan Ams at 63 kg, with her best result being a bronze medal in 2013, 2017, and 2019. Nicole Stout will be competing in her fifth Pan Ams at 78 kg. 

Nate Keeve is heading to his fourth Pan Ams at 100 kg, with his best result being a bronze medal in 2021. Ari Berliner is competing for the third time, taking bronze at 66 kg in 2022. Kell Berliner, Alex Knauf, and Melissa Myers all will be making their Pan Am debut in Calgary. 

The Jason Morris Judo Center has now placed at least one athlete on the Pan Am team for 20 straight years. The JMJC has placed four athletes on the team seven different times and had three athletes on the team five times. Ari Berliner, Keeve, Knauf & Martin also represent the New York Athletic Club. Four-time Olympian and JMJC owner Jason Morris will accompany the group to Calgary to coach them.