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ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – The Mohawk Hudson River Marathon is one of the largest in the country, and hundreds gathered to run for the full or half marathon. Jaime Puccioni of Niskayuna decided to run to help raise awareness for a cause.
“This year, I’m running to raise awareness about Jaliek Rainwalker,” she said. “Two weeks ago, I did a ride for missing children, and I rode for Jaliek, and once again, I’m going to be running for Jalique.”
Michael Newhouse decided to run the half marathon on behalf of Flags 4 Fallen in honor of Stephen LaRochelle, who passed away after a motorcycle accident over the summer.
“He raced race cars in Lebanon Valley Speedway,” Newhouse said. “And at Flags 4 Fallen, we keep memories alive and honor those who have passed.”
Each rider signed up to run for their own reasons, but everyone made sure they were warm enough during the first half of the run and ready for when things heated up later in the race.
Many local returning runners say they love the fact they can participate so close to home. For Elizabeth Chauhan, this is her sixth time running at the event.
“I’ve done half a few times; I’ve done the full a few times,” Chauhan said. “It’s a great event. One of my favorites. Right in my backyard.”
For some who weren’t able to participate, like Ashley Bevill, they made sure to stay involved. She decided to volunteer with her children and root for her husband and the other runners.
“Yeah, we were supposed to do the full together,” Bevill said. “But he’s still feeling good, so he’s doing the half to represent us.”
But even as each runner and walker reached the finish line, a volunteer medical team member like Sheetal Bapu was ready to help anyone in need.
“Everyone gets to the finish line, and then they really wanna stop and put their hands on their legs and breath that way,” Bapu said. “But we encourage people to keep walking, keep that blood moving. You know, you’ve been walking for such a long race. All your blood went to your legs. And you wanna keep that blood moving through the body.”
Bapu also says that if anyone is interested in participating in the next marathon, it’s important to start training at least a month before and go at a steady pace.
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