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Sean’s Run Recap
by Colleen Morrissey Wheatley

Originally published in the Times Union
April 26, 2010 at 6:03 am

This post was written by guest blogger Julie Keating who attended the race yesterday.

Battle of the Belts at Sean's Run
A total of 778 runners completed the 5K, and 255 youth completed Meghan’s Mile at the 9th annual Sean’s Run held on a rainy Sunday April 25, 2010 in Chatham, NY. Most runners in the Capital Region, the Berkshires, and the Hudson Valley know this race, named after Sean French, a 17 year old community volunteer and star runner at Chatham High School that was killed as an unbuckled passenger in a drunk driving accident on January 1, 2002 . Sean’s Run sends an important message during prom season to high school students to not engage in underage drinking and to always wear a seat belt. The festivities leading up to the race include a “Battle of the Belts”, where teams of four students compete to be the fastest in getting each team member sequentially buckled up in all four seats of a car.

Over the years the race has also become an occasion for homecoming, when those that have moved out of the area for work or other reasons reunite with friends and family. James Hogan of Brooklyn is pictured with Mary Maguire of Tivoli. These friends for over 20 years going back to their days at Ichabod Crane High School in Valatie decided to run the 5K course together, and finished in times of 28:40 and 28:41. This was James’ first ever race. He decided to make a New Year’s resolution for 2010 to run a 5K, and chose Sean’s Run for his debut, training primarily on a treadmill. This is just one example of how Sean’s Run has been a tool for positive change in the lives of those that participate.

Of all the races held in this region throughout the year, this race is the only one that I have heard runners say is a must on their calendars: “We have to do Sean’s!”

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