Albany is gearing up for this weekend's 45th Freihofer's Run for Women.
The traditional 5K footrace starts Saturday at 9 a.m. There’s also a Junior 3K Run and a Kids’ Run. And a chockfull schedule.
Race director Kristen Hislop says the weather forecast, with temperatures close to 70, is great for running.
"We like it on the cooler side," Hislop said. "You know, rain is always OK, when you run, the race will go off no matter what the weather is like. The start is on Washington Avenue, just up from City Hall, right next to the state capitol, they run up Washington, then take a left into the park, run through the park, and then come back down for a really fast finish down Washington, looking right at City Hall."
Hislop says some international athletes are in the race, a couple of transgender athletes, along with a couple of local college athletes including the University at Albany's Amanda Chambers, a cross country and track and field athlete who hopes to finish in the top 5.
"The race is very empowering for all females, bringing them together all different backgrounds, all different abilities," said Chambers. "And I think it's a fun event that can bring a lot of joy to all different people. And it was actually my first 5k ever that I ever ran. And that was back when I was 12 years old. I'm now 23. So there's a lot of good memories behind this event.
Hislop invites everyone to what has become a Capital Region tradition.
"It's 45 years old, right? So it was the beginning, it was one of the only all women's races when women weren't really doing a lot of racing," Hislop said. "And so it gave an opportunity. And it has been a national championship. It's been a world athletic silver label event. So over the years, a lot of women in the running community know about it, because it's been going on for so long in the area. A lot of people ran it as a kid in the free kids run. And so then they you know, all of a sudden, they're 25,26, 35, whatever, you know, they come back and say I remember that, and I want to do it again. So we love it, because we have a lot of repeat offenders for the event.”
Albany Police spokesman Steve Smith says the department will be highly visible during the event that brings thousands into the city.
"It does require a police presence, not just for the road closures, but to assist attendees in getting to where they need to go," said Smith. "Police will be escorting the race. But the Boston Marathon bombing really kind of changed the way we police these sorts of events. And we want to make sure that all of our runners are safe, all of our spectators are safe. There will be officers at the event, you'll see officers wearing bright yellow vests, so they're very easily identifiable. But if you need a police officer for any reason, you could find one. And we always as always ask spectators runners, anybody who may be near the race, if they see something, say something if they see some suspicious persons or activities, to notify an officer so we can just ensure that everybody remains safe."
You can view the event schedule HERE.
Parking Restrictions and Road Closures are HERE.
