Nearly 400 will participate in Saturday’s Metro 10
Change in course due to road work puts start on Main Street
Photos by Tom Rivers: Runners head north on Route 98 on Aug. 22, 2015 during the first Metro 10 race in Albion.
ALBION – The fourth annual Metro 10 will be Saturday morning in Albion with about 400 participants. The community is urged to come out and cheer on the runners and, for the first time, the cyclists who will be in the event.
Motorists are also urged to show patience and caution while participants are out on the road. The bike race starts at 7 a.m. on Main Street. The 10-mile run starts at 8 with a 5-mile run option starting about 8:05 to 8:10.
The routes for the cyclists and runners were planned to begin and end near Bullard Park on Route 31, but road work on the state road forced organizers to change the courses.
The start is now on Main Street in downtown Albion with the finish on East Bank Street, right before Main Street. The 10-mile course goes as far east as Densmore Road.
A post-race party, including music from Bobby and Pedestrians, will be in the downtown on East Bank and Platt streets. The party had been at Bullard the first three Metro 10s.
Thom Jennings, the race organizer, said the changes in the course put a bigger focus on the historic downtown.
“It’s been a challenge to redo the course but it’s a real opportunity to be in the downtown,” Jennings said. “People will be able to hang out downtown and enjoy the architecture.”
The race is unusual in that participants pick a “team,” either Rochester or Buffalo. Participants contribute to their metro’s point total. The first three years Rochester won the Metro Cup over Buffalo. Rochester has the edge over Buffalo in overall participants on Saturday, but Buffalo could still pull off a win with speedy runners and cyclists if they win enough age-group awards.
Stan Farone is shown July 9 in Albion riding his bicycle as part of the Cycling the Erie Canal event that went from Buffalo to Albany over 8 days. Farone, an Albion village trustee, will ride his bike 10 miles in Saturday’s Metro 10.
Four of the Albion Village Board members will be in the race. Mayor Eileen Banker and trustees Stan Farone and Gary Katsanis will be in the 10-mile bike race, and Mattea Navarra will join the runners.
Banker has been training with two of her friends, going on bike rides topping 20 miles. She said the Metro 10 provided the motivation to get out on her bike.
Farone has twice been on the 8-day “Cycling the Erie Canal” trip that goes from Buffalo to Albany, about 350 miles. He recommended the Metro 10 add the biking component this year.
There are about 40 signed up for the bike on Saturday, and most of them will then do either the 5- or 10-mile run, Jennings said.
Banker commended Jennings and the event organizers for the Metro 10.
“It’s a great idea to have the Rochester vs Buffalo because we’re right in the middle,” she said. “We need to do more to bring people in.”
Jennings said the village has been very supportive with the event, especially with the Police Department and Department of Public Works providing traffic control and other assistance. The towns of Albion and Gaines also back the event.
The community is welcome to attend the post-race celebration, which includes a food truck, beer garden and other vendors. Non-race participants have to pay for any food and alcohol, while cyclists and runners can enjoy the post-race festivities as part of their entry fee.
Proceeds from the race go towards the Warrior House in Shelby, which provides a hunting retreat for wounded veterans or children who have lost a parent in war.
Each cyclist and runner will receive a medal at the finish line, which will be presented by a veteran.
For more on Metro 10, click here.
