Running Club will help residents reach fitness goals – even in winter

By Nola Goodrich-Kresse, Public Health Educator for the Orleans County Health Department

Although it is snowing and it will soon officially be winter, it is still a good time to get exercise and enjoy the outdoors. The best way is to do it with friends to help you stay motivated and for safety.

The Albion Running Club, Inc., is a new non-for-profit organization to help all residents get moving and active throughout the year. Started by Wayne Burlison, Jack Burris, Mark Moore and Brian Krieger to keep the Strawberry Festival 5K running several years ago, the group realized the need to expand on what they could offer our county in the area of physical activity.

As they looked at the statistics for Orleans County, which has ranked low in the annual County Health Rankings with high incidents of overweight and tobacco use and low access to exercise, they started a Run for God 12-week beginner training running/walking program at their local church. The first year was a success with many of their graduates running their first 5K ever. Since then they have increased participants every year.

This growth was encouraging so the Running Club moved forward to incorporate. The board of directors for Albion Running club will be working together to initiate two new races and continue the Strawberry Festival race in 2015.

The first race will be in March 2015 with the Run for Wayne Scholarship race. This fun run/walk is in memory of Wayne Burlison, Albion School music teacher and the original idea man for the Running Club. He died from colon cancer in March 2014. The scholarship will be for an Albion High School senior.

In June, the Strawberry Festival 5K/8K will put the strawberry to test once again and in August an exciting new race, the Metro 10 will be initiated to draw a competition between Buffalo and Rochester which will highlight the historic and scenic area of Orleans County. The race will be open to everyone, but participants will choose if they will represent Buffalo or Rochester. All races will be sanctioned under the USA Track and Field and be in insurance and safety compliance.

Besides organizing the races, ARC has received a grant from The Greater Rochester Health Foundation to continue the Run for God program, and initiate a Fit in Fifty weekly groups to encourage consistent exercise.

Fit in Fifty includes accumulating mileage to different prize levels to help participants see progress and keep motivated. And last, but not least, the Shoe Fits program is designed to assist program participants (for a minimal fee of $20) to be fitted by trained personnel and given a pair of sneakers, participate in a training or weekly run groups as well as receive an entry in one of the Albion Running Club hosted events.

All of these activities fit the mission, which is “the Albion Running Club is committed to nurturing the mental, physical and spiritual health of its community by promoting civic engagement through fun, family friendly events and programs.”

Having such an organization as the Albion Running Club is encouraging for Orleans County residents who want to make healthy changes in their lives. The Orleans County Health Department looks forward to working with them as we strive to become a Healthier Orleans County together.

To learn more about the Albion Running Club and how you can participate in their events or partner with them through donations or volunteering opportunities, visit their web site by clicking here or contact Brian Krieger, executive director, at 585-590-0955.