EVL Halloween Half and 5K
EVL Halloween
Half and 5K
Event Organizers Receive the Green Light; Implement Changes to Race Format.
Fall foliage chairlift rides. Cool weather shopping. Fresh apple cider. Pumpkin everything! It’s your typical Autumn in Ellicottville, minus Fall Festival and just about every other event that has been cancelled due to Covid. On the flip side, many of our local businesses have found creative ways to keep our locals and our visitors entertained in safe, small numbers. Intimate Bavarian & Beer Pairing dinners, drive-through chicken BBQ and basket raffle fundraisers. And of course, our local ski shops are making room for new product by offering deep discounts on last year’s leftovers. (Get your ski and snowboard gear dialed in NOW.)
As the cool, crisp air jumpstarts the excitement of what’s to come in our cozy ski town, it is also welcomed by those who’ve spent their fair share of outdoor activity in the sweltering heat of summer. Mountain bikers and runners alike embrace the change of seasons, and there is one event Ellicottville has celebrated each October for the past 6 years that thankfully, we’ll see the return of this year, albeit in a bit of a different format.
The EVL Halloween Half and 5k race has received the green light, and organizers Doug and Gwen Bush of EnduranceFactor are grateful for the ability to bring this popular and fun running race back to the beautiful rural roads of Ellicottville. This year’s race is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24th with the start/finish at the north end of Monroe Street.
“We’ve had to make a few adjustments to the race format due to Covid-19 concerns,” said Doug, “but thankfully we’re able to keep the event going. It was important to us to be able to provide an outlet for those who like to run or walk, and it’s a great way to get people outdoors and keep them active.”
Perhaps the biggest change to the event is the starting corral. To maintain a safe distance among participants, a wave start format will be implemented. Multiple waves, 50 runners per wave, individual starts, with a 5-10 second gap in between each runner.
“To accommodate the different waves, runners will choose a start time when registering online,” Doug explained. “This way we can ensure that participants are filtering in and out throughout the day in safe numbers. We’ll have X’s measured out on the street so each wave of runners can maintain a proper distance from one another.”
In lieu of packet pick-up, race bibs will be mailed out to each runner, so at-home preparations can be made prior to showing up at the race start. As for the finisher’s medal and event t-shirt, those will be given to each racer as they cross the finish line. With strict gathering guidelines in place, this year’s event will not offer an after-party.
“Our goal is to host a fun event, and we’re able to do so under the circumstance that everyone does their part to abide by the safety guidelines set by NYS DOH.” said Doug. “We still plan to have a live DJ at the start/finish to get everyone excited, but we are unable to provide a post-race celebration like in years past. Instead, we are encouraging everyone to show up, run their race course, cross the finish line, collect their goodies, and then depart.”
Doug and Gwen Bush hosted a trail run at Holiday Valley just last month using the same format, and according to Doug, it was very well received. “We heard comments from quite a few participants of that event that they actually liked the wave start. It provided them with their own space to run, instead of having a mass amount of people in each other’s way. It worked out well, and because of that, we’re able to host the EVL Halloween race. The safety of those participating is our #1 priority.”
Although we all look forward to the day when we can gather and celebrate in large groups again, unmasked and unhindered by fear, we can still find a level of appreciation in the things that are available to us, no matter how far from the norm they may seem. For runners, the opportunity to participate in a live event during a pandemic provides us something to look forward to, and I for one, can’t want to take off out the starting gate.
The EVL Halloween Half and 5k is set for Saturday, Oct. 24th with the first wave of runners hitting the pavement at 8:00am. As always, costumes are encouraged, but not mandatory. Spots are filling up quickly; if you plan to participate, sign up soon, as this event always sells out. Go to evlhalf.com for additional information including start times, registration costs, and safety rules.
