The Great Race The Captain Myles Keogh Paddle, Wheel & Run

History of The Great Race A look back...and a look at the present* by Jim Hanley and Lee Michaels, *1998

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1. Founders
2. Early race format
3. Where we got the names
4. How the race caught on
5. Goals of the race
6. Participation levels
7. Logistics and equipment
8. The party
9. Thanks volunteers
10. The Race Committee Today
11. Safety
12. Thanks to you

In 1977, Don Westee, Marty Keough, John Sabotka, and Steve Schwartz competed in The Josh Billings Run-a-Ground in Western Massachusetts. Soon after returning to the Auburn area, the group was discussing the race and the fun that they had had. Al Hastings, an athletic director at the Auburn YMCA-WEIU, and Jim Hanley were listening. Everyone agreed that this type of event might be fun and successful in Auburn.

A committee was put together with Al Hastings as the chair. The other members of the committee were Marty Keough, Don Westee, Jim Hanley, Al Wilson, Terry Matro, Lee Michaels, and Mike Bintz. (Al Hastings served as chairman for 20 races and only resigned when out of town job pressures required it. Don is an "emeritus" member of the committee. Jim, Marty Al Wilson, and Lee are still active members. ) Within the first five years, Dick Balian, Frank Ruggiero, Brad Davidson, and Don DelloStritto had joined the committee.

In the early meetings of the 8 member race committee their ideas began to flow. They knew that the race had to occur near Owasco Lake. Thus, arrangements were made to use Emerson Park and Deauville Island as a staging and central area.

Early race format

The first race, in August of 1978, began not with the 10km run for which the race has been known for all but one year but with a 5 mile run which began on Lake Avenue in front of Auburn High School. The second year, the race started directly in front of Green Shutters Restaurant and immediately headed west on White Bridge Road. For the first few years, the bicycle course was an out-and-back route mainly conducted along West Lake Road. For the first few years, the exchange zone from runner to bikers and bikers to canoers was in front of the Indian Museum/state boat launch area of Emerson Park. For several years, bikers were not even required to wear protective bicycling helmets. When headgear was first required, some participants were quite creative, wearing construction hard hats and baseball batting helmets, with straps attached, always vigorously insisting that they were "legal." You will find some vintage pictures of early races, including the very first run start, the start at Green Shutters, some chaotic exchange areas, and some pretty crude canoe finish line set ups in the photos section of this site. Or you may follow this link now to see the vintage photos of Great Race I and other early races.

Where the names came from

Inspiration for the logo

The committee also had to choose a name for the race. They thought that the Josh Billings name used in Massachusetts was a nice touch. They figured that Josh Billings was an historic figure in that area. When they inquired, they learned that the race committee in western Massachusetts did not know if a Josh Billings had ever existed. Our committee wanted to use the name of a true local historic figure. After some research, the race was offically named the Capt. Myles Keogh Paddle, Wheel & Run. Many people thought that Capt. Keogh was a long lost relative of Marty Keough, but Marty corrected them. Actually, Capt. Keogh was a post Civil War hero from Auburn, who had died at Little Big Horn with Col. Custer in his famous "Last Stand." The committee knew, however, that it needed a short catchy name to attract attention and distinguish the relay from other events. They came up with The Great Race, stealing the name from a then popular movie.

More on Captain Myles Keogh

How it caught on

In July of 1978, there was great concern that the race would catch on and that enough teams would participate to make it successful. At that time, before the common use of computers, the committee had set a cut off date for entries, about a week before the race. One member recalls fondly that, on the next to last day that entries could be submitted, at about 4 pm, he and Al Hastings took inventory and went out for an afternoon run. They were pretty concerned, because, at the moment that they left, there were about 85 teams entered. People being the procrastinators that they were (and still are) when they got back to the Y from their run, there were over 110 teams entered. What exciting news!

In its early years, coming during the peak of the running craze in particular, participation grew by leaps and bounds.

Goals of The Great Race

The original goal of The Great Race, still true after over 2 decades, was to have fun while promoting physical fitness. The committee has always sought to attract both elite athletes and just average folks. The committee has always felt that, if they could get the average person to begin exercising for this race, it might become part of their life and add to their overall well-being. In order to attract people, numerous open and age group categories have been established and regularly supplemented as the need develops. We recognize that there will always be athletes possessing different skills, discipline and speed, but there will always be people who want to compete but might not feel that they could measure up to the talented elite athletes.

The race committee has always wanted people to feel that the race was, indeed, every person's race, and that there can be many contests within the large contest, between friends, acquaintances and relatives. Some people want only to finish. Others want to beat a previous "P.R." or personal best time.

Spectators are a very big part of this race. For that moment when contestants of all skill and speed levels cross their individual finish line, they feel like Frank Shorter, Grete Waitz, or Greg LeMond. There is no feeling like hearing the crowd cheering at the end.

Participation levels

The first year, there were 125 teams. By the second year, 225 teams signed up. The Great Race grew to 680 teams in 1986. Those who can remember this are also able to remember that the run to bike exchange zone was so long that year that it extended part way around the curve where East Lake Road meets the north end of Owasco Lake. Since 1986, the number of team entries has leveled off at a consistent 400 to 500 teams per year.

Logistics and equipment

The logistics of everything about the race have gotten both more complicated and less complicated. In the beginning, we used stop watches with people yelling out times to get splits, adhesive stickers attached to boards to record finishers, and tape recorders for back up devices. A committee member needing to get from the central tent on Deauville Island to the starting line did a lot of broken field running. Now, we use multiple timing machines, computers, and two way radios. The older and frequentlyly arthritic committee members now make the long trips on golf carts. One thing has not changed, we still serve great beer; a choice of ham, turkey or vegetarian submarine sandwiches; and a choice of plum or nectarine.

Initially, the sound system consisted of a microphone and a couple of speakers. The primary means to communicate was lung power and bull horns. Today, there is a professional sound system that covers all of Deauville and the starting area on East Lake Road. Many committee members stay in touch for adminstrative and emergency needs with two way radios. And, if they can't find someone by radio, they grab a golf cart and find them.

The great party

Entertaining participants, spectators, and people who just know a good party when they see one has become a big factor in our planning. We wanted The Great Race to me more than jsut a race. We wanted it to be a community event. From humble beginnings of a jug band, we have progressed to such major attractions as Nik and the Nice Guys, Joe Whiting, and The Boss Street Band. Anyone who has stayed through the third music set, complete with piggy back rides for little kids, conga lines weaving in and out, and two men dancing with one woman or vice versa is usually hooked forever. People who remember Brad Davidson in conga lines with his daughter Heather on his shoulders now see a teenage Heather nearly as tall as Brad. The Great Race has truly become a quality community summer event.

The volunteers

We have relied on members of the community for 25 years to assist us in all aspects of the race. Many people have actually been volunteers for every year of the race. We could not accomplish our goals without them. To all our volunteers past and present, THANKS !.

The Committee Today

(News article from Great Race 25)

• Marty Keough, Race director, food, beverages

  Don Dello Stritto, timing, Finish line

  Jim Hanley, canoe course

  John Scanlan, financial

  Geri Read, office, registration, race packets, administration tent

  Lee Michaels, Start, run to bike exchange zone, awards

  Tim Walczyk, bike course

  Brad Davidson, announcements, bike course

  Paul Ringwood, sponsors

  From 1978 - Seated, (l to r) Don Westee, Al Hastings Standing, (l to r) Marty Keough, Mike Bintz, Allan Wilson.

  Steve Komanecky, awards delivery

  Kevin Kelly, results & scoring, web site

  Rob Schemerhorn, 5k course, scoreboard, permits

  Tom Falsey, canoe changeover zones

  John Lawler, 10k course

  Bill Brown, awards

  Bob Blair, exchange zones

  Dave Schardt, exchange zones

  Amy Fuller, the finest T-shirts

  Al Wilson, kids fun run, antiterrorism

  Frank Ruggiero, in memoriam
  and our prayers

  Al Hastings, emeritus*

  Kathy Annan, emeritus*

  Al Celecki, emeritus*

  Don Westee, emeritus*

  Dick Balian, emeritus*

  Mike Bintz, emeritus*

*emeritus (adj.) Able now to go directly to the beer tent when done racing.

Safety

Safety has always been a concern. We know that sooner or later, there will be bike accidents. And, since the race is conducted in the summer, heat injuries are common. We have a staff of doctors and nurses performing first aid and triage for injured and ailing partipants. Private ambulence service and volunteer services stand by.

Thanks to the volunteers and you, the partipants

This huge one day event, takes a year to plan. The first meeting for next year's race will take place in September, within a month of this year's race. We are very proud of and grateful to all the committee members and race volunteers, who donate their time to make this work. And we are very grateful to the partipants for supporting this race, so that it can be a financial success and continue from its early beginnings to one of the most mature athletic events in America.