»
Home > News Archive > 1,960 complete relay around Seneca Lake

1,960 complete relay around Seneca Lake

Published:

The 2016 Seneca7, a 77.7-mile relay race consisting of more than 280 seven-member teams running the distance surrounding Seneca Lake, was contested on Sunday under clear skies with pleasant temperatures. The race began in Geneva at 6:30 a.m. and wound through Ontario, Yates, Schuyler, and Seneca Counties, including a jaunt through the village of Watkins Glen, before finishing in Geneva with a celebratory bonfire and official awards ceremony.

Awards were three-deep in categories for all male, mixed, and all female.In the male category, first place again went to Liar Liar, Feet on Fire! out of Endwell, NY with a time of 8:08:10. The same team had won in 2015, coming in at 8:47:14. Second place was Team EV., from Penn Yan, NY, coming in at 9:00:04. #itsjustrunning, of Buffalo, NY rounded out the category, finishing in 9:11:12.In the female category, Boston, NY’s Fast Women Getting Fast Times took first, with a time of 8:37:16. Second place went to the 7 Women Wonders, from Lansing, NY, who finished in 9:59:29. And third place was awarded to Make It Happen, from Rochester, NY, who completed the course in 10:00:28.In the mixed (male/female) category, Team Wiemer, from Norristown, DE, took first, finishing with a time of 9:06:56. Seven Wines for Seven Runners, of Buffalo, NY, was second, completing the race in 9:08:11. And third place was won by Jerry and the Atrics, from Williamsville, NY, who finished in 9:15:37 – not quite fast enough to take the championship in the category, as they had the year before.The bike category was comprised of teams who, instead of being supported by an official race vehicle (van or bus), were 100% self-supported – each team member rode a bicycle for the duration of the race. Bike teams have their own special category for awards, and this year first place in this category went to the Bark Eater Brewery Boys, from Lowville, NY, who finished with a time of 9:08:53 – just a few minutes off of the 2015 winning time of 8:59:24.The 2016 race filled to capacity in under 30 minutes, even with an expanded field – nearly 60 additional teams – setting a new record for the event. Demand for a Seneca7 entry has dramatically increased from year to year – it had filled to capacity by December 31 in 2013, and took just five days in 2014. The race was featured in a Runner’s World magazine spotlight in April 2012 that included photos of the event, boosting recognition nationally after a successful inaugural year.

“It was a fast field this year, and I think that speaks to the fact that individual relay teams take this race seriously and recruit faster and faster runners to come to it,” says race co-director Jeff Henderson. “The event attracts all types of runners, from the fiercely competitive to the club runners who run for fitness, or even for fun. We try to provide an event that is the perfect fit for everybody.””This race was started out of a love for running and a love for the Finger Lakes region,” says Seneca7 co-director Jackie Augustine. “We were pleased to be able to expand the field and bring this experience to even more runners this year.”Augustine notes that the race wouldn’t be possible without the support of the community.”More than 200 volunteers staffed the course and finish line – without them the Seneca7 would not be possible.”Click here for full results and more at Seneca7.com or click here for an interactive race replay.Seneca7 2016 Race Day Tweets:

Also on FingerLakes1.com