The second annual Fred Ruterbusch Memorial 5K Run and Fun Run Mile is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. The 5K course starts and finishes behind Steele Hall. The Fun Run Mile will follow at 11 a.m. on the indoor track in Steele Hall, followed by the post-race awards ceremony.
Awards will be presented to the top male and female finishers in the 5K. The top male and female alumni finishers from each graduation decade starting with the 1960s will also receive an award.
New this year is a special Residence Hall Challenge launched to promote increased participation in the 5K among SUNY Fredonia students. Three winning teams will be determined by the lowest finishing place total of the first five runners from the first place male, female and co-ed residence hall. The entry fee for each dorm team consisting of five members is $30 total. A plaque for each winning team will be placed in that team’s residence hall.
The 5K race is named in memory of Fred Ruterbusch, the first SUNY Fredonia athlete to earn All-America honors in track and field. Ruterbusch’s talent in the javelin throw and leadership helped Fredonia win its first SUNYAC (State University of New York Athletic Conference) indoor and outdoor track and field titles in 1977-78.
The registration fee for the 5K run is $25 and $10 for the Fun Run Mile. The 5K registration fee for high school students is $10. Registration forms are available by email (dmmcgrathesq@aol.com) and telephone at 716-480-1557 or 716-627-1420, and completed forms should be sent with payment (payable to Fredonia State Athletics) to The Ruterbusch Memorial Runs, c/o Dennis McGrath, P.O. Box 656, Hamburg, N.Y. 14075. Race day registration is also available starting at 9:00 a.m. at Steele Hall at no extra charge.
Proceeds from the race benefit the Phillips Cross Country and Track & Field Endowment Fund which was established through the Fredonia College Foundation in memory of Mary Phillips, wife of longtime SUNY Fredonia administrator and cross country/track and field coach Everett Phillips, who retired in 1995. Funds from the Phillips Cross County and Track & Field Endowment Fund benefit the SUNY Fredonia men’s and women’s cross country and track field programs.
For questions, please contact Todd Grady (’93) at (585) 737-3947 or Dennis McGrath (’79) at 716-480-1557 or 716-627-1420.
