"The best, absolutely the best. Ample provisions for runners, tremendous crowd support, great volunteers, well positioned aid stations. I'll be back"
Monday, March 22, 2010
You Should Know: Peter Delaney, RunVermont and the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon
You Should Know: Peter Delaney, KeyBank Vermont City Marathon and RunVermont
Compiled by Myra Mathis Flynn for the Burlington Free Press
Monday, March 22, 2010
How did you come to be the director of RunVermont, and how long have you held that position?
I was fortunate enough to be offered the opportunity to come to RunVermont about a year ago when my highly-respected predecessor, Andrea Sisino, announced her intentions to move on to other career interests. I have known Andrea through previous interactions with the marathon, whether running in it or serving as a volunteer, over the course of several years. She certainly encouraged me to look at RunVermont, and the opportunity to work with a great team with some great events to see if we can't make them even better. I actually started work in the role last year in the first week of May, just a few weeks before the race.
The marathon has been going strong for 22 years. What can you attribute to its success?
I think this event has been so successful because its founders had the vision to make it a community-owned property. People like Gordon MacFarland, Randy Sargent, John Ewing, Lisa Quinlan and many others, decided early on that this event would be something in which everyone in Vermont could participate in some way, be it as a runner, a volunteer, a sponsor or a spectator. As the creators of the vision, this is their race. People come from all 50 states and several foreign countries to run this race. We receive tons of feedback from runners who tell us this is their favorite marathon, so to them, this is their race. There is a group of runners, the core of the RunVermont Hall of Fame, who have run the race every year since its inception -- so to them, it's their race. There are volunteers with years of service, and to them, it's their race. Many of the sponsors who support this event have been with us since the start, so they have a definite right to feel that this is their event. And the list of people and organizations that all play a role in making this event what it has become can all claim an ownership stake in the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon because it truly is their event. My duty is to see that the value of that "ownership" appreciates during my stewardship of the organization.
What are some of the details of this year's race?
We're anticipating a great year as registration looks strong for the marathon and the relays are full. There will be a few modest changes to the actual course so that we could accommodate some improvements to the two-person exchange zone in Oakledge Park. The other modifications won't be very evident until runners reach Waterfront Park. Once there, they will have a slightly shorter "buttonhook" at the south end of the park before reaching the finish line, which will be moving about 200 feet further south. We have a host of other enhancements including the new Miles for a Mission program to assist our charity partners; MVP Health Care is joining us to support the YAM Scram kids run and all of our youth programs; Cardiac Science will provide AEDs for all the Aid Stations; local organizations will offer pasta dinners so that runners can get their carbs the night before the race and the organizations will capture new fundraising opportunities.
Do you run?
Yes, I run. But no one is ever going to mistake me for a runner of any distinction. I can identify more with the recent movie "Run, Fat Boy, Run" than I ever could with "Chariots of Fire."
What's your life motto?
The first measure of productivity is attendance; you have to be present in order to produce in any aspect of life.
What advice do you have for runners hoping to cross that finish line?
The satisfaction of the finish line will endure far longer than the suffering of the effort to get there.
And for folks hesitating about signing up?
Come on out and run, volunteer or cheer. You won't regret it, and you will be back.
Team registration deadline:
April 30
On the Web:
www.runvermont.org or www.vermontcitymarathon.org
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