The Stockade-athon - Run15k

The 32nd Annual Schenectady Gazette Stockade-athon is popularly recognized as the oldest major 15k road race in the United States. It is recognized as a highlight event for the Fall racing season in upstate New York. It began in 1976 by when a Schenectady City Council member decided to stage a road race to help celebrate America's bi-centennial. The number of participants has steadily climbed over the years despite the sometimes chilly weather in upstate NY at this time.

The race started in Schenectady's Central Park (aka "the Crown Jewel") at the stone entrance to the park. There were minute/mile markers in the middle of the "corral" and the race director directing runners to group themselves pursuant to how fast they could or intended to run a mile. I settled into the 7 min/mile corral along with many others. The race started approximatley 5 mins. late and the chill of the weather began to set in until the gun went off. The course began along the edges of the Park, winding its way into the Park, past the Casino (not the gambling kind) and up the first major hill out of the park. There were many spectators cheering everyone on throughout the park. At the first mile, I was at a comfortable pace of 7:05 and extremely satisfied. The first hill dropped many who started off too fast and as the course went out of the park and through the steets of Upper Union Street, the crowd began to thin. We made our way past the High School and unto Grand Blvd. I was about 3-4 blocks from my house and thought about grabbing the dog to join in the run, but thought better of it.

The course then proceeded to the Hospital and up a second hill. I was still at a comfortable 7:05 pace. I was extremely overdressed for the event, but did not feel overheated at this time. I could tell however that I was getting a little distracted about the thought that I might get overheated. The course then descended down Nott Street past Union College where a guy brought out his drum set and was jamming. We then proceeded past the College down the hill to a section of warehouses/factories. See, Schenectady has been home to General Electric for a long time. It was once a major industrial city in upstate New York, but like most upstate cities felt a decline throughout the last 20 or so years. Recently, thanks to GE again and the emergence of microprocessors/nanotechnology and sustainable energy, Schenectady is being sparked to a revitalization.

This leads to the next part of the course, which is the Stockade District, which is one of the oldest and most preserved neighborhoods in the US. The Stockade Historic District was home to all of Schenectady’s most important 17th, 18th and 19th century figures. Over a hundred architectural landmarks survive virtually intact! We were greeted by a huge sign and residents cheering us on. One guy had set up his own little gatorade station for everyone. Apparently, this is the half way point of the race and you can't beat running through an old colonial neighborhood on a brisk sunny day during foilage season.

After running out of the stockade district, we entered downtown Schenectady, which has--within the past 5 years--seen a rebirth. Many new and old (Proctor's Theatre) have opened and re-opened businesses in the area and it is now safe and fun again. At this time, we began our ascent of the steep hill which runs by the County Courthouse. As I passed by mile 5 at about 35:05, I noticed an older gentleman to my left who turned out to be Boston Billy. He had come to "expo" the day before to market something and was also running the race. I was pretty proud to have beaten him for the first 5 miles, but he must have thought he needed to get the blood pumping because after we topped the hill, he took off. The hill was tough for having run 4x since PR'ing at a Marathon a month ago, but I was enjoying myself. Also, saw Tripp and Lyndsey near Villa Italia (home of the MooseMice, aka deliciousness) cheering everyone on. It was good to see familiar faces on the course.

The course then made it's way out of the streets off State Street and into the Vale Cemetary. We made our way out of the Cemetary, past the other Hospital and headed towards the Park again. I was beginning to wear and couldn't find another gear. After a brief flat section through the cemetary, we again ascended another hill and at this time, I was coasting along at about 8 min/mile pace. We entered the Park again for "a dramatic finish around Iroquois Lake." It's a neat part of the course, because it's not an actual loop, but you wind your way through the park for about 2 miles and as you wind your way down you can see people finishing ahead of you and those behind you. At this point, the hills are rolling if noticeable at all and I was just again coasting, but having regained a little steam down one of the downhills.

You could hear the finish line announcer as you approached and I looked to my right to see if anyone would attempt at sprinting by and not seeing anyone decided to coast on in for a time of about 1:08:25. The time is very satisfying having not run a lot since the marathon and having taken a nasty spill on the bike 3 weeks back. It was great to run the race near my home and in my new hometown on a great Fall day. Thus, I was pretty happy.

Not layer up too much. I ended up taking my gloves off and wishing I could have taken a top layer off. Otherwise, maybe train for next years to attempt at besting 1 hour.

Walked towards the food pavilion. The post race food was the best I've ever seen. There were apple cider donuts (an upstate NY must), Stewart's drinks and foods, Fireside Sheet Pizza, cookies, soup, coffee, and lots more. There was also a small fire in a pit to warm by.


Not having trained since the marathon, crashing on the bike 3 weeks ago, and overheating towards the end.


I may be partial because I pay County taxes here, but this race is a must for anyone having completed a marathon within the past few weeks or preparing for Philly or the like within the next few. You can't beat foilage season in upstate NY/Vermont/Berkshires Mass and Schenectady is beginning to offer a lot to the Capital Region once again. It was an exceptionally run race with great post-race activities, great volunteer help and plenty of cheering spectators. I only remember 2 aid stations, but I brought along a water bottle anyways. I hope to run this again, and again, recommend this race to all. It's a challenging race with all the hills and as well as a race with lots of scenery changes. Overall, very happy to have raced.