Laurel Memorial Run/Walk Takes Place This Weekend

A 25-year tradition of celebrating people with developmental disabilities will continue when the Laurel Memorial Run/Walk takes place July 16 and 17.

The event was created by Wayne and Elaine Hotelling of Silver Creek in honor of their oldest daughter, Laurel, who had special needs. Though she faced many challenges, Laurel lived a full and productive life thanks to the support she received from her family, her community and The Resource Center.

The Laurel Memorial Run/Walk is a two-day celebration of the potential that exists within people who have disabilities. The event seeks to raise public awareness about people with disabilities while providing an opportunity for people with disabling conditions, and those without, to come together at a fun, family-friendly event.

The action begins Friday, July 16, with the traditional flag relay. A kickoff ceremony will be held at 8 a.m. at McCrea Point Park (the boat landing) on Jones and Gifford Avenue in Jamestown. At about 8:30 a.m. the first volunteer runners will begin transporting Laurel Run flags to Dunkirk. Representatives from a number of area schools, as well as the Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility in Brocton, will run the various legs of the relay.

A new event this year will be the first Laurel’s Legacy Lap to be held in Jamestown. For Laurel’s Lap, people with disabilities will be invited to walk the paved path around McCrea Point Park. People without disabilities are encouraged to cheer the walkers as they make their way to the finish. Laurel’s Lap will begin at about 9 a.m.

Another change for this year involves the end point of the flag relay. For the past 11 years, the relay has ended at Washington Park, and the city of Dunkirk has hosted a victory celebration. This year, event organizers decided to have the relay end at The Resource Center’s facility at 186 Lake Shore Drive West in Dunkirk. This change was made to make it easier for people with disabilities and their support staff at TRC to be able to attend the celebration.

The community also is invited to attend the victory celebration, which will take place from 12:30 to 2 p.m. The last relay runners are expected to arrive between 1:30 and 1:45 p.m.

For the ninth straight year, several people will attempt to run the entire 30-mile relay route. That event is called the Laurel-thon. Anyone wishing to run a portion of the flag relay, or to take in the Laurel-thon, is invited to do so. Phone 661-4735 for information.

Friday’s events are a warm-up for the main Laurel Run/Walk activities, which take place the following day in Silver Creek. Check-in and late registration begin at 7 a.m. in the village square. At 8:30, a 5-kilometer fitness walk and a 1-kilometer fun walk will begin, followed at 9:00 by an 8-kilometer running race.

For the 5k walk and the 8k run, medals will be given to the top three male and female finishers in each age group. Commemorative medals will be given to everyone who crosses the finish line. The age-group medals and the commemorative medals were made by people with disabilities at The Resource Center.

Cash awards ($100 for first place, $75 for second place and $50 for third) will be given to the top male and female finishers in the 8k run.

Besides the individual competition, there will be a corporate challenge. Awards will be given to the three fastest teams in both the 5k walk and the 8k run, with each team’s time determined by the combined times of its first four finishers.

The registration fees for the 8k run, the 5k walk and the 1k walk are $15 for children 17 and younger, and $20 for people 18 and older. Those entry fees increase $5 on July 9. All paid registrants will receive a 2021 Laurel Memorial Run/Walk T-shirt and the commemorative medal, and will be entitled to enjoy refreshments after completing their event. People can earn free entry into Laurel Run by collecting $50 or more in pledges.

Saturday’s events also will include fun runs for children age 7 and younger starting at 10 a.m., followed by a Laurel’s Legacy Lap for anyone with a disability. The cost to enter the fun runs is $3 per child or a total of $5 for families with two or more children. There is no fee to enter Laurel’s Lap.

Throughout the morning, there will be activities in the village square including music and prize drawings.

Money raised through the Laurel Run/Walk goes to Filling the Gap, Inc., which works with The Resource Center to improve the lives of people with disabilities and their families in Chautauqua County. Event proceeds are directed to the Laurel Run Fund at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and are used to promote disability awareness initiatives and to enhance employment and work training opportunities for people with disabilities.

For more information, visit www.laurel-run.com or phone 661-4735.