Ruterbusch Run to benefit Blue Devil programs Saturday

The third Fred Ruterbusch Memorial 5K Run/Walk will take place Saturday, Oct. 2 at 9 a.m. on the scenic SUNY Fredonia campus. The run starts and finishes behind SUNY Fredonia’s Steele Hall, at the center of its athletics facilities.

Awards will be presented to the top male and female finishers in the run. In addition, the top male and female Fredonia State alumni finishers from each graduation decade starting with the 1960s will also will also receive an award. Post-race refreshments and awards will follow immediately after the race in Steele Hall.

Also back this year is the Residence Hall Challenge, launched to promote participation among current students. Three winning teams will be determined by the lowest finishing place total of the first four runners from the first place male, female and co-ed residence halls. A $100 pizza or ice cream party will also be awarded to the residence hall with the most participants in either the run or walk. A plaque for each winning team will be placed in that team’s residence hall. To learn more about the Residence Hall Challenge, contact matthew.foster@fredonia.edu.

The race is named in memory of Fred Ruterbusch, the first Fredonia State athlete to earn All-American honors in track and field. Ruterbusch’s talent in the javelin throw and his leadership on the team helped the university win its first State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) indoor and outdoor track and field titles in 1977-78. This marked the beginning of the men’s 20-year SUNYAC championship reign as a team, a feat unequaled before or since.

The registration fee for individuals is $15 if pre-registered by Sept. 29 or $20 on the day of the race. The fee for each four-member residence hall team is $20 total. The fee for each additional student from a residence hall is $5. High school students may also compete for just $10 (pre-registered or on race day).

All pre-registered runners and walkers will receive a commemorative long-sleeved shirt. Race day registrants will receive a t-shirt while supplies last. Register online for the race>>

Registration forms are also available by email at dmmcgrathesq@aol.com or by calling 716-627-1420 or 716-480-1557. Completed forms can be sent with payment (payable to the “Fredonia College Foundation” with “Phillips Fund” on the memo line) to Dennis McGrath, P.O. Box 656, Hamburg, N.Y. 14075 by Sept. 29. Race day registration is available starting at 8 a.m. at Steele Hall.

Proceeds from the race benefit the Phillips Cross Country and Track and Field Fund, established with the Fredonia College Foundation in memory of Mary Phillips, the wife of Dr. Everett Phillips, Fredonia State longtime administrator and cross country/track and field coach who retired in 1995. The Phillips Fund directly benefits Fredonia State’s current men’s and women’s cross country and track and field programs.

Runners are also asked to consider bringing a non-perishable food item for donation to the Chautauqua County Food Bank. This will be collected in Steele Hall on the day of the race.