Nicholas Harbol is pictured with his 9-year old son Lucas and 12-year old daughter Lily.
When we started the Owego Strawberry Shake 5K back in 2012, Stella Reschke and I were driven by a mutual love of running and assumed that we would get maybe 100 other people who were also hooked on road races to sign up. To our surprise and delight, we had over 400 runners. The next year, we added a couple hundred more. By last year, we had over 800 runners and walkers in the Strawberry Shake 5K.
We originally paired the 5K with a Kids’ 1 Mile Fun Run, the Strawberry Shortcake, so that children could be part of this event, too. What we didn’t expect was the wonderful discovery that many families were more than willing to sign up as a whole unit. As the race has grown over the years, more and more parents are running the 5K with their children and promoting not only healthy lifestyle choices but also the opportunity to spend quality time with their families.
Nick and Tracy Harbol have participated in the Strawberry Shake 5K for the past few years, along with their 12-year-old daughter Lily and nine-year-old son Lucas.
Tracy has been running on and off since high school when she did it to stay in shape for various sports, but now she runs to keep healthy and fit. Nick has been running for five years now for the same reasons as Tracy. Their commitment towards good health has encouraged their children to literally follow in their footsteps. Now Lily and Lucas run to spend time with their parents, but also use it to build endurance for other sports. Nick says, “Once the kids got older, and saw us trying to get into shape and continue exercising, they would ask if they could run on the treadmill or have us take them running.”
Lucas Harbol at the Strawberry Shake 5K.
The Harbols enjoy taking part in the Strawberry Shake 5K because of the small town atmosphere of the race and the camaraderie amongst all the runners. Nick cites the positive feelings of contributing to the community while having fun exercising outside in the fresh air as two of the biggest reasons why they like to do it.
“Both of our children started with the Strawberry Shortcake Kids’ 1 Mile Fun Run and we now have all decided to run the 5K.” They like that the flat course and safety of the race allows them to run with their children while enjoying the beautiful scenery that downtown Owego has to offer to the participants. “The people lining the streets cheering you on along the course is great,” Nick says, “especially at the end of the race … that’s the highlight!”
Running has given the Harbol family a way to stay in shape and maintain a healthy lifestyle that they can model for their children. “As we have run the AES Family Run, the Strawberry Shake 5K, and the Snowzilla Run, we’ve found a way to have fun together, and do something we all enjoy,” Nick adds. For this family, it’s becoming a tradition to enter various races and continue adding to their list of accomplishments as well as continuing on the path toward good health.
Jessie Barnes says her family feels the same way about running the Strawberry Shake 5K. She, her husband Doug, and their seven-year-old son Ryan all participate in the race. “Doug and I have been runners since high school,” Jessie says. “Ryan saw us enjoying it and asked if he could start running with us. Our eleven-year-old, Jason, occasionally joins us but he’s more of a swimmer.”
Ryan Barnes at the Strawberry Shake 5K.
The Barnes family ran in the Strawberry Shake 5K for the first time last year and became motivated to participate in other races as well. Doug has competed in the Wineglass Marathon and is currently training for another marathon in June. What they like most about the Strawberry Shake 5K is the community support.
“Ryan loved having people point at him and comment on his youth and dedication,” Jessie says about their youngest son. “We enjoy that the race is local and travels a good part of the town, plus we are able to go downtown afterwards and enjoy all the events going on at the Strawberry Festival.”
Running has given many things back to the Barnes family. In addition to making them more active and fit, it has given Jessie and Doug a way to teach their children to be healthy and have patience when heading for a goal. “When we run and exercise together, we have time to talk and enjoy each other’s company,” Jessie adds.
The Maslin family is also motivated to run together. Kristine and Kent Maslin have participated in the Strawberry Shake 5K each year along with their children: Matthew, 15, Luke, 13, Nicholas, 11, and Shannon, 8. Kristine says she is motivated by her children; particularly her oldest, Matthew, asking, “Do you want to run?” Her youngest, Shannon, enjoys riding her bike alongside while Kristine goes running, giving them some quality time together. “We like running because it has an advantage over team sports because you can do it alone or you can run with others,” Kristine says.
Kristine says that her family likes running in the Strawberry Shake 5K because it “kicks off a fun weekend.” They like the energy of being part of the race and the excitement of accomplishing it as a family. “It allows us to spend time together doing something healthy and positive,” she adds. “We like that we can do 5K races like the Strawberry Shake and we can also run in Hickories Park or along the trails. It’s something everyone can do anywhere, anytime.”
The sportsmanship amongst runners, along with the great sense of community and togetherness, makes this race a popular one for families. There’s still plenty of time to register for the Owego Strawberry Shake 5K. For online registration visit the race website at https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Owego/OwegoStrawberryShake5KRunWalk.
The Strawberry Shortcake Kids’ Run begins at 6 p.m. and the Strawberry Shake 5K begins at 7 p.m. Both races will take place on Friday, June 19 and kick off the Strawberry Festival, which runs Friday, June 19 and Saturday, June 20.
Deadline for pre-registrations is Thursday, June 11, 2015 at midnight but runners can register at the race site, located on the lawn of the Tioga County Office Building at Academy Street and 56 Main Street in Owego, on Friday June 19 from 2 to 6:45 p.m. Pre-registered runners can pick up their race packets during these hours.
First, second, and third place prizes will be awarded in the male and female categories for the 5K. T-shirts are available on a first come, first serve basis to the first 800 runners who pre-register. All proceeds will benefit the Apalachin Youth Football League as well as future race events and activities that take place in the Village of Owego.
If you have any questions about the race, contact the Tioga County Tourism Office at (607) 687-7440 or email info@visittioga.com. For more information about the Festival, visit www.owegostrawberryfestival.com.
