In conjunction with Wayne County’s Bicentennial, a 200-mile Torch Relay has been mapped out to take the Bicentennial Torch through each town in the County. The relay requires at least 200 runners and will take place over five days from Monday, August 14 to Friday, August 18.
Runners can sign up now to carry the torch for one (or more) of those miles. Each runner pays a small fee and can choose which mile of the relay and which day they want to run. If runners want to run with a friend, two people may sign up for the same mile. Cost is $22.20 per runner which will include a commemorative T-shirt, medal, and collectible race bib.
The relay will start at the Palmyra Fair Grounds on the first day of the Wayne County Fair and conclude in the same place 5 days later. All participants are invited to run the 200th mile on Friday, August 18th as the Torch will lead the Wayne County Fair parade through the Village to the fairgrounds in Palmyra at 6:30 p.m. This is at no additional charge and runners do not need to sign up for this “last mile.”
Bicentennial Committee members Jeff Washburn and Jim Paprocki spearheaded the effort by creating the route and online mapping, mile by mile, with each route passing by numerous local historic sites. “We wanted more people to be aware of the variety and quantity of historic sites in Wayne County,” says Washburn. “This route highlights some of the significant ones, like the Soldiers Monument at Marion Cemetery.” Paprocki, who created the online maps in conjunction with his work with the Wayne Historians Organization, said “We have a huge online database of documented historic sites that we hope to showcase concerning Wayne County history.”
The route will average about 40 miles per day and will pass more than 100 historic sites. The route will also vary from village streets to rural roads. It will use parts of the Erie Canal Trail, have gathering points at select sites to transfer the torch. All runners will be accompanied by a crew car and historic vehicles. Each day will start where the last day ended. Transportation will be provided to get the runners from the gather point to the start of their mile and then back to the gather point.
Runners must be at least 16 years of age and be prepared for the weather and a variety of running surfaces. On Day 2 there will be a special “relay” for kids age 15 and under at the Sodus High School Track. This will require a separate sign up and only cost $5 per runner. Kids will each get a medal and have a chance to carry a torch in honor of the event. Walkers and persons with special needs and abilities are also encouraged to participate in either the main event or the Sodus track event.
For additional information including the entire route, maps by day, mileage points, historic gathering and staging areas, and approximate start times for each mile, can visit www.WayneCounty200.com and click on Bicentennial Events and then Bicentennial Torch Relay.
