Montezuma Festival of Races
Savannah, NY
- Half Marathon, 10K, 5K
- Road (Paved), Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
Nestled in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, the tiny town of Savannah — home to a population of just over 1,700 year-round residents — is set to play host to the Montezuma Festival of Races. This series of races will take 5K, 10K and half marathon runners … MORE
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Improved from 2 Years Ago
This is a 5K, 10K or half marathon race located in between Rochester and Syracuse by the Montezuma wildlife refuge. I also did the 5K two years ago. I was … MORE
This is a 5K, 10K or half marathon race located in between Rochester and Syracuse by the Montezuma wildlife refuge. I also did the 5K two years ago. I was on call again this year so again did the 5K. This year they fixed almost all the issues I had with the race 2 years ago. For starts they moved it up to early June when it would like be cooler and also moved the races up 15 minutes. This was a good move. While it was really hot Friday it cooled down the rest of the weekend. This year the race was able to be held at the Audubon Center which was a nice starting place with indoor bathrooms and you could learn about nature while waiting in line. They also had porta potties outside. I did race day packet pick up. This year the swag shirt was a nice quality long sleeved polyblend shirt. I liked it more than the tank top 2 years ago. The 5K was again an out and back. It was still kind of a boring course and I didn’t see any wildlife but there was one really pretty section lined with lilacs and other flowers. There was an aid station with water close to the turn around. It was an open roads but they were really quiet country roads. Not a single car except the main road you need to cross to get the the Audubon center which had someone directing traffic. There was a decent sized hill in the middle but it wasn’t too tough a course. My finish time is only so slow because I had to answer a page. Finish line had a nice arch and you get a really nice medal. Too nice for a 5K lol it’s nice than some half marathon medals I have. There were cookies and apples at the finish. There was also $2 off a chicken BBQ at the nearby firehouse or from the vendors at a nearby street fair. Both were starting later than I finished so I didn’t redeem them but it’s good for the half marathons. My one negative is it was annoying to drive out as the main driveway to leave is also where the runners run to end the race so I had to dodge runners and spectators to drive out. Overall I think this is a fine race. Not one I would strongly recommend but it’s fine for locals. I probably won’t do it again since I’m moving out of the area unless the half works out well as a double with another half the same weekend.
Too Hot - Needed an Earlier Start
This race was a bit of a let down after the amazing 5K yesterday. This is a race produced by Willow Running who produce several races in Central NY and … MORE
This race was a bit of a let down after the amazing 5K yesterday. This is a race produced by Willow Running who produce several races in Central NY and this was probably my 5th race I’ve done with them. This race is located in Savannah which is a small town between Rochester and Syracuse near the Montezuma Wildlife Management Area. There is a half marathon, 10K and 5K distance. I was on call this weekend so chose the 5K. They offered packet pick-up both in Syracuse and Rochester so I picked up my packet Friday evening in Rochester. Packet included bib and a tank top. Not sure what I think of the tank top. It is neon yellow. Like the color of a highlighter. Bold choice. But did appreciate getting a swag item I can wear this time of year since all my recent races have given either long sleeve shirts or jackets which are too hot for the summer. There is also day of packet pickup if you couldn’t go early. It was very easy to get to the race and park at the Fire department in Savannah by the finish line. The start was about 1/4 mile away and easy to walk to. The biggest issue with the race which is mostly out of the race company’s control is that it was really, really hot today. The high for today is in the 90s and it was in the upper 80s during the race. The races started way too late for these temps. The half marathon started at 8:15, 10K at 8:30 and 5K at 8:45. While the race company can’t control the weather they can control the start times. This race is held in late June, while it’s a little hotter than usual, 90 degree weather can’t be a shock. The start times definitely should have been planned to be an hour earlier from the beginning. It sounds like the race company was considering moving the races to an earlier time when they saw how hot it would be but ultimately decided against it to avoid confusion which I would agree with that decision. They also did allow an early start for the half marathon but you wouldn’t be eligible for age group awards if you chose that. I would definitely suggest next year they choose an earlier start time. The start of the race was kind of lame. There was no starting arch or anything exciting just some cones. It was also only chipped timed at the finish with no timing mat at the start. The 5K was kind of small with under 100 participants (the half was a little bigger). The RD just said go and we went. My first mile was actually not too bad as there was a light breeze and it didn’t warm up too much yet. Then I had to answer a page and after that it really heated up and I couldn’t get back into the zone and had trouble with pace and motivation. This course was an out and back. Mostly flat with one small hill in the beginning. You start at the top of the hill so you only go up it on the way back. It’d be an easy course if it were 20 degrees cooler. Course was okay. I was hoping it would be really pretty and scenic with lots of wildlife but it was mostly just corn and farms and I didn’t see any animals. There were a few nice views of the wildlife area. I think the 10K and half marathon have better views. There was an aid station you passed twice with water, gatorade and ice pops. The ice pops were perfection. You then turn around and go back to the hill. At this point I was definitely walking the hill with the heat. The finish line is about 1/4 mile past the start at the firehouse. There was a nice finish arch and a nice lady cheering us on and telling us how well we did even though my time was awful. This is my record for worst road 5K I (mostly) ran. I have a few trail 5Ks and a few 5Ks I walked with my mom that are slower but I also have some faster trail 5Ks. You get a medal at the finish line. The medal is really pretty. The 5K one is on the smaller side which is fine as it is a 5K but it is glittery with the eagle race logo and very nice. I was expecting post race food since there usually is good food at Willow events. However this year they got approval for a BBQ a few months after registration was open and registration didn’t account for the BBQ so you had to pay $10 extra for the BBQ. The BBQ had BBQ chicken and also had veggie wraps for a vegetarian option. I couldn’t stay and hang around since I had to round at the hospital and $10 seemed a lot for a veggie wrap so I had to pass on the food. Outside the BBQ, there was just bananas and for some reason bananas don’t sit well with me after racing. There was also someone selling fresh squeezed lemonade for $3. That was also perfection. Overall this race was fine but I was a little disappointed in it. I thought the Earth Day Half Marathon Willow did was better produced and more festive even though it was when things were less open. This race was also way too hot and needed to start earlier. I’m definitely not jealous of the half marathoners even if they get a bigger medal. I’ll probably do this race again since it is close by but I wouldn’t go out of my way for this race and would be very cautious about signing up for the half if they don’t move it earlier.