Crossing the Finish Line: 20 Years of Run 4 Downtown in Middletown

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.—More than 800 runners and walkers entered Run 4 Downtown’s 20th anniversary race, closing Middletown streets for the morning of Aug. 15.

The four-mile downtown race was started in 2006 by the owners of Something Sweet Dessert Café, which is now called Piccolo Cucina e Vino under the same owners.

The event aims to raise money for downtown projects and introduce people to the area. It has raised more than $150,000 for downtown projects, including the clock in the Run 4 Downtown Park, the pavilion in Erie Way Park, and improvements to Thrall Park.

The event missed one year during the COVID-19 pandemic, making this year the 20th run.

The runners numbered 593, and the walkers 213, setting off at 8:45 a.m. in increments. The Northern Taiko team played the drums while participants passed the start line. More than 3,000 people joined the after-party on North Street next to Run 4 Downtown Park, where the Taste of Downtown event was held.

Runners and visitors were invited to Taste of Downtown to sample food from more than a dozen different establishments and restaurants, providing food from cheesecake to tacos, as well as services such as massages from a mobility specialist.

Middletown Mayor Joe DeStefano told The Epoch Times that the event has brought more awareness about the downtown area to people in the region.

“A lot of people that come for the race come downtown and say, ‘Boy, I haven’t been here in many, many years, and what a change!’” he said. “And they’ll come back, and that’s the idea: to build an opportunity for people to experience our downtown and experience our community.”

Event organizer and Piccolo Cucina e Vino owner David Madden told The Epoch Times that he is happy to see how Run 4 Downtown has grown, saying that the event grew by nearly 20 percent just this year.

“We see a record number of people who turned out to run, to walk, and to come out and celebrate this community,” he said. “So we are really, really excited about this.”

This was the first year the event had memory boards, dating back to 2006. There was a board set up for each race, showing the number of participants and first place for men and women. The 2006 race had 132 runners, with Art Gunther running 20:16 for men and Barbara Sessa running 26:15 for women.

This year’s winners for male and female runners were Gavin Rossi running four miles in 19:47 and Skylar Musa running the distance in 22:42.

Musa, 34, of Grahamsville, New York, told The Epoch Times that she enjoyed the race and winning. This was her fifth year in a row taking first place for women runners, placing sixth overall.

“The weather was really nice today, so that helps,” she said. “I also am not two months postpartum, so that helps, too. I started training over the summer and am finally kind of feeling in shape again, so it was good. It’s my fastest time on the course, so I’m happy about that.”

Last year, Musa won the women’s race with a time of 24:53 three months after having her baby. She said she started running Run 4 Downtown in 2021, and that besides the addition of vendors at the end, “it hasn’t changed a lot” from her perspective as a racer.

“But I like that. … I like knowing what to expect,” she said.

Musa coaches for the Tri-Valley school district, and has helped train up two All-American runners.

Sebastian Rudnick, 16, from Minisink Valley, and Rylan Young, 15, from Middletown, have been friends since kindergarten, and ran cross county in middle and high school together. They joined the race to have fun, a good workout, and food after.

Young said: “You know, it was definitely difficult at some parts. Very hot weather today, but it was definitely a fun experience.”

This was their second time running the race, and they noted that it had a special small-town feel to it. They said they enjoyed running with such a large variety of ages. Young ran 32:32, and Rudnick ran 34:14.

Ray Feng, a Canadian student at Fei Tian College Middletown, said it was his first time running four miles. By the end, he could not walk or hear anything, he said, and that was his favorite part, the feeling of accomplishment.

“It’s very tiring, but super exciting,” he said.

Feng ran the race with a few of his friends from college, completing the four miles in 41:15. He said he would do the race again next year, and give it his all again.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of Minisink Valley, New York. The Epoch Times regrets the error.