WILMINGTON, N.Y. --- It will be the happiest 1.5-mile run, when youngsters, ages 6-12, participate in the Whiteface Mountain Uphill Foot Race Kids’ Fun Run, Saturday, Sept. 13. This non-competitive run begins at 8:15 a.m. and follows Santa from the base of the Whiteface Mountain Veterans’ Memorial Highway to Santa’s Workshop.

All youngsters who participate in the fun run will receive a reindeer shoe finisher’s medal, admission into Santa’s Workshop and a buffet breakfast as they await their parent’s finishing the 37^th annual Whiteface Mountain Uphill Foot Race. The cost is $5 per child and children can register the morning of the race.

Just before the children begin their event, hundreds of runners from throughout the northeastern United States and Canada will begin their accent up New York State’s fifth highest peak, at 8 a.m.

Also presented by North Pole, Santa’s Workshop, the race will take runners eight-miles up Whiteface Mountain’s Veterans’ Memorial Highway, a climb of more than 3,500 feet. Once at the top, racers will be able to relax, with fruit, cookies and broth, while catching their breath and taking in the 360 degree autumn panoramic view of the Adirondacks, New England and even Montreal, Quebec, to the north.

September’s race marks the third consecutive year that organizers have held this event during the autumn season. It’s also the second consecutive year that the race will be a part of Wilmington’s Festival of Colors celebration, now in its 11 year.  

Following the uphill race, runners are invited to take in all of the Festival of Colors activities before and after the awards ceremony. From 10 a.m.-5 p.m., the Town of Wilmington will celebrate the autumn season with a wide variety of free and family activities including games, face painting, arts and crafts, horse and pony rides, bake-offs and of course food and music. There will also be special guest appearances from Santa’s Workshop characters.

Awards will be presented to the top finishers in the men and women’s divisions, and junior (under 19) division. Awards will also be presented to the best finishing “King and Queen of the Hill,” which is given to the top man and woman, who compete in both the uphill run and bike race.

Registration for the 37^th annual Whiteface Uphill Foot Race is $40 for adults, $30 for military, $20 for juniors and $35 for racers who compete in both the bike and uphill races. To register for the event, log on to https://www.runreg.com/3760.

For more information about both the Uphill run and the Festival of Colors, visit www.whitefaceregion.com.

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About Santa’s Workshop: Santa’s Workshop is a theme park that specializes in entertaining young children and the young at heart. Unlike other regional parks, the park’s attractions are geared to please children 48 inches and SMALLER! The minute you walk through the gates of Santa's Workshop, you will be sent back in time to a storybook village where the traditional story of Santa lives! If you are looking for a place to go for your family, there is plenty to see and do! Come on in, look around and join us! OPEN SUMMER, FALL AND WINTER!

Michelle L. Burns

Operations Manager