New race: Walk this Way? Been there. Doug that.

Well, well, well. There seems to be a LOT of chatter out there about this new Walkway Marathon and Half Marathon, which will start and finish at the Marist Waterfront (same as the Red Fox Trot 5K). There is much back-and-forth on Facebook. I've received a few e-mails about it. If I were on Twitter, I'm guessing there are probably many Tweets and Re-Tweets and whatever else might be lurking out in the Social Media world (I now know the correct spelling of Instagram, FYI).

But! It must be noted that this idea of a Dutchess County-based marathon on a rail trail has already been done. Lest we forget our very own Doug Ainscow ran an out-and-back marathon from his house in Fairview to the end of the Dutchess Rail Trail and back, in May, in sub-2:50. So this could be the first time in the history of road racing that an inaugural event already has a course record! Sure, for those keeping score at home, the proposed Walkway Marathon course is a bit different than Doug's run. But, as a former Poughkeepsie Journal colleague of mine was fond of saying: "Never let the facts get in the way of a good story."

Let's keep the chatter and enthusiasm going. God willing, pending my creaky physical condition, I'm in for the marathon; June is the time I start dabbling in my summer ultras, so a short run like the Walkway race is a good tuneup for my lap craziness later in the summer. Other, more serious, competitors should enjoy this race. And if you have the time and patience, you can even wait for me to shuffle across the finish line sometime later in the day, when the midday sun is blazing.

We will keep you posted on any developments regarding this race. We are not directly involved in it; it is a Walkway and Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club production. It looks to be a fun event.