Lake George run keeps teachers' memories alive

Every year, the Lake George community gathers at the elementary school to run - for a good reason. The 22nd annual Randy's Run and Murphy's Mile carves a path around Lake George on Saturday, May 20 - keeping a memory alive, and a student body thriving.

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Every year, the Lake George community gathers at the elementary school to run - for a good reason. The 22nd annual Randy's Run and Murphy's Mile carves a path around Lake George on Saturday, May 20 - keeping a memory alive, and a student body thriving.

"It's turned into a community-wide event," said Lake George Junior-Senior High School Principal Fran Cocozza. "Hundreds of people now attend, within and outside of Lake George. For the last 22 years (minus two during the COVID-19 pandemic) it has been the third Saturday of May."

Randy's Run carries on the legacy of Randall Madison, a former Lake George Elementary School teacher who died suddenly of a brain aneurysm at the age of 31. The school and his family quickly conceived the run as a way to remember a man for whom teaching was a gift.

That gift was shared, too, by Ed Murphy, another Lake George teacher who passed away in 2013. Murphy had taught at the school for 34 years, and paired his passion for teaching with enthusiasm for running.

"Both men were iconic in their impact on the youth of Lake George," said Cocozza. "Ed passed later in life, but much like Randy, too soon."

Now, two runs follow the same route - at least in part. The Murphy's Mile Fun Run starts first on Saturday, intended as a walking-friendly family run, starting at the elementary school and traveling up a section of the Warren County Bikeway. The Randy's Run 5K follows, traveling up the bike path and circling back to the school by way of Bloody Pond Road.

For runners - including many not tied to Lake George - the run represents a mainstay of their year. For the Lake George community, it's a time to benefit students, even long after those taught by Murphy or Madison have graduated. All proceeds generated by the pair of runs go towards the Lake George High School junior prom, as well as scholarships for seniors who plan to go into education. The district gives out one or two such scholarships in a given school year.

This year's run also remembers a more recent loss. Last year, two people were killed in a fatal motorcycle crash on the bikeway, alongside Route 9 in the town of Lake George. One of those two was Quinton Delgoteto, at the time a 3rd-grade student at Lake George. In his honor, this year's commemorative t-shirts will feature the outline of a bowtie - an accessory Delgoteto loved in life.

Registration is open for both the 5K and the fun run. Murphy's Mile starts at 8:30 a.m., and Randy's Run at 9:15 a.m., on May 20.

"The beauty of the race is that, although there is a competitive edge, that doesn't appear to be the focus here. If you have a desire to go out and walk with a jogging stroller, that's what people do. If you want to get out and run a 5K, that's what people do," said Cocozza. "I've run a lot of races, and can't say that any race comes close to what we have."