This past weekend was the applefest in LaFayette, where all of central new york converges on the small town of LaFayette, technically just west a bit nearing the town called Cardiff.. infamous for a hoax you can probably find in your history books if you care to look for it. That hoax would be known as the Cardiff Giant. Some crazy man who inhabited the valley years and years ago claimed to have found the skeletal remains of big foot… pretty cool actually…

Read more about the Cardiff Giant: applefest; wiki; hoax museum

Anyhow, there is a festival of apples, the lands were settled and planted with apple orchards due to the hillsides which were optimal for growing of apples. Some of the best orchards are out there and everyone from the area has a fond place in their hearts for the apple fruit. So naturally they should host a festival every year.

At this festival there is the apple run. A bunch of years ago, around ten or fifteen they used to hold the race but had since had stopped. Last year, 2008, they brought the race back and teamed up with the Syracuse Track Club and the Apple Fest, offering a 1mile fun run, a 5k (3.1miles) and a 15k (9.3miles).

I grew up in Syracuse and I can remember wayy back to the great fall days when we would travel south out of the city up and over the hills down through the colorful valleys through what seemed to be a bit of a trip back up on the hills to this area to pick apples at the Beak n’ Skiff orchard.
Then mid-way through highschool the Hadzor family moved out of Syracuse and down to LaFayette… where I ran XC and started the mini make shift track programs and stuff at LaFatte Jr. Sr. Highschool… so I call this my hometown race.

My dad and I did the 15k this year:

I ran last year and got second to some Navy SEAL guy who was rediculously fit, and was using the race as a tempo run… but this year I won with a time of 55:25.

It was exciting and I got one of the awesome hand carved apple trophies!

My dad also did well in the 15k, using the race as a decent uptempo run as part of his marathon training awarding him 33rd place with a time of 1:11:30.

Check out the Apple Fest& the Apple Run:15k Results,5k Results