Sara's Race has new course and sponsor

The 10th edition of Sara's Race 5K, set for Sunday, Oct. 21, has a new sponsor and a new course but the cause has remained the same.

The event, which also includes a 1-kilometer kids run, is being held in memory of Sara Rivazfar, a 6-year-old who was abducted and murdered in 1988.

Sara’s Race began in 1998 and for two years was a 5K cross country race at Genesee Valley Park. From 2000 until last year when the race was not held, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children backed the event, which ran the streets of Irondequoit, finishing at Camp Eastman.

The race returns to Genesee Valley Park this year, running the same USATF-certified course that is used for the annual Ten Ugly Men 5K — a flat and fast course run primarily on park roads and paved canal trails. The 5K will begin in front of the Howard Mott Moore Statue on Moore Road in Genesee Valley Park off Elmwood Avenue and finish adjacent to the Round House Pavilion

When the NCMEC decided to pursue other fundraising opportunities, Rochester Area CrimeStoppers stepped in.

"We wanted to do an event that was community-focused," said CrimeStoppers spokesperson Joyce Palumbo. "We feel so strongly about the event and its cause that we plan on being involved for years to come. For the event to grow and real reach its potential it needs some stability and we are willing to provide that."

Palumbo and Ahmad Rivazafar, Sara’s father, crossed paths many times in recent years at various fundraising events.

When Palumbo was informed that the NCMEC was no longer involved in Sara’s Race, she felt that CrimeStoppers would be the perfect fit. In fact, she was able to woo Rivazfar into becoming a board member.

"Ahmad has such a commitment to crime prevention and he has dealt with this unspeakable tragedy so well with his proactive approach that his presence on our board seemed a natural fit," Palumbo said. "Like us, Ahmad‘s goal is to not let our community forget that safety comes first."

Entry fees for Sara’s race are $15 by mail or online through Active.com until Thursday, Oct.18; $18 on Friday, Oct. 19 and Saturday, Oct. 20 at Fleet Feet Sports, 2210 Monroe Ave.; and $20 on race day.

There is a $5 Youth 1k Race for ages 13-and-under. Packet pick up is Friday, Oct. 19 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. also at Fleet Feet Sports. Registration forms can be picked up at local First Niagara Bank branches, Mark’s Pizzeria, and 12 Corners-Brighton Starbucks, Bagel Land and Great Harvest Bread Co.

Rochester Area Crime Stoppers was founded in 1982 to assist local law enforcement in solving crime and arresting those involved in criminal activity. It is a community based program managed by an unpaid board of directors, representatives from local law enforcement, Channel 13 WHAM and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

Rochester Area Crime Stoppers pays rewards for tips on crimes that lead to arrests. Tips are called into the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 423-9300. The Crime Stoppers program has enjoyed great success boasting an average conviction rate of 95 percent on cases solved by Crime Stoppers’ tips.

RACS is in partnership with TV Channel 13 WHAM, which highlights a crime of the week and encourages viewers to call in tips on other crimes reported in their newscast. RACS funds the publishing of six Felony Fugitive Flyers each year in the Democrat and Chronicle which has a 77 percent capture success. 

"On the Run" appears weekly in Messenger Post Newspapers. Peter Glavin can be reached at pglavin@rochester.rr.com.