The Old Chatham Hunt Country 5K will be a "classic charmer," offering a post-card perfect setting, small town ambiance and first-class amenities. This race will include a course with bucolic vistas, and will be produced in a "classy, but country" style worthy of becoming an Old Chatham tradition.

Special race amenities will include

• An entrants' packet loaded with useful goodies, over $30 value

• Smooth and easy packet pick-up and adept race organization

• An event program booklet featuring photos and stories about select entrants

• Small town ambiance

• Aerobic warm up activity led by professional instructors,

• Beautiful scenery along course (in addition to the sheep, horses, fox, deer, rabbits, fowl...)

• Music on the course (live of course!)

• Strong community support (the whole town is backing this event!)

• On-premises medical support, EMTs and rescue squad

• Enthusiastic and supportive aid stations

• Hunt Club course marshals on horseback

• Spilt times at mile markers,

• Professional Finish Line operation,

• Professional Race Results crew

• Professional Race Announcer

• Post race massage

• Delicious variety of after-race refreshments (including sheep milk ice cream, of course),

• Immediate race results, posted immediately on the Internet

• Entertainment prior to Awards presentation

• Distinctive Shaker hand-crafted awards for overall winners and in 5-year age categories

• Distinctive Shaker hand-crafted awards for winners in race walk division

• Distinctive Shaker hand-crafted awards to winners in two-person team division

• Medals presented to age groups winners in youth mile race

• Outstanding souvenir T-shirts

• $1,000s worth of random-draw prizes

• Results posted immediately on the internet and sent to entrants

• Free admission to the Shaker Museum (the nations' foremost collection)

• Free tours of the Sheepherding Company Inn farm, America's largest sheep dairy farm.

USATF Adirondack Association President George Regan will manage the finish-line operation. Mr. Regan is the professional Race Director for the Freihofers Run for Women, the Albany-based USA National 5K Women's Championship Road Race and was named the 1995 Race Director of the Year by the National Race Directors Association. He also helped officiate the USA Men's Olympic Marathon Trials in 1996.

An Organizing Committee of 23 local runners and athletes representing business, government, the Chatham School District, parents and youth, is committed to investing sufficient energy and creativity to ensure this race offers everything that experienced road race enthusiasts have come to expect when participating in an outstanding road race. Within the first five years of producing this annual event, the Committee will endeavor to have the race designated by Runners World Magazine as "One of America's Top 100 Road Races". To earn this distinction, the Hunt Country 5K will include many of the outstanding features and characteristics of some of America's finest road races.

Glen Wolin, an experienced race results official, and his support group will be responsible for compiling results as soon as the race is completed. The results will be posted at the race finish as well as on the Internet, under the Old Chatham Hunt Country 5K's Web Page.

Road race announcing will be handled by Dave Oja, a well known leader within the running circles of the northeast. Dave writes for the New England Runner, is President of the Syracuse Chargers Track Club and has served as announcer at many major races throughout New York and New England.