The race was supposed to be held rain or shine, but nobody said anything about wildfire smoke.
However, that didn’t dampen the turnout when the race finally went off.

More than 150 runners and walkers participated in the 24th annual Gardiner Classic 5K on Friday at George Majestic Park in Gardiner. The event was originally scheduled for Thursday but was postponed for a day due to the poor air quality as smoke blew into the area from the wildfires in Canada.

Friday was better, while there were still some air quality concerns, the mostly clear skies were blue after two days of a hazy yellow.

Landon Fracasse, 19, of Vermont won the overall race, finishing with a time of 17:02. Naomi Durgin of Ulster Park was the top female finisher with a time of 23:46. She came in 19th overall.

The 5-kilometer course features rolling hills through the Town of Gardiner and welcomes both competitive runners and recreational walkers. Following the race, all registered competitors will be treated to a complimentary barbecue hosted by the Gardiner Fire Department.

The event has become a community tradition over the years and this year, it raised money for improvements to the Gardiner fire house.

A Kids Fun Run followed at 7:30 p.m., starting with children younger than four years old running to their parents in the Majestic Park ballfield. The two next older groups ran around around the bases fand the interior of the fence respectively, while the oldest age group, up to age 12, ran around the exterior of the ballfield.