By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – On your mark, get set, run! The Chase Corporate Challenge will be held Thursday night in Buffalo.
This marks the 30th year of the race that starts at Delaware Park. Organizers say it is an event that started modestly, but has grown into a fixture on Buffalo's corporate and fitness calendars. The 3.5 mile race starts at 6:45 Thursday.
The very first Corporate Challenge was held in Buffalo in 1981 with 425 runners from 60 companies participating. But now the race has exploded with 9,990 entrants representing 392 companies participating last year. It was one of the largest races in Western New York.
Preparations began well ahead of Thursday's race. A sea of tents line Delaware Park. A stage is set and Corporate Challenge flags are set up along Amherst Street across from the park area.
Buffalo Police are anticipating a high volume of traffic for the race. Police remind those attending that vehicles parked in "No Parking Zones" on side streets in and around Delaware Park will not be ticketed.
But police will be ticketing and towing any vehicles that are parked in unsafe areas including: blocking driveways, blocking fire hydrants, blocking crosswalks or parked in handicap areas or parked on exit or entrance ramps.
Citizens are also reminded that no parking is permitted on the grass areas in and around Delaware Park.