Corporate Challenge race continues despite rain

Liverpool (WSYR-TV) - After an hour-long rain delay, a closed Onondaga Lake Parkway was filled with runners and walkers competing in the 28th Annual Chase Corporate Challenge.

The 3.5 mile road race spanned the entire length of Onondaga Lake Parkway, which was shut down for the race.

The start of the race was delayed for an hour due to rain, and finally got underway around 7:30 p.m.

"Despite the rain it was still a good race once we got going. We had good temperatures. It wasn't the hottest day of the year like we usually have," said Andrew Foxenberg, the first-place male runner and an employee of US Materials Handling Corp.

The race will feature a crowd of 6,791 participants from 259 companies. Organizers say this year's group is 10 percent larger than the 6,155 who attended in 2009 and the biggest crowd in Syracuse since 2001.

The largest block of runners came from Syracuse's largest employer, Syracuse University, who had 507 registered runners. Wegmans had 316 employees registered and a handful of other local companies had over 100 people participating in the event.

"To win is always great, but to be in such a big race and to win running for my company and for our team is really awesome," said Kristin White, the first-place female runner and a Wegmans employee.