Runners honor veterans in this year's Stockade-Athon

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Hundreds of runners took to the historic stockade streets of Schenectady for this year’s “Stockade-Athon” Sunday morning. The 3.9-mile, or 15-kilometer course goes through the Stockade district, past Union College, and into Central Park before finishing at city hall.

Mike Newhouse and Andy Laporta are members of Flags4Fallen, a group that honors first responders and veterans. They took their passion to this year’s Stockade-Athon to celebrate Veterans Day early.

“I don’t think we do enough; I think one day a year is not enough,” Laporta said. “We do one thing at a time to try to let people know to not forget our veterans. I think it’s the worst thing we can do is not appreciate the ones that are still here.”

“Its heart, thats what it is,” Newhouse said. “We run from the heart. We always believe, we call it the angels are with us every time. And every time we run, those families we run for in the past, they are pulling for us today.”

In Sundays 15K, Newhouse and Laporta ran holding American flags in honor of two veterans, in relation to Lauren Herbs, who have passed away. 

“They decided to run with the flags in memory of my father, who passed away September of 2023, and my father-in-law, who passed away this September,” Herbs said. “They both served in the United States Air Force and Andy and Mike are carrying the flags in memory of them.”

The flags were then presented to Lauren and her family, after they all crossed the finish line. Newhouse said it’s his honor to keep the memory of veterans alive.

“It’s a token of appreciation for letting us honor their loved ones, and its also a symbol of unity and what we do and who we are as a country,” Newhouse said.