The steep hill near the end of the Old Chatham, NY 5K precedes a gradual uphill to the finish line. It is very difficult to look good finishing uphill. On the other foot, you look better finishing the Chatham, MA 10K because the race finishes downhill to picturesque Oyster Pond filled with fishing boats. It is a matter of personal preference. The Chatham, MA 10K is a co-ed race, and often in races I had enjoyed running alongside a distaff runner to help forget, for a while, the pain of the race.
Local merchants provide many goods for the runners.
The Old Chatham, NY 5K this year features the legendary Bill Rodgers, who won the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathons four times each. There is almost no runner more famous than Bill Rodgers. Well, Chatham, MA is the home town of the legendary Johnny Kelley, who won the Boston Marathon twice and ran the Boston Marathon an incredible 61 times. Now in his 90s, Johnny Kelley appeared at the Chatham, MA 10K and spoke at the award ceremonies. The answer is for the love of the sport.