31st Annual Chris Thater Memorial

LongsCycle will be attending the Chris Thater Memorial again this year! We are excited for the new criterium course located in Downtown Binghamton with Start/Finish at the intersection of Court and State Street. Click here for Course Detail

"Our goal in moving this event downtown," said STOP-DWI Coordinator Chris Marion, "It is to bring that message to the younger audience that make up a majority of the DWI crashes and fatalities."

Another big change for the athletes and the spectators is that most of the races will be held at night.

They're moving to a twilight format which means the main cycling events and the 5k race will start on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 6 pm.

Coordinators are expecting more than 1,200 athletes and up to 5,000 spectators for the races. At the Rec Park location, many of the people in attendance were only the athletes and event participants.

"What we want to do, by bringing this event downtown," Marion said, "Is increase the expose to not only the event but our message. Putting it right in the center of the city people are going to have no choice but to see it."

Christopher Thater was a 23 year-old cyclist who was killed by a drunk driver in 1983.

By Kelly McCarthy, WBNG