(October 15, 2004) — It should be a pleasant payday for many of the Rochester area's leading runners at Saturday's Run For Hospice.

The $3,000 in cash available for Americans only, put up by the law firm Moran & Kufta, has enticed few from outside western New York to the ninth edition of what has become the area's most prestigious 5K road race.

"Everybody tells me they'll be somewhere else," said race director Pete Van Peursem of Ogden. "I've contacted groups from all over — Westchester County, Boston, Indiana — but the only two open runners I've received confirmed entries from are from the Indiana Invaders."

They are former University of Kentucky miler Hunter Spencer and Virginia native Keisha Banks, a James Madison graduate and school record-holder in the 800 meters, 1,000 and 3,200-meter relay. Both train with the Indianapolis-based track and field club.

"I completely sympathize with Pete," said Dave Oja of Syracuse. "I know what he's going through. I don't know what it is, but it's hard to attract top American runners to our races."

Oja is cross country coach at Cazenovia College and founder and director of the Syracuse Festival of Races, held the first Sunday in October. The Festival has a cash purse of $8,000, but no American-only money. The field two weeks ago included more than a dozen foreign runners.

"Things have dried up from the heydays of the '80s and '90s," Oja said. "With very few exceptions ... Freihofer's in Albany, the Chris Thater race in Binghamton and a couple races in New York City... there are no New York races with strong American fields. That's just the way it is, I guess.

"I'm sorry that Pete's not getting the numbers. He's trying something that none of the rest of us have done."

Hospice is believed to be the only non-championship 5K in the country that offers Americans-only money.

As of Wednesday night, besides Spencer and Banks, only Sarah Schwald of Madison, Wis. and Youngstown State graduate Laura Kaulen, a 5:09 miler, are coming from out of town in the elite Americans field.

Paul Mwangi and defending champion Atalelech Ketema, both of Kenya, and Kate McIlroy of Wellington, New Zealand, are the leading foreign runners entered. The open cash purse is $3,000, part of a total merchandise-cash package valued at $14,100.

With an open-money breakdown of $600, $400, $250, $150 and $100, and an American-only breakdown of $500, $300, $200, $150, $100, $70, $60, $50, $40 and $30, virtually all of the area's leading runners are in the field. "Double-dipping" will be allowed, that is, Americans in the top 10 overall can cash in twice.

That includes Mark Andrews of Canisteo plus Rochester Runner of the Year title contenders Jon Beck and Ryan Pauling on the men's side, and Allison Carr of West Seneca and Rochester's Laura Bloedorn on the women's side.

The masters division, renamed in honor of the late Charlie McMullen, offers $2,500 cash from Doyle Chevrolet Subaru. Entries include Kenyan Andrew Masai, Diane Legaire of Montreal, Rochester's Scott Bagley and Rochester native Mike Platt of Syracuse.

JCASTOR@Democrat and Chronicle.com