On Sunday, September 21, the 8th Annual Connor’s Way Run/Walk will take place in the Adirondack foothills of Hinckley, and the virtual event will take place September 21-28.  The annual event raises funds for the Connor Arthur Lynskey Scholarship Fund that was established in memory of Connor, a 2017 Holland Patent Central School District graduate and pre-med student whose life was tragically taken by a drunk driver on August 11, 2018. The scholarship fund aims to keep his memory alive and help medical and high school students to further their education.

The Connor’s Way 5-Mile course follows the path that Connor used to run through the beautiful countryside of Hinckley and the Town of Russia. The first year’s event gathered 200+ participants and has now grown to over 500 participants in both the in-person and virtual races over the last three years. Connor’s Way is also a member of the “2025 Route 20 Road Challenge Series.”

The event is a celebration of Connor’s life, with the opening ceremony beginning at approximately 9:40 AM with a 10 AM start time for runners, immediately followed by the walkers. Medals are awarded to top overall female/male finishers, as well as for each five-year age bracket of runners.  New this year is a free Kids’ ½ Mile Fun Run at 9:30 AM. There will be live music by the Crazy Fools band, as well as a few food trucks.

Participants may register online at RunSignUp up to the morning of the event. Registration is $35 plus a RunSignUp fee of $3.61, and the price will increase to $40 on September 19 with a RunSignUp fee of $3.95. A free shirt is included with registration through September 3. Sponsorships for the Run/Walk are always accepted, but in order to include a sponsor name/logo on the t-shirt design, it must be received by September 3.

Since the Connor Arthur Lynskey Scholarship Fund creation in 2018, it has awarded over $80,000 to students enrolled in colleges, universities, and certificate programs, as well as additional awards to students enrolled in the Upstate College of Medicine Early Assurance Program, with an emphasis on assisting students in the Rural Medical Doctor program. Connor was enrolled in this Upstate program and planned to become a rural doctor. Connor and his brother, now Dr. Michael Lynskey, Jr., had hopes of opening a rural medical office together.

In 2022, the scholarship fund partnered with the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties to grant the high school awards in Connor’s memory. Also in 2022, the “Joey R. Ventura Tradesman Award” was added in memory of Joey, who was an accomplished local welding instructor who passed away unexpectedly in 2021. In 2024, twenty-one students from nine different high schools across Herkimer and Oneida Counties received scholarship awards. Visit www.foundationhoc.org/connor to learn more about the fund.

For more information on sponsorships and to register for the Run/Walk, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Hinckley/ConnorsWay5Mile. To learn more about Connor’s Way, visit www.connorsway.com.